Well I took my old .45 "Grace" out to the range. I went with a friend of mine who has shown a passing interest in BP shooting but was not sure it was worth all the work. I thaught for sure going out with old grace and makein some real smoke would bring him around. Well...we arrive at the same time as a couple of other BP shooters and watch one of them get a ram stuck and have to leave. I'm thinkin...uh oh not a good thing for him to see right away, but oh well grace will come through. I load her up and cap her and let line up on the target and let the hammer drop as he watches...click...oh manure cap didn't pop...stay calm just adjust and try again...click...damn damn damn better try a new cap...click...ok gettin really angry now readjust...Bang. Yay I thaught but next shot nearly the same results. Seemed today that Grace's name ment only with the grace of god would she fire. Oh well time to do thinkin about a new hammer. It doesn't look too bad but don't know what else to do. Oh well a bad day at the range still beats the best of days at work.
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Horrible Day at the Range
- Thread starter m7bacon4
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If it was literally a case of the caps themselves not firing I wouldn't think a hammer suddenly needs to be replaced...I'd suspect the caps, the nipple, or the lock internals dragging/being sluggish, or a main spring problem.BitterrootBP said:
A simply quick first step is to pull the lock and power flush it with WD40 to blast out any debris that might have gotten in there...operate the lock many times during the use of WD40 to free things up...check that the main spring seems normal and has good strength.
Next I'd buy a fresh can of caps and a new nipple...you can test cap firing right there in the garage, back yard, etc. The caps may have become contaminated and/or the top of the nipple may have been battered so that the caps don't sit all the way down on the top of the nipple and won't go off at hammer drop.
Rat Trapper
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WD40 should only be used for a quick fix. WD40 if left inside the gun for a long period of time will turn hard and cause it's own problems. I have stopped using WD40 around triggers, bolts, and locks for this reason. If it's all ya got, it can be used as a quick fix, but blow it out with an air hose if you have one. Gun scrubber is a better item to use than WD40.
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I agree with Roundball. But, more importantly - how did your friend react to all of this? I hope the misadventure did not sour him to ML. BTW, I have had days like this at the range to the point that I had to compair the experience with fishing!
I am always puzzeled at these kinds of comments about WD40...been using it on every firearm I've owned since back in the 70's...most noteably the trigger assemblies of 5 Remington 1100 trap & skeet shotguns, and for the past 16 years all the lock internals on my muzzleloaders...never had a single problem yet.Rat Trapper said:
AeroncaTAL
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I agree with Roundball, both on the missfires and the WD-40. 
I immediately thought that your problem was with the nipple. I had the same problem with the nipple on my GPR; once I replaced it the missfires stopped.
Scott
I immediately thought that your problem was with the nipple. I had the same problem with the nipple on my GPR; once I replaced it the missfires stopped.
Scott
k.jacobfrost
40 Cal.
Just out of curiosity, I remeber as a kid I used this stuff (see pick) on everything and it worked great. Can you use it on bp firearms or would that be a big :nono: ?
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I've heard the same stories about WD-40. Gums up actions, removes bluing, etc. Been using it for prolly as long as Roundball has. Never had it gum up an action and I've got guns I hardly ever use anymore, just wipe'em down and spray'em out with good ol WD every now and then, bluing still looks as good as it ever did, actions still work fine. Even use it to spray out the actions on .22 autos and if anything is gonna get gummy it's a .22 auto.
Have to agree with previous posts that problem is not likely the hammer. Sounds like cold/stiff/gummed up/fouled up/ lock. cap not seated fully on damaged nipple, old weaker caps, etc.
SIDEBAR:
I like WD40 also.
Quite a few times folks have said why do you use that stuff? it will ruin your color case hardening, it will ruin your blue, etc.
Am not usually loyal to products without good reason... perhaps there is something addicting about WD40?
SIDEBAR:
I like WD40 also.
Quite a few times folks have said why do you use that stuff? it will ruin your color case hardening, it will ruin your blue, etc.
Am not usually loyal to products without good reason... perhaps there is something addicting about WD40?
paulvallandigham
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WD40 acts as its own solvent. If you are spraying the action just before going out to the range to shoot, the solvent loosens the congealed oil residue and you don't have a problem. However, if you take the gun out to shoot after its been sitting for awhile, the action may be so sluggish that it does not function properly. A quick spray of WD 40, or flushing out the action with alcohol to remove the WD40 will get the gun back into action again.
paulvallandigham
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There are better gun oils to use, tha WD40, and 3 in 1 Oil. Rem Oil is terrific, and there are others out there, too. I have been using Gibbs, a product I picked up at Dixon's Gunmaker's fair back in 2003, under a variety of conditions, and it seems to be a good all around oil to use on guns, including muzzle loaders.
Well...Thanks for all the input. Turns out it was a bad batch of caps. I went home pulled out a new tin and test fired 15 of them without a failure. My frist thaught was the nipple and I changed it out at the range, so i figured I had better try some new caps before I go through the trouble of finding a new hammer
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Check the nipple to see if its slightly mushroomed on the end. If the nipple is mushroomed the cap will not go on all the way, several drops of thhe hammer may be required to fully seat the cap.
An easy fix is to remove the nipple then carefully chuck the threaded end in a power drill .
Use a fine file and champfer the end of the nipple and if necessary slim down the body.
I have used the method for years and it will eliminate the miss fires. BPWRL
An easy fix is to remove the nipple then carefully chuck the threaded end in a power drill .
Use a fine file and champfer the end of the nipple and if necessary slim down the body.
I have used the method for years and it will eliminate the miss fires. BPWRL
Tumblernotch
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Buddy they ain't a thing wrong with using 3 in 1 oil. It has protected my guns for years better than anything else. And keeps the wood looking good.
After cleaning and drying my bores, I run a patch saturated with it through them as well. Before shooting, I run a dry patch through to pick up any excess oil. And when oiling a lock with it I only use a tiny bit, especially in cold weather. For the lock I recommend 3 in 1 Light Machine Oil if you can get it. It works even better.
With any oil, especially the heavier kinds, it can cause problems if you store your gun standing up. Oil can settle in the breech and in the drum or bolster on percussion guns, and this can cause problems. But if you lightly coat the bore with 3 in 1 or other light machine oils and store the guns horizontally and run a dry patch through before shooting there should be no problems. But if it gets mixed with moisture and powder residue it is a mess.
I use WD40 from time to time and have had no real problems with it as a lubricant, but I've noticed that it doesn't protect that well from moisture, certainly not as well as 3 in 1. I've never used RemLube in a ML, but I wasn't overly impressed with it in my pump shotgun. Since it is a dry lube though, I use it on the charge bar of my shotshell reloader and it does pretty good.
After cleaning and drying my bores, I run a patch saturated with it through them as well. Before shooting, I run a dry patch through to pick up any excess oil. And when oiling a lock with it I only use a tiny bit, especially in cold weather. For the lock I recommend 3 in 1 Light Machine Oil if you can get it. It works even better.
With any oil, especially the heavier kinds, it can cause problems if you store your gun standing up. Oil can settle in the breech and in the drum or bolster on percussion guns, and this can cause problems. But if you lightly coat the bore with 3 in 1 or other light machine oils and store the guns horizontally and run a dry patch through before shooting there should be no problems. But if it gets mixed with moisture and powder residue it is a mess.
I use WD40 from time to time and have had no real problems with it as a lubricant, but I've noticed that it doesn't protect that well from moisture, certainly not as well as 3 in 1. I've never used RemLube in a ML, but I wasn't overly impressed with it in my pump shotgun. Since it is a dry lube though, I use it on the charge bar of my shotshell reloader and it does pretty good.
paulvallandigham
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There is a difference between Rem oil, and Rem lube.Rem oil is an oil, and is an excellent oil to use in guns of all kinds. However, as with all oils, in very cold temperatures, the kind where few hunters are in the field, except in Alaska, the Yukon Territory, and other N. Canada provinces, and the rare day in the lower 48, you want to remove all the oil from the action parts of the gun, so that the oil does not congeal and slow the action. Shooting a gun without any oil on parts at all is the preferred method. Recently with some of the synthetic lubes developed for cold weather lube, we now have lubes that do not congeal even aft low temperatures and those should be considered for use with guns. I would still not oil or lube the firing pin, firing pin spring, and hammer of a rifle used to hunt in really cold weather.
Bitteroot,
We've all had days like that. I one time got my ramrod stuck in the barrel, no problem as there is a creek right by the range. Pour a wee bit of water down the barrel and she comes right out.
Did that twice oneday and then dry loaded a ball.
Yeh, feel'n like a greenhorn that day. Luckily my target time redeemed me, a little.
We've all had days like that. I one time got my ramrod stuck in the barrel, no problem as there is a creek right by the range. Pour a wee bit of water down the barrel and she comes right out.
Did that twice oneday and then dry loaded a ball.
Yeh, feel'n like a greenhorn that day. Luckily my target time redeemed me, a little.
Rat Trapper
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Roundball,
I use to use WD40 for years myself without problems. After I retired from the Army I worked for 5 years in a gun shop. During that time I had the chance to see too many guns where the WD40 was left in the gun so long that it did turn to something that almost looked like a glue job. Never had this happen to me as I was always cleaning the WD40 out every so often. But it does happen to those who put too much of it in the trigers and never clean it. Anyone who cleans the whole gun fairly often normally does not have problems, but today there is better things to clean with. I no longer recommend it, but in a pinch I might do it to a 1100 skeet gun in the summer. But lets face it, if I'm spraying WD40 in a 1100 skeet gun, it's just cause it's very dirty and I'm too lazy to clean it. Won't do it in the winter, cause then you'll have more trouble, already tried it in Alaska's winters. Next time you are in a gun shop ask the gunsmith. Hope this clears things up.
I use to use WD40 for years myself without problems. After I retired from the Army I worked for 5 years in a gun shop. During that time I had the chance to see too many guns where the WD40 was left in the gun so long that it did turn to something that almost looked like a glue job. Never had this happen to me as I was always cleaning the WD40 out every so often. But it does happen to those who put too much of it in the trigers and never clean it. Anyone who cleans the whole gun fairly often normally does not have problems, but today there is better things to clean with. I no longer recommend it, but in a pinch I might do it to a 1100 skeet gun in the summer. But lets face it, if I'm spraying WD40 in a 1100 skeet gun, it's just cause it's very dirty and I'm too lazy to clean it. Won't do it in the winter, cause then you'll have more trouble, already tried it in Alaska's winters. Next time you are in a gun shop ask the gunsmith. Hope this clears things up.
