From the initial post the caps are not firing until the second hammer strike. Definitely a poor cap to nipple fit.
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Lyman Great Plains Hunter goes "crunch" not "bang"
- Thread starter wahkahchimaol.com
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wahkahchimaol.com
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The caps now are detonating, so I'm getting 100% ignition of the musket caps. But for some reason the caps are going "crack" but the ignition doesn't ignite the main charge 50% of the time. So...the musket caps ARE igniting. The main charge is NOT igniting. Somehow the flame isn't getting from the nipple to the breech. Advice very welcome.
ccmountainman
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Lyman does NOT recommend using musket nipples on their rifles.
One they most times are too tall and the hammer doesn't hit square and flush.
Plus sometimes the recess in the hammer face isn't big enough to slap all the way down on the cap.
Get a hotshot type nipple, and use a good #11 cap.
another thing, after pouring the powder charge down the bore,rotate the rifle sideways, nipple downwards, slap side of (now) bottom of rifle.
This helps settle powder into the flash channel.
Naturally, make sure your flash channel is completely clear.
One they most times are too tall and the hammer doesn't hit square and flush.
Plus sometimes the recess in the hammer face isn't big enough to slap all the way down on the cap.
Get a hotshot type nipple, and use a good #11 cap.
another thing, after pouring the powder charge down the bore,rotate the rifle sideways, nipple downwards, slap side of (now) bottom of rifle.
This helps settle powder into the flash channel.
Naturally, make sure your flash channel is completely clear.
Put an after market nipple on as suggested, but your problem is a cleaning issue. You are not clearing all the sludge from the breech and firing channel. Try hot soapy water and pump the rod and cleaning patch up and down so that it squirts like a jet out of the nipple. Remove the nipple an clean out the channel with a pipe cleaner.
When you have lubed the rifle and want to shoot it again later make sure you have all the oil out then fire a few caps before the first load to blow it all clear.
We have probably all had the same issue early on and you just learn that 90% clean isn't good enough!
A couple of other things to try is using Fffg as it is finer and will make it under the nipple easier. The second is to pour your powder in then slap the stock on the opposite side of the lock a few times to help it settle into the firing channel.
Hope it helps. All Lyman nipples are junk!
When you have lubed the rifle and want to shoot it again later make sure you have all the oil out then fire a few caps before the first load to blow it all clear.
We have probably all had the same issue early on and you just learn that 90% clean isn't good enough!
A couple of other things to try is using Fffg as it is finer and will make it under the nipple easier. The second is to pour your powder in then slap the stock on the opposite side of the lock a few times to help it settle into the firing channel.
Hope it helps. All Lyman nipples are junk!
If the caps are firing but the main powder charge is not it indicates something is blocking the hole that connects the bottom of the nipple with the powder charge.wahkahchim said:
There are several things that can do this.
The best place to start is with a totally unloaded gun.
Go to a drug store, a hobby shop or a tobacco store and buy some pipe cleaners. The kind that pipe smokers use to clean their pipe stems.
Remove the nipple from the barrel and the barrel from the stock.
Get your cleaning jag and cleaning rod along with a cleaning patch.
Place the breech end of the barrel into a bucket full of water.
Work the cleaning patch up and down in the bore of the barrel. You should see a lot of bubbles coming out of the hole the nipple was in and with some pumping up and down of the rod, soon, water should be pumped out of the top of the barrel.
If you don't see any bubbles or you can't pump water up to the muzzle, it indicates that something is plugging up the flame channel hole that connects the nipple with the bore.
Use some dry patches to dry the bore and wipe it with a lightly oiled cleaning patch to protect it from rust.
Plugged or unplugged, work a pipe cleaner down thru the small hole at the bottom of the nipple hole (the flame channel) into the breech of the barrel.
If you accomplish this successfully you should be able to see the pipe cleaner by looking down the bore.
Repeat this with several new pipe cleaners, making sure the end of the pipe cleaner has been inserted all the way into the bottom of the bore.
This will clean the flame channel hole and dry it.
Now, look at the location of the flame channel hole in the bottom of the threaded nipple hole in the barrel.
Compare this with the length of the nipple threads.
On some guns the flame channel hole can be fairly close to the surface that the nipple stops on.
If the threads on the nipple are too long, they will block off the flame channel hole when the nipple is inserted. If this happens, the caps flame will never make it into the bore.
This situation can be improved by filing a little off of the bottom of the nipple threads but you don't want to remove too much material.
The very small hole at the bottom of the nipple is important. It keeps the gas from the burning powder from escaping thru the nipple and blowing the hammer back up off of the cap.
Now, replace the nipple and your gun should fire every time the cap fires.
(This assumes your using real black powder.)
Some of the new synthetic black powders are difficult to light so an occasional mis-fire will happen if you are using one of these synthetic black powders (even with Musket caps).
Some are worse than others. Especially Blackhorn 209 which is intended to be used with #209 shotgun primers in In-line guns.
I have also seen where someone swabs between shots with too wet of a swab. The dampness keeps the next shot from firing with the next first cap.
Very true.
There's a world of difference between wiping with a damp patch and "swabbing" with a overly wet one.
There has also been a lot of cases where the shooter used a pumping technique to wipe the bore.
This often ends up shoving the powder fouling down the bore and plugging up the flame channel or vent hole resulting in a mis-fire on the next shot.
There's a world of difference between wiping with a damp patch and "swabbing" with a overly wet one.
There has also been a lot of cases where the shooter used a pumping technique to wipe the bore.
This often ends up shoving the powder fouling down the bore and plugging up the flame channel or vent hole resulting in a mis-fire on the next shot.
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I think everyone is right.
In my experience caps that have to be hit twice are caused either by the lock screws being to tight or some other problem with the lock....dirty or poor fit.
Smashed, too long or too short nipples will also cause problems.
Fired caps sticking in the hammer cup will also cause a misfire.
I bought some stainless nipple awhile back and they needed adjustment to work properly.
I am in the camp that 2f powder is too large for 50 cal and smaller.
Slightly enlarging the nipple flash hole diameter will usually solve most 2f and synthetic powder ignition problems...
But as always the vent channel needs to be clear.
In my experience caps that have to be hit twice are caused either by the lock screws being to tight or some other problem with the lock....dirty or poor fit.
Smashed, too long or too short nipples will also cause problems.
Fired caps sticking in the hammer cup will also cause a misfire.
I bought some stainless nipple awhile back and they needed adjustment to work properly.
I am in the camp that 2f powder is too large for 50 cal and smaller.
Slightly enlarging the nipple flash hole diameter will usually solve most 2f and synthetic powder ignition problems...
But as always the vent channel needs to be clear.
My Lyman did the same thing. I just seated the cap down a bit tighter using the hammer. Most will probably call this an unsafe practice but I believe it is as safe as seating the cap any other way. Just make sure your hands are not greasy from the patch and let the hammer down very easy. Then push it gently down and you will feel the cap seat.
Tom Compton
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:hatsoff:
Tom Compton
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Shape nipple, Change nipple or Change caps. I put nipples in drill press an turn slowly. Just lightly touch the cone with a fine file.
When a nipple cone is a bit too large to allow the cap to fit, I also file it down just a little.
I don't use a drill press though. I use a regular variable speed electric hand drill to turn the nipple.
I do this by chucking on the body of the nipple in the area just below the cone. (I don't chuck on the nipple threads because it is too easy to damage them).
Then, with the drill running in a direction that makes the upper surface of the cone rotate toward me, I lay a fine tooth flat file on the cone.
With the drill running, just a single stroke of the file will often remove enough material to allow the caps to fully seat with just light finger pressure.
This almost always fixes this, "Cap won't fire on the first try but does on the second try", problem.
I don't use a drill press though. I use a regular variable speed electric hand drill to turn the nipple.
I do this by chucking on the body of the nipple in the area just below the cone. (I don't chuck on the nipple threads because it is too easy to damage them).
Then, with the drill running in a direction that makes the upper surface of the cone rotate toward me, I lay a fine tooth flat file on the cone.
With the drill running, just a single stroke of the file will often remove enough material to allow the caps to fully seat with just light finger pressure.
This almost always fixes this, "Cap won't fire on the first try but does on the second try", problem.
pjmcdonald
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One topic I actually have experience with and it has already been answered! But I will offer that I also had to lightly dress the nipple with a file. Caps weren't properly seating.
Like others, chucked in a drill press, turning slow. Very fine file. Discovered in the process that hammer wasn't striking quite square and causing nipple to mushroom slightly on one side. I now keep 3 extra nipples in my kit. Dressed, cleaned, and a light coat of grease on the threads. Keep them threaded on a long sewing needle so I know they are clear.
CCI primers, BTW.
Paul
Like others, chucked in a drill press, turning slow. Very fine file. Discovered in the process that hammer wasn't striking quite square and causing nipple to mushroom slightly on one side. I now keep 3 extra nipples in my kit. Dressed, cleaned, and a light coat of grease on the threads. Keep them threaded on a long sewing needle so I know they are clear.
CCI primers, BTW.
Paul
