Misfire after misfire

[54Bernie54]

Hi,I have been having a problem lately with misfires. I'm suspecting the precussion caps but not 100% sure. I have a 2 year old pedersoli,hawkens 54cal roundball. I went through nearly 100 Remington #11 caps with only a couple misfires.The local gunshop did'nt have the same caps so I ended up with CCI #11 caps.I go through the same procedure as always, after each shot I run a wet patch then a dry and fire a cap off. Then yesterday and today the misfires started.I did get 1 day in last week with the new caps, around 20 shots and 2 misfires. But now it about every other shot. The cap goes off but does not set off the powder.One time I fired 6 caps before the gun finally fired.Many times it took 2-3 caps.I tried firing 2 caps between shots to make sure the barrel was dry and one time I did not clean between shots and it still misfired. I did notice it looks like there is a little more crude build up on the outside of the nipple,and I can see the spark from the nipple when I fire between shots ( I think thats normal but cant remember seeing it before. Any thoughts out there?

 

[BadHeart]

I have had the same problem with the CCI's. They dont want to fire. With the remington's maybe 1or 2 per hunred wouldn't fire. My advice is to stick to the remingtons. I also tried some German made ones. Can't remember the name of them, but, they come in a red plastic tin. They are really good also, haven't had any problems from them yet. Good luck. Frosty

 

[VtIcon]

I believe the german ones were RWS caps also winchester is now making #11 magnum caps as well

 

[outdoorman]

I have had trouble with CCI's on occasion myself.

You might want to invest in a nipple pick or maybe get yourself some fine wire to run through your nipple on these occasions to make sure that both ends of the nipple are open.

Good luck.
Outdoorman

 

[playfarmers]

I have never had a problem with CCI caps,and have been using them for 20 years. Maybe the problem is with the nipple.

 

[Smk50]

I use only CCI caps, I had a couple tins of remingtons, that I had nothing but trouble with. Now its only CCI for about the last 10 years. Maybe just a bad lot, but I go through about 7000(yes you read right, 7000) a year or so and havent had any trouble with them.

 

[chapmans]

Welcome to the Forum!
You don't say what kind of powder you are using, if you are not using real black powder that may be part of the problem, also the breech of the rifle may be getting plugged up causing issues, you may need to give it a good flushing to get the fouling out, or use a breech plug scraper. I use CCI caps with no problems but I use only Goex or Swiss black powder and my guns don't have patent breeches.
I had a rifle come in for the same reason except it wouldn't fire at all, I ended up pulling the breech plug and it was full of fouling that was as hard as concrete, I had to chip it out with a hammer and punch, after it was cleaned out it was fine, I don't think the fellow knew the proper cleaning procedure.
Regards, Longball58

 

[catman]

I will NOT use CCI caps ever again, I had the same problem. I now use Remingtons with no problems at all...

 

[flaming canvas]

Been using CCI for years on several guns for years. Very rare to have a misfire. I would suspect a problem with the flash channel or a clogged nipple.

It could be that your caps were contaminated somehow so that they are not producing the hot flash that they should.

 

[bioprof]

I had the same problem with CCI caps. I switched to Goex black powder and never had another misfire. Call me opinionated, but black powder substitutes are a joke.

Signed,
Learned the Hard Way

 

[bwhoffman]

what do you use for lube and wet are your patches?

 

[renovato]

I've always had problems with CCI caps. When I dry fire them they always go off, but when I use them to shoot with, there's always a few misfires or hangfires. I stick with Remington, myself. I think CCI caps aren't as powerful, or perhaps the flash isn't as hot.

There could be other causes too. Could the nipple be partially obstructed? If the CCI caps are less powerful, maybe enough blast isn't getting past the obstruction. Also, remove the nipple and run a pipe cleaner down the flash hole and see if it brings out a lot of crud.

I'm assuming you're using real black powder? If not, that could be a big part of the problem too. The substitutes are harder to ignite.

 

[Otter]

Been using CCI caps for nearly 20 years and I don't recall ever having a misfire with them. Tried the Remington caps once and had about 10 misfires in the first tin - traded them to a friend for CCIs. I'd check the flash channel and nipple and don't use TOO MUCH of that fancified lube, spit works just fine.

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

It should be an easy fix. First, what type of powder do you use? Next I would look at the nipple and see if it is beat up. You might need to replace it with a good Hotshot nipple or something similar.
Check to see if the hammer is hitting the cap square. You might need to coax the hammer some to get it to hit correctly.
Make sure the cap is seated all the way down onto the nipple.
And for me, I never wipe the barrel after each shot. There has been no need to. I don't soak my patches with lube either. Just lucky I guess. I have shot CCI and Remington caps for years with little or no problems that I can remember (after installing the Hotshot nipple in my rifles). :hmm:

 

[brubincam]

-----I never use a wet patch between shots-----

 

[rebel727]

I've used Pyrodex and CCI's for years with no problems. Remingtons are a different story.

 

[Mulebrain]

Sounds like your getting your breech area too wet! I have seen this before, and experienced it. Especially on patent breeches, where you could keep packing wet lube in that area.

I would really scrape out that breech area really well, and insure the nipple and drum are really clear!

I have used both CCI, and Remington with great success. As long as the channel is clear, and the charge is dry, it should go bang!

I can shoot all day long without swabbing between shots thanks to Roundball! I use Hoppes black powder lube and solvent on my patches. Load fire, load fire etc...

I am sure other lubes will perform as well!

 

[Bountyhunter]

First, replace your nipple with a new Hot Shot nipple, then get up close and personal with your hammer and nipple, use some light in there to determine if your hammer is hitting your nipple squarely. I had that problem with my CVA Mountain rifle, and when I put in the hot shot nipple and then adjusted the hammer, I can light it up with cap gun caps now.

 

[rafterob]

Another happy CCI user here. Mostly because that is what my supplier carries. I have had maybe 3 misfires in 2 years in over 1,000 shots. Those were traced to clogged flash channel or breech. I have a Traditions with their patented breech. I only swab when it becomes necessary at around 8 shots. Damp patch only-lately have just been using a spit patch. Others point out that substitute powder may be an issue, but I used Pyrodex for about 6 months when I started shooting this rifle with no problems. In fact, I could shoot 15-20 shots without cleaning and no misfires. Most of the posts I have seen here regarding constant misfires all state that they swab after every shot.

 

[Dave K]

If the cap is firing, you have either dirt or mosture in the drum/nipple. You may be pushing crud and moisture down the bore and it gets in the drum/nipple area. If the cap is not firing, is it fitting fully on the nipple, so that the strike of the hammer can hit it hard enough to fire it? I don't think it is a cap problem, more of a dirt and moisture problem. JMHO