Nipples plugging

[maineguy]

I shoot 2 rifles, a Pendersoli Frontier 50 cal and lyman 50 cal. Pendersoli is new i shoot once and clean it and shoot again the cap goes off but not powder . i try 3 or 4 caps and same. Im useing goex 2f cause i have a 58 cal also. Is the bottom of the nipple plugged?

 

[Britsmoothy]

Possibly a cleaning issue involving water not being dried away enough.
Possibly an oil issue....dont use oil.
Possibly to course a powder. 3f works in a 58 too. Depending on the design or a manufacturing flaw there could be a powder flowing issue.
Gotta do some diagnosis.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Something is blocking the flash from the nipple that is preventing the heat getting to the main charge and setting it off. Use a pipe cleaner to reach from the nipple seat to the powder chamber. You should be able to look down the barrel and see the tip of the pipe cleaner. Use a very wet with 91% rubbing alcohol to clean the barrel. The alcohol will pick up any water or oil and and dry out the bore. I agree with @Britsmoothy, there is water or oil in the flash channel and breech area that needs to be removed. A blast of air from a compressed air source might do it. With the muzzle pointing at something that will move, pop a cap. If the grass or leaf moves, the flash channel should be clean enough to fire a round.

After cleaning, store the rifle with the muzzle down to allow excess oils to drain from the flash channel and breech area.

 

[Musketeer]

The flame path is blocked at some point. Take out the nipple, blow it out with a compressor or some "duster" spray, remove the little screw on the end of the drum, run a pipe cleaner through it, blow it out with air, replace your screw and nipple, and try shooting it again.

 

[Grimord]

Pedersoli's have a patent breech that is quite narrow and hard to clean. As mentioned in the other posts, it is likely that moisture or oil is in the breech area and contaminating any powder charge. When i clean my Pedersoli's, that I can't take the barrel off for flushing, I use a .22 caliber bronze cleaning brush with a patch wrapped around it to get down into the breech area to dry out any residue oil or water. The air compressor can be your best friend when available, otherwise, an alcohol soaked patch will do the trick while in the field,

 

[Bert621]

I've had similar troubles with a T/C New Englander. Compare the size of the flash hole in the nipple to another brand, I needed a slightly larger hole to carry enough flash through the channel to the powder. Once I got the larger hole in there things worked like I wanted.

 

[ohio ramrod]

Are you sure there is powder in the breech? A condition known as "dry ball". If the powder is there you should be able to get it out by removing the nipple and putting in 2 or 3 grains of powder replacing the nipple and firing. Pedersoli's do have the narrow patten breech which can collect oil and foul your powder. After cleaning I always store the guns with the muzzle down, or at least lower than the breech to prevent oil from getting down into the breech. Also since I heavily oil my barrels for storage I use an alcohol soaked patch to remove any oil before loading. When I get to the range I also fire off a powder only fouling shot. If there is any fouled powder it is easier to get out without a ball on top.

 

[mooman76]

When you say clean, do you mean you run a wet swab down the barrel after shooting?

 

[rafterob]

I am sensing this is an issue of the method of cleaning or swabbing between shots. Use a damp patch, not wet. Run the patch to the bottom of the barrel and let it rest about 10 seconds. Withdraw the patch, Flip it over and repeat. Do not pump the damp patch up and down, this can force debris and sludge into the fire channel. Follow the damp patch with a dry patch, both sides and you should be good.
The other thing would be to not over oil your barrel, only a light coating is needed. Excess oil in the flash channel combined with some fouling can turn into a gooey sludge that clogs it up.

 

[mooman76]

What rafterrob said. I might add that the cleaning patch shouldn't be tight. It needs to be loose enough to slide down the barrel easy, that way it slides over the fouling and when you pull it back out, it bunches up and pulls the fouling out rather than push it down into the breech area clogging it up.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Moisture, oils and powder do combine to form a non firing blockage. The 22 brush with the cleaning patch is a good idea. Use a patch dampened with rubbing alcohol.

 

[sawyer04]

I have seen nipples cause this problem also, I believed , for lack of better explanation that some how the nipple created an air pocket after it ignited, it only takes a minute drop of anything to fowl the ignition. I suggest taking the nipple out and inspecting it with a glass magnifier and blowing compressed air in the barrel with the nipple out. I had a customer who had used pipe cleaners on the nipple and some debris had stuck in the cavity of the nipple.
Cheers

 

[coloradoclyde]

The likely cause is failure to remove oil from the nipple, bolster, breech area prior to the first shot.
Your nipple flash hole may also be corroded, this is fixable by replacing the nipple or removing the corrosion and restoring the proper flash hole diameter.

 

[maineguy]

Ive been useing 70% acohole so will change to 90% and try and get pipe cleaners. Thank you all so much

 

[bang]

Use a piece of hose on the nipple and put the end of the hose in a small bottle of cleaning solution. Use a tight cleaning patch and push it to the bottom of barrel. Pull it back up and draw the solution through the nipple and flash channel. This will flush the entire breach. Clean all the barrel bore.
Then remove the nipple and run pipe cleaner through channel to remove moisture. Repeat with alcohol to displace any remaining.
For at range don't use wet patch only damp and use a jag that will push the patch in loose and pull it out snug so fouling won't get pushed into the breach. Also fire a cap with barrel muzzle close to a leaf or blade of grass. Either will move if the cap fires through the nipple and channel. It also helps to blow out and debris.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Just use boiling water until the breach is to hot to touch. When its aired some coat the bore and external with a beeswax/olive oil mix. Job done.
No need to roll a trouser leg up and sprinkle the blood of a day old chick all over the thing

 

[Boomerang]

When you wipe between shots, make sure your hammer is on half cock or you will plug the nipple hole with crud. You should be able to hear air being forced through the nipple as you push your ramrod down ensuring your nipple is clear.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Ive been useing 70% acohole so will change to 90% and try and get pipe cleaners. Thank you all so much

Do you flush the nipple when you wipe or do you just wet a patch ?

 

[Zonie]

If there is a chance that someone has changed the nipple, that could be the problem.
The thread length on some nipples is longer than on nipples made by other companies.

If the thread length of the nipple is too long, when the nipple is screwed into the gun, the extra length can block off most of the flame channel hole.
It might be a good idea to take the nipple out and measure its length from the shoulder that stops on the gun to the end of the threaded portion of the nipple.

Then, measure the distance from the area the nipple would rest against down to the flame channel hole. The distance from the surface to the center of the flame channel hole should be equal to or greater than the length of the nipple threads.

 

[Feltwad]

I shoot 2 rifles, a Pendersoli Frontier 50 cal and lyman 50 cal. Pendersoli is new i shoot once and clean it and shoot again the cap goes off but not powder . i try 3 or 4 caps and same. Im useing goex 2f cause i have a 58 cal also. Is the bottom of the nipple plugged?

Load with the hammer down on the nipple and see if that makes a difference
Feltwad