One lucky deer.

[capt eddie]

I got off work early today and had permission from the boss "wife" to go hunting. I only have till Sunday to kill another deer with my 50 cal. At 5:00 I watched a doe and yearly come out into the wheat field I was hunting over. About 60 yards away the biggest doe stopped broadside. I had a steady rest on the side of the stand. I was planning on how to cut up the meat. Click Oh no! Now the cap went off but no big bang. The doe flinches but stands there looking in my direction. Quickly I put on another cap and Pop the cap fires again but no big bang. Now the deer are walking off. By the time I put on another cap they are out of range. Before I got out of the stand I tried the gun again. Again the cap goes off but no fire in the hole. I load up and walk to the house. The boss wanted to know why I was home so soon, she did not hear me shoot. I told her the story and tried another cap. I was really scared now that I might have a stuck bullet to try to remove. This time the gun fires. Lucky this time. Noe Backtrack one hour. I was on the porch loading up some TC speedloaders for this hunt. I checked to first charge and loaded the powder in the barrel. I made up another charge of powder and started to load it in the speedloader then realized I did not have a bullet seated in the loader. Seated all three bullets in the speed loaders and finished off with the caps. Then I capped the rifle as I walked off the porch. I can see deer from the porch at times so I need to be ready. While getting settled in the stand I realized that I did not load a bullet in the rifle. I did not want to overload the barrel with too much powder so I dumped what was left in the barrel. Recharged from a speedloader. That was the beginning of the end of the hunting trip. Now The big question for all the experienced shooters here. What could have happen the the caps or the charge? Everything is stored inside a dry place. I shoot it 3 time when I got home and they all fired.

 

[biliff]

Don't see where you made sure the breech was clear of any oil before you loaded. Snapping a couple of caps ahead of time is always a good idea. Point the muzzle at some grass when you do it to make sure the channel is clear.

That, coupled with an apparently rushed loading procedure (no bullet)tells me you didn't take the time to prep the rifle.

 

[Bill Hall]

Yep. Oil or moisture in the flash channel (hole that connects the nipple to the main charge) is the biggest cause of misfires in a percussion. Any oil or moisture soaks into the powder, and effectively turns that bit of powder into a fire-proof blockage.

Always always always pop two or three caps with your gun empty, to clear out any residual oil or moisture build up, before loading for hunting. A misfire is no big deal when target shooting, but for hunting, well, you already know what that feels like.

Take extra care and attention when loading for hunting. Bill

 

[S.Kenton]

Totally in agreement. Oil in the flash channel or breech was most likely the culprit. I oil the bores of my guns HEAVILY..so before I load them, after storage, I always spray some brake cleaner in the bores and a run a few dry patches down the barrel. The brake clean dissapates quickly leaving no moisture or oil in the barrel. Then pop off a cap or two. Never had any problems..YET.. (knocking on wood)

 

[necchi]

What kind of caps? How are the caps stored?

 

[tv_racin_fan]

Tis also possible with a cap lock that some of the "paper" in the cap lodged in the nipple or channel.

I like to dry the bore with patches, then pop a couple of caps. (you can hear the difference or you can place the muzzle near something that will move to show channel is clear) Then I pull the nipple and use a pipe cleaner to make dern sure the channel is clear. (At the range between shots I may pick the nipple to make sure it is clear for certain I will take a look at the nipple to see that it is clear)

 

[capt eddie]

Thank you all for the reply. I did not know if it was a good idea to fire off a cap or two before loading the first time after cleaning. I guess the cap is not fouling up the nipple when you do that? I was afraid I was going to foul up something. Now I will pop a cap after cleaning, before I load.

 

[David W.]

Another thing about oil and fouling. Many people use WAY too much oil when cleaning. A thin oil coat in the barrel does the same thing as a dripping wet barrel.

 

[tom deinek]

I store my ml rifles muzzle down for the same reason.

Use a cleaning lady service at home. All Polish immigrants. Lady told me whe was in their amy & muzzle down storage is SOP.

 

[Stumpkiller]

What could have happen the the caps or the charge? Everything is stored inside a dry place. I shoot it 3 time when I got home and they all fired.

I agree with the concensus so far. If the caps popped it wasn't their fault. But, if the bore had oil or WD-40 or some such and you poured powder in it could have leached into the powder - killing it. I make sure the bore is well wiped with alcohol before loading. The process of running a tight alcohol patch also blows air through the ignition channel - helping to blow out any oil or dust.

And I store all mine nose down (the two most used on wall hooks as my signature shows).

 

[Swede50]

Starting with a clean rifle after making sure there is no pieces of cap in the nipple put your thumb/finger on the nipple point the muzzle up and pour about 1oz of rubbing alcohol down the bore. Put your thumb over the muzzle and shake. Let some of the alcohol run out of the nipple and pour the rest out of the barrel. Let the rifle dry for a few minutes run a dry patch down the barrel and load as usual. I have used this method on both flint lock and percussion with excellent results.

Good luck with your hunt.

 

[paulvallandigham]

When preparing a percussion gun to load and fire, I pour about 4 tbls. of isopropyl alcohol down the barrel, to dissolve oils and congealed grease, or oil, in all the tight spots- right down thru the orifice in the nipple. A thumb over the nipple, and another over the muzzle is all that is need. Shake- not stir! :grin: Pour the stuff out.

Give the barrel a wipe with a dry patch to pull out any alcohol that is pooling. Then I BLOW down the muzzle to listen for air rushing out the nipple.

This has proven a far better "test" to know that the gun will fire, than shooting off caps. And, Caps simply don't stay hot enough, long enough, to BURN out oil and grease in the flash channel. THAT is where blockages will occur, FIRST! :shocked2: :thumbsup:

Instead, caps fire off on an empty barrel ADD new fowling to any oil in the flash channel and the barre/powder chamber. If left uncleaned, those part of your gun will begin to rust. :shocked2: :barf: What is the point to wiping the bore with a dry cleaning patch, if you are then going to foul your flash channel with cap debris???

( Yes, I made that same mistake for years, because that is what everyone else did! After a few misfires, and lots of time at the range removing nipples, cleaning the flash channel, firing off the load in the gun, and then cleaning the gun correctly with an alcohol flush, I learned to do it right. On one of my last outings with my shotgun, one of the other shooters wondered why he had never seen my gun misfire or hangfire? :grin: )

Someone here runs a cleaning patch down his barrel on a jag and holds it there while he fires off a cap to "dry" the flash channel. When he pulls the patch and rod out of the barrel, there are scorch marks on the patch. That simply proves that the nipple and channel are clear, for now, to the bore.

It cannot remove oil or grease dried in that narrow flash channel. Leaving oil and grease in the channel is how shooters get a couple of shots to fire, and then the gun won't fire no matter what they do. :shocked2: :hmm:

 

[Bruce H]

I agree with all that has been said. I had exactly your problem once; I was lucky in that it was at the range. I took the nipple off and could see some kind of moisture inside.

In addition, I use magnum caps. I accidently bought some standard caps once and had an occaisional misfire. So now it's only magnum caps for me. BTW, I use 2f, 777.

 

[ronrryan]

there used to be a ramrod tip accessory for T/C and similar rifles that was shaped like a tiny flat shovel and was designed to clean beyond the end of the normal bore, in the so-called 'patent breech" area on the way to the nipple channel. Often crud builds up in that area which is not removed by regular jags and patches. One can also use a .22 rod end to clean the same area. The old rule is: 100% clean, 100% dry, 100% lubed for storage, but the 100% lube needs to be removed before reliable shooting ensues. Good smoke, Ron in FL