plugged nipple

[Little Wattsy]

I had a situation where I had 5 misfires in a row and couldnt figure it out. Pulled bullets changed powder and pop-no-bang.
Finally realized taht somehow the hole in my hotshot musket nipple is closed solid. Couldnt get a pick through it period! SOOOOOOO
Question do I risk a stupid if I drill out that hole with a really small drill bit?
All advice welcome before I blow myself up :rotf:

 

[sundog]

Did you try soaking it in water ? Might loosen up the crud enough for you to clean it out with a pick.

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

Don't ever drill-out a nipple! Instead soak it in hot water, or pour some Butch's Black Powder Bore Shine into a small cup and drop the nipple into it and swish it around to break-up the crud! If you don't have any Bore Shine, try regular windex instead!

Now, let's explore the reason that the nipple clogged-up to begin with! Using a pick every so often during firing tends to keep the nipple clear! I also make sure that the entire ignition path is clear of any oil before I put my first load into the rifle. I have a feeling that some oil may have caused your problem with the crud build-up in the nipple. This can also be remedied by snapping a few musket caps PRIOR to first loading the first charge of the day!

Hope that this helps, and please take this as only friendly advice from someone that had it happen to them several thousand shots ago :redface: .

Dave

 

[spitpatch]

Don't drill the nipple!!!! I am not going to tell you why I know that.

 

[boar]

You forgot to blow down the barrel after each shot. :grin: Dilly

 

[mloader40]

I recently had this happen to me after 35+ years of blackpowder shooting. I believe that the problem was bad caps , something that I never experienced before. The cap residue was like concrete in the nipple. I removed the nipple and soaked it in peretrating oil (Kroil) for 20 minutes I still had to use a wire drill bit the size of the nipple orifice. Use the bit held betweem the fingers and keep working untill the flash channel is open, If all else fails replace the nipple. A torch tip cleaner of the proper size should work.
Good Luck,
BPWRL

 

[jdstrang]

Don't drill the nipple!!!! I am not going to tell you why I know that.

Awww, c'mon, spitpatch. Why do you know that?? :wink:

 

[zukeeper1]

nipples are cheap , just replace it

 

[50cal.cliff]

Using a drill bit is not needed, and could damage things! Pull the nipple and let it soak it a little solvent and it sould soften it up enough too use a pick on it.
The only time I had a similar incident it happened in the field after about 15-20 shots on a hot humid morning. I was using a sub. :shake: for powder, 1st mistake, 2nd mistake my wiping method.
Let me explain! I only used a sub twice in my life the first two times I ever shot. The first time was the incident I just related and the second was after I changed my wiping practices.
:nono: When you wipe between shots if you take and go all the way to bottom with first patch you push all the crud to the bottom of breech and that is exactly what I did the first time out. After the 15-20 shots the crud that didn't come out on the patch was pushed into the breech flash channel and eventually out into the nipple blocking the nipple solid. That's when I had my repeated missfire.
After reading a post on this forum I changed my wiping practices I still run a patch between shots but, with my first stroke I only take it about 2/3 of the way down the barrel. At this point I either pull patch on jag and flip over using clean side or merely grab another patch and finish cleaning all the way to bottom of barrel. This way I am picking up more of the crud and not forcing it back into the breech channel and altimatley the nipple. This helped immensely but, I still was getting a large amount of fouling. The change in wiping had stopped it from getting so bad that it eventually blocked the nipple.
The second thing I did was to change to GEOX black powder. Once I tried it I never looked back. :blah:
The third thing I did was even a greater improvement and that was I changed lube. I now use Hoppies #9 BP and Lube solvent. I have shot as many as 20 shots out of curosity without wiping between shots and never had a problem with fouling or had accuracy suffer. :shocked2: Nowdays I usually will wipe between shots if I plan on shooting much or target shooting and I always use GEOX BP, and Hoppies #9BP& S is my choice of lube!!!!!!

 

[Blizzard of '93]

the combo screwdriver/nipple tool I have has a nipple pick built into the brass cap for handy use which I do after every 3-4 shots.

 

[Regulis7]

Drop the nipple in some solvent, let it sit over night and then see if the fouling is soft enough to be cleaned out with a nipple pick. If not you may try boiling it in hot water then soaking in solvent.

If that dont work just toss the nipple and replace it with a new one.

 

[Pittsburghunter]

Radio Shack sells a neat little tool that is a hand drill with micro sized bits in the shape of a pen. Using this tool and a bit SMALLER!! than the hole you can scrape crud out pretty well. The tool also works good to remove crud from the cap side of the nipple as well.

Remember you are just using it to remove crud not metal. Do not force it. I only use a bit smaller than my nipple pick.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Powder solvent and a small paper clip straightened out part way. Don't drill a nipple. Pressure drops and accuracy suffers. In fact, a large paperclip makes a "too large" go/no-go set of nipple test dies when combined with the small paperclip.

 

[Stormrider51]

This may sound stupid but when shooting a flintlock I always put a pick wire into the flash hole to keep it clear. I do the same thing with a percussion. The use of that tiny wire keeps the flash channel open from shot to shot.

Storm

 

[Kevin2241]

Wattsy,

Grab a spare nipple for your range box when you buy a replacement nipple for your rifle.

A good cleaner for your nipple is 409 household cleaner and an old toothbrush. I soak mine in 409 while cleaning my guns and they come out as clean as new. Rinse with water and let dry and you're back in business.

A friend recommended 409 to that to me for cleaning guns awhile ago. I have found that 409 will remove fouling and residue left behind after I have cleaned a gun with soap and hot water.

Kevin

 

[paulvallandigham]

If you buy the T/C nipple wrench, it comes with a wire attached to the brass knurled knob that holds the cross bar( handle) to the main trunk tube. Use the wire to clear the nipple. Almost all the gunk that can plug a nipple is water soluable. Always have an antique bottle with a cork in your bag with either a cleaning solvent, or just water to take care of these little problems. My bottle has about 3 oz. of moose juice in it.

 

[John Wasmuth]

Dont sound stupid at all to me, rather a good idea.

 

I had the same problem here awhile back. I changed back to the RWS regular caps instead of the RWS Plus caps and the problem cleared up. I think the Plus caps have to much crud in them. I am and have used Hot Shot nipples for years with no problems until I realized that I had bought and used the new hotter RWS + caps. I don't need hotter caps to fire my rifles with. All that white salt looking stuff just builds up and clogs the nipple bad. I was having to take the nipple out and clean it every three shots or so. :cursing:

 

[pepperbelly]

I recently bought a TC hawken that the pawn shop mgr. said was still loaded- I got it cheap.
When I got home and looked it over carefully I found it wasn't loaded, but the nipple was packed full. It looked like it had cement in it. It was debris from the caps, I guess from the nipple never being cleaned. I couldn't get it clean either until I took a thumbtack and managed to push the crud out.
I broke a wire from a wire brush trying. It wouldn't soak out or blow out with my air compressor. I was about to just replace the nipple when someone here suggested the tack. Sometimes you just have to get creative.

Jim

 

[Little Wattsy]

Thank You ALL! I really appreciate you being so willing to share. :bow: