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Problem getting spark thru to powder... Help!
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Looks like the clean out screw has been removed and replaced many times, get an Allen head set screw to replace it, you won’t be sorry.. I’d recommend pulling the barrel, remove the nipple and pump some soapy water in and out thru the drum. If you have a patent breech, this is the surest way to get it clean. And, if you have a patent breech that has been fouled for a long period, it’ll take some scrubbing to clear. Then throughly dry, reassemble and give it a go. If you can find a friend with a bore scope, take a look at the breech area.
It could be that a tiny piece of percussion cap is lodged inside the nipple. I had that happen to me once. Take out the nipple and try to look through it. If there is something in there, you should see it. Run a thin wire through the nipple.
It could also be that the nipple is fine, and you have too much oil or other matter inside the drum or at the breech of the gun that is getting the powder corrupted.
It could also be that the nipple is fine, and you have too much oil or other matter inside the drum or at the breech of the gun that is getting the powder corrupted.
Just remove the nipple and the clean out screw. Do not attempt to remove the drum itself. It is threaded way into the bolster and then drilled during manufacture. CVA and Traditions are adamant about that.
If you don’t have a #11 nipple wrench, buy one. Use an open end for removal until you get one. When reinstalling, apply hi temp lithium grease to nipple threads. I wouldn’t recommend removing the drum, no need really. Ask around, somebody will tell you how to get the screw out.
Do you have access to a steam cleaner? If you do, remove the nipple and give the breech area an extended blast of steam through the threaded nipple hole in the drum. You will be surprised with the amount of crud the steam will knock loose.
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Is the gun loaded?
Sam squanch
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What powder are you using? If it’s pyrodex, stop using it and borrow some 3 or even 4 f REAL black powder. I had a mowery percussion that was only reliable with 3 or 4 f real black, the venting under the nipple was so small , only a small grained powder would flow back where it needed to be.
morehops52
50 Cal.
Another way to get crud out of a patent breech is to use .22 brush to get down inside it. Hot soapy water should do it though if it ain't really plugged up. Don't use hot for normal cleaning though, just warm.
Mmmmm .... I wouldn't do it that way. Too little room around the nipple to get a tight and secure fit. You're likely to end up damaging the nipple and/or the stock. Nipple wrenches aren't that expensive.
It looks to me like that nipple needs to be replaced anyway. Maybe it's these old eyes, but it does look to me like it's slightly deformed.
FWIW, I remove the nipple and drop it in a bucket of tepid water with a touch of Dawn dish soap. I then use the plunger method until the barrel is clean. Dry with patches, then shoot compressed air into the nipple hole. Shoot air into the nipple too, but hang on to it. You should see daylight through the nipple. Oil with whatever concoction you think works, store muzzle down at least overnight, then run a dry patch then a LIGHTLY oiled patch down the barrel, then reinstall nipple.
That clean-out screw has been assaulted by some ham-fisted amateur with the wrong turnscrew. Remove the barrel from the stock, remove the nipple, set in a yogurt container and cover the drum with Kroil. While waiting order Chapmans Gunsmithing Screwdrivers (or better if so inclined. My Chappys are over 40 yo.). With a properly fitting screwdriver bit, try every 12 hours to loosen the screw. It will eventually give up and come out. Use a slotting file to clean up the screw slot. Reinstall with a bit of Neversieze.
Bob's your uncle.
You needed the new nipples...the nipple wire looks too thick to me. Duck Creek might have the clean out screw. They bought out the CVA parts and remaining barrel stock. GOOD JOB!
"Clean out screws", aren't. They are not intended to be removed. When you blow that screw through your buddy standing next to you, you will learn a lesson on weakening threads.
That "clean out" screw is sort of like an appendix as it is a left over from the manufacturing process used to drill the flash channel from the nipple seat through the drum to the powder chamber. It is a plug for that process and never needs to be used again. It is better to file the slot away and forget about it. Sure, there are some who routinely remove the plug in the drum and think they can clean the bore better than removing the nipple. Some think it is easier to remove that plug to add powder to clear a dry ball than removing the nipple to add powder. The plugs are made of soft steel, and it is way too easy to damage the slot. Leave the "clean out" screw alone!
Often the "cleanout screw is damaged and replaced by a longer screw that interferes with the nipple or blocks the hole in the nipple.
@waksupi is absolutely correct.
Often the "cleanout screw is damaged and replaced by a longer screw that interferes with the nipple or blocks the hole in the nipple.
@waksupi is absolutely correct.
Indeed. I have never removed a clean out screw and I never will. There’s no reason to do so.
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