Rifle will not fire?

[BP Addict]

"* again, don't feel too embarrassed ... there are three kinds of people who "dryball: those who have, those who have and won't admit it, and those who will soon ... "

TRULY SPOKEN!

 

[ord sgt]

I have it soaking now, I will come back to it tomorrow.

Also, does this screw play a role in removing the nipple? I have never read that it would, but I have to ask.View attachment 61128

If this screw in turned too far into the bolster, it will "lock" the nipple in place. Try backing the cleanout screw a few turns or remove it completely, the nipple should be easily removed.

 

[TrapperPete]

ATF and Kerosene 50/50 will not dissolve black powder fouling, although it is useful for cleaning smokeless powder residue, but we don’t discuss smokeless here.

no but it makes a great penetrating oil which is what he needs to get the nipple out

if the nipple won't come out he has no good way to get it out

atf and kerosene will kill a charge

I clean soap and water , but when I need metal parts to come apart ATF and Kerosene is cheap penetrating oil

 

[BP Addict]

no but it makes a great penetrating oil which is what he needs to get the nipple out

if the nipple won't come out he has no good way to get it out

atf and kerosene will kill a charge

I clean soap and water , but when I need metal parts to come apart ATF and Kerosene is cheap penetrating oil

I've heard of the kerosene part for stuck nipples but not about mixing with ATF. Thanks for the info!

Walt

 

[SDSmlf]

no but it makes a great penetrating oil which is what he needs to get the nipple out

if the nipple won't come out he has no good way to get it out

atf and kerosene will kill a charge

I clean soap and water , but when I need metal parts to come apart ATF and Kerosene is cheap penetrating oil

ATF and kerosene may work a a penetrating oil, but no where near as good as ATF and acetone. Penetrating Oil Showdown!!!

 

[TrapperPete]

But no where near as good as ATF and acetone. Penetrating Oil Showdown!!!

I would say an acetone , however he told us he loaded a sabot , generally those are plastic , and acetone will eat plastic.
not wanting to make the situation any worse.

also on a week soak you will loose much of your volume of acetone.

the kerosene was a conservative move not because it makes the mix work better but because I didn't know what the effect on the sabot might be.

tapping on the nipple with a hammer can brake it loose.

getting a good grip on it and some impact can make a big difference

I had a breach plug in a inline stuck , got a heck of a deal on that gun 100 out the door for a TC
soaked it a week in that mix still didn't want to budge , put the right size 6 point socket on it and my little 1/4 inch impact driver hammered at it for about 20 seconds then it spun loose.

there are other tricks for getting nipples out but I would start with soak ten impact tapping with a hammer on the nipple and turn

 

[Flinty Scot]

I've read that Pyrodex pellets only have the BP on one end, to ignite more easily, then light Pyrodex.
Might you have gotten them in upside down?
It's irrelevant to your current problem, but could be important if you decide to use up what you have - or can't get BP readily.

 

[Flinty Scot]

A lot of good suggestions, but some that would confuse a “ new to muzzleloading“ individual. Ames is correct, keep it as simple as possible. I would add to his post by suggesting, if you have a gunsmith nearby, take the barrel to him and have him remove the nipple. You could also ask around here if there is someone on this forum nearby to simply come over and lend ya a hand. You may even have an option of sending it off to someone to pull the nipple.Even if you get the current load to fire off, your going to need to remove the nipple eventually to replace/ clean. As you had stated before, you seen some YouTube videos... those are a great resource. Once you get the nipple out and the pellets out, CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN... then OIL OIL OIL!! Buy another nipple or two. Remove the nipple during your normal cleaning process, lightly dab a small bit of oil on the threads and you’ll never have to worry about the threads seizing up.
Ask here for anything muzzeloader related... there’s a lot to learn... but it’s worth it in the long run!
Good luck and keep us posted.

Good advice, but "sending" a loaded barrel is dangerous, illegal & could expand this problem to a real nightmare

 

[S.Kenton]

I should have said after you pull the load, then send the barrel out. The load needs to come out regardless.

 

[S.Kenton]

Then the nipple has to come out, it’s already starting to round due to the wrong tool being used, this is the OP’s original picture that I blew up to a larger size. Soak it, then try again, but try and not round the ears off. If it won’t come out, then it’s time to search for a gunsmith.

 

[.36Rooster]

Used! Pull everything. You don't know what's down there before you got it.

Scary but true. It's not unheard of to find one that was already loaded. The reason it isn't firing could be divine intervention.

But I doubt it. Don't use pellets. I wouldnt even use loose pyrodex, except with this winter's powder shortage a lot of us don't have a choice.

I think the ignition point of pyrodex is 600 degrees Fahrenheit-ish, and for black powder it is 300 ish... so black powder tends to be much more reliable. I honestly have not had a misfire in several years...and I shoot 40 balls in a day sometimes.

 

[.36Rooster]

I think the ignition point of pyrodex is 600 degrees Fahrenheit-ish, and for black powder it is 300 ish...

With the pellet form of pyrodex it is even worse. Just think about it this way, if you opened up a can of powder and found clumps, there's no way you would shove them down your bore. You'd go back to the gunshop and demand a refund.

Its a little different with an inline and a 209 primer. Much more fire in the ignition, and straighter distance to travel.

 

[Professor flintlock]

Go back to square one.
Pull the ball.
Dump the pellets down the toilet.
Get some real black powder.

You know the program

 

[gvandersluis]

I hope you dont have to go this far to remove a nipple but its a way. Heat is a common process for removing stubborn nuts and bolts.

p

 

[gvandersluis]

Just a few thoughts, don’t use pellets, plain black powder of the correct grade for the caliber will always work best. I have never had success with a traditional Bullet puller. I bought a hand held tyre inflation device that uses CO2 cartridges bought from a bicycle shop which fits neatly over the nipple. Held on firmly one pull of the trigger will blow a dry ball and patch right out of the barrel, it has never failed me yet. When cleaning a ML pistol or rifle always pull the nipple and if it has one the clean out grub screw, soak both in BP solvent then I use two different sizes of dental piksters to clean the flash hole. Oil the nipple and clean out screw and replace but don’t over tighten. Copper grease is even better to lubricate them. To clean my barrels after removal of the nipple and screw I stand the barrel upright breech end down in a bowl of very hot plain water, wet a cleaning patch and using the ramrod or range rod suction the patch up and down the barrel. Result one clean barrel. Dry with another patch then oil thoroughly and for all my bp rifles cartridge or ml take them out after 3 days and re=examine the bores. A Thill brand fishing lure battery makes bore examination on even the smallest bores dead easy. I hope this is helpful

 

[Shotgunblast]

Nipple size will be M6x.75mm

 

[Newtire]

For a really stuck nipple that won't come out by soaking and nipple wrench, I've gotten the nipple out by driving a slightly undersized 1/4" drive socket over the nipple (must be 8-point or 12 point socket) and then wrenching it out. Drilling and driving those broken bolt removers into the drilled out remains can just expand the thing and make it even tighter. Besides, it may damage the nipple threads. Remember, if that thing is loaded, keep it pointed away from things you don't want to kill cause a spark could set it off. I've personally never had one stuck so bad that I couldn't shoot it out but that's just me.

 

[dlaw4570]

He did. It is a used Investarms from 1975.

Like in the initial post!

 

[TFoley]

I've read that Pyrodex pellets only have the BP on one end, to ignite more easily, then light Pyrodex.
Might you have gotten them in upside down? It's irrelevant to your current problem, but could be important if you decide to use up what you have - or can't get BP readily.

I did mention back in post#64 that Pyrodex pellets had a central insert of BP to get the thing going using #208 primers, but I'd overlooked that they only had it at one end. Glazed Pyrodex 'lights up' like Jello - intentionally. That robust finish that resists abrasion also resists the feeble flame of a teeny train of flame from a teeny little #10/11 cap, too.

 

[Professor flintlock]

AMES has the best idea. His suggestion is probably the best one that you will ever receive on this forum. Oh yeah get a decent nipple wrench the early TC ones that look like a pipe (if it fits) is the best. Kroil is the best P fluid couple drops and let it set a day and it will come out. Grease the threads before you reinstall it. Good Luck