So this happened today

[Carbon 6]

 

[Stantheman86]

The guy who had it last probably put some kind of rust preventative grease down the pipe

 

[Griz44Mag]

Hit it with a blast of brake cleaner using the tube.
Won't matter if it is oil, grease or caked powder, it's gonna come out.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Talking of flash channels. I've had to open a few in my time to make cappers 100% reliable. Even a high dollar PH Enfield needed the treatment.

 

[S.Kenton]

Hit it with a blast of brake cleaner using the tube.
Won't matter if it is oil, grease or caked powder, it's gonna come out.

That’s pretty much what I do before I load my rifle.. capper or flintlock. So basically you clean rifle and oil bore before you put it away, then clean again to get the oil out. For caplocks I pop a couple of caps off before loading. I’ll find some piece of dust, blade of grass, leaf.. somthing that is light and moves with a small amount of pressure. Then I’ll aim my barrel at it as I pop a cap off carefully watching for movement. If it moves I’m good to go.

 

[Feltwad]

I will never understand why people witness misfires , I would say it is bad cleaning and also poor loading . When I am busy on pest control or shooting driven pheasant and partridge I can fire 50 too 100 shots in a day and not a misfire . On cleaning I use a black powder solvent and a bucket of hot water and give the bore a good scrub I never remove the nipples which I consider a bad practice , dry with a paper patch on a bristle brush and lightly oil . For loading I snap a couple of caps on each nipple then with both hammers on the nipples so the powder when rammed is in the nipple base and not blown out when with the hammers at half **** ,this is one of the main causes of misfires.
Some people have different ways to what I have said but I have used the method quoted in shotguns for the last 72 years including pistols ,and rifles
Feltwad

 

[Grenadier1758]

What I think may have happened is that the last cleaning of fishleclair's rifle included a lot of oil in the breech to inhibit rust. Blowing down the barrel sounded okay with a hiss through the nipple. The caps fired correctly, but the oil was still in the breech and somewhat moist enough to contaminate the powder and make a blockage to stop the powder from getting into the flash channel. Since there was no powder in the flash channel until some poking around with the nipple pulled, there was enough moisture to clump up the powder far enough away from the flash so there wasn't enough heat needed to set off the main charge. Probably a similar problem with the Pedersoli. Do use a small caliber brush to clean the chamber. A chambered breech is difficult to clear of old lubricant if stored muzzle up after cleaning. Always store muzzle down for at least a few days to let the excess oil drain away from the breech.

 

[SamTex1949]

What happened to the simple and "old" idea of first capping the rifle, point muzzle down at ground near some grass or dirt, fire the cap and watch for movement at the muzzle end at ground ?(obviously before loading !) "IF" there is movement of grass or dirt then the flash hole is clear, has worked for since 1970.

 

[Britsmoothy]

What happened to the simple and "old" idea of first capping the rifle, point muzzle down at ground near some grass or dirt, fire the cap and watch for movement at the muzzle end at ground ?(obviously before loading !) "IF" there is movement of grass or dirt then the flash hole is clear, has worked for since 1970.

Your right but if there is oil there it takes a tiny amount to vapour and stop the ignition of the powder. It is hard to believe but I have had it happen to me before just using boiling water to clean and a grease preservative. No oil goes near my guns now of any type.

 

[Carbon 6]

Your right but if there is oil there it takes a tiny amount to vapour and stop the ignition of the powder.

You're right.
Excess oil settles in the breech. The firing of a cap doesn't burn out the oil it just plasters it to the walls of the barrel. Then you pour powder down the barrel and it gets contaminated and sticks to the barrel walls. Then you load the ball shoving all that contaminated powder and oil into the breech.

I've never had a missfire if I clean the barrel and bolster with M.A.P. prior to loading, in fact I can clean it and load it and let it sit for months before firing without a problem.

All one has to do is simply patch the barrel after firing a cap through it (or before)and you will see all kinds of oil on that patch.
Those that fire a cap first and have no issues are obviously using the right oil and the right amount to get lucky.

A quick 30 second cleaning solves all the problems.

Also, If you look at the design of the Lyman/investarms breech (the way the plug is shaped) It creates a nice little place for oil to pool if the gun is stored muzzle up.

I spray so much preservative down my barrels that it will run out the nipple hole and I have to place a patch between hammer and nipple to prevent it from dripping all over and making a mess. Yet I have no problems because I clean the barrel before loading.

One last thing about snapping caps first. I have seen snapping a cap on on empty gun actually plug the nipple hole.

 

[azmntman]

I would check to make sure the nipples are not too long and extending so far down the flame from the cap is altered. "if" you are a rebel like me take the clean out screw out and check the length of the nipple in bolster. I have heard of this but yet to see it myself. A Pedersoli with this issue is a red flag.

 

[fishleclair]

I checked that last night. I can see the threads in the screw hole.

 

[Sun City]

Oft times when I read these postings I sit and cry and just shake my head!

Help them dear Jesus for they know not what they do!!

 

[fishleclair]

Oft times when I read these postings I sit and cry and just shake my head!

Help them dear Jesus for they know not what they do!!

Thanks for the inspiration

 

[Griz44Mag]

Oft times when I read these postings I sit and cry and just shake my head!

Help them dear Jesus for they know not what they do!!

Curmudgeon eh?

 

[azmntman]

I checked that last night. I can see the threads in the screw hole.

Maybe you shouldnt see the threads? Maybe just the tippy endy rimmy thingy.

 

[azmntman]

Maybe try backing the nipple out a bit till you can see the whole hole w/o the nipple threads (make SURE the nipple still in the threads, maybe use a small lock washer). Back it out and more flame will get to the charge???

 

[Sun City]

Thanks for the inspiration

No problem...we praying for ya! Hang in there!!

 

[45man]

Powder in the nipple hole always worked for me unless I forgot the powder. But even then it has worked OK.
Watch to make sure all the caps did not move the bullet or ball so after some FFFFG in the hole, reseat the ball.

 

[Okie Hog]

i've removed dozens of balls and conicals from barrels. Most were dry balled. Had only one failure; the owner loaded the rifle with BH 209. We absolutely could not get enough powder in the flame channel to light that powder or kick the ball out.