TC Black Mtn Mag

[jumbeaux]

My son had a nice doe at 45 yards in his sights this am and click.....cap goes off but no ignition...recapped and same thing. The caps (musket) are barely indented but did pop. We pulled the charge and capped...pop...very light strike. Played with the hammer/trigger a little and the hammer doesn't seem to be striking the cap with proper force/speed....normally the caps really explode....the hammer sometimes appears to be dragging or catching....ideas ??

rick

ps...yes he uses pyrodex pellets...I know...I know

 

[rafterob]

Those pellets are designed for the inlines using the 209 ignition systems. For sidelocks using caps, loose powder needs to be used.

 

[jumbeaux]

He has been successful in the past with the pellets....last year he killed his biggest ever buck (large 11 point) with the exact setup....I have been trying to convert him to Goex and PRB....

rick

 

[larry wv]

You are correct he needs to toss the pellets. The misfire will happen again with the pellets. Lucky it didn't happen with the 11 point. Good luck. Seems like the older we get the more we learn and the less we are listened to. :grin: Larry Wv

 

[BrownBear]

The light hammer strike or a bad batch of caps seems to be the heart of the issue if you've had success in the past. I'd try a new can of caps, but be prepared to investigate issues with the gun as a second step. I've seen hammers start dragging when wood swelled around a lock plate. I've seen issues develop when screws loosened in a lock or crud got into the works. After that, who knows?

 

[tomme boy]

If they are the new CCI caps, they changed the primers to a very weak cap. Try the RWS caps.

 

[larry wv]

If CCI did weaken their caps they made a heck of a mistake. :shake: I thought the caps went off but the pellets didn't. Thats kind of like saying the hammer fell slowly- Or the fuse on the Dynamite burnt slowly. Makes no differance if it pops the cap or explodes the Dynamite. Larry

 

[robtattoo]

Are the caps seating fully on the nipple? After a while the nipple will begin to develop a 'bulge' at the top from the repeated hammer strikes, hindering the cap from seating all the way. That first strike is just forcing the cap further onto the nipple, if that's the case.
My first thought would be to replace the nipple. If that doesn't work, pull the lock & work the hammer back & forth & see if it's binding at all.

 

[gearheart]

Pellets are just a rip off and they are not meant to be used in side hammer guns.

 

[rafterob]

The problem with the pellets in a side hammer gun is there is no loose powder to fill the flash channel,so the cap charge has a long way to go to ignite the pellet.A Magnum cap is more likely to do the job. The poster said "musket" cap? Could have been condensation in the fire channel weakened the caps ability to set off the charge. My own experience attempting to use pellets or Shockey's manure bricks resulted in intermittent or no ignition. Even when using a booster charge of Goex I would get a distinct, two-phase ignition.Find someone with an inline to give the pellets to and buy some loose powder, problem solved.

 

[ryoung14]

My BMMag. has been a bit problematic in the ignition dept. even though I use loose (Pyrodex) powder. Had more 'click-booms' with that rifle than all the others combined. I think TC did something different with the BMMag. breech to allow pellet usage and it didn't quite work out.

I'd replace the nipple for starters. Then remove the lock and clean & lube. Finally re-install the lock and check for hammer drag as you tighten the lock screw. The end of the lock screw comes out under the hammer so if your son tightened it too much or it's slightly over-long, it may actually be dragging on the hammer.

Finally I'd buy your son a pound of fffg or Pyrodex P and give him that along with an empty .380 casing. Tell him to dump a case full of P or fffg down the tube before he drops the pellets in. Might also help to bang the butt on the ground a few times to get the loose powder into the flash channel.

 

[ebiggs1]

The problem with Pyrodex pellets in a side lock is the flash channel is not at the back of the pellet but hits it on the side. The pellet has a starter load on its back for use in in-lines. Sidelocks miss this part of the pellet making ignition unreliable. Why do you want to use pellets anyway? They cost more than loose Pyrodex and give no increase in performance. Actually Pyrodex pellets do not require shotgun primers but use a less powerful muzzle loader 209 primer, so I would think your cap isn't the problem. Just the use of pellets in a sidelock.
My advice, dump the pellets get black powder and dump the musket primers, too! Then use the rifle the way the it was meant to be used. :thumbsup:

 

[aeatwood]

Also some lots of Pyro seem to deteriorate rapidly - others report not having a problem. Unknown whether the pellets alleviate or aggravate the problem, but probably depends on the humidity.

For hunting, if I HAD to use any sub, I would load from a fresh can of loose. Use the old stuff for range practice.

 

[Huntin_Dawg1215]

I read the post, they all gave you good ideas that could help fix this problem. My rifle is a New England by t/c. very close to the same rifle. The N.E. was not intended to use pellets,ans used the #11 caps. I switched to musket caps after seeing BMM rifle and have problems with #11 setting off powder.

Clean the lock and oil, clean the barrel and fire channel make sure it is dry, pop some caps before loading and then give it a try. Let me know how it works.

 

[jumbeaux]

We appreciate all of the responses. We checked everything out and the hammer was dragging abit so we squared that away and it drops correctly. Believe the screw was overtight. Popped several caps and they went off as before....we hunted together this afternoon....not wanting to take a chance he loaded 90 grains of FFG Goex and a PRB....didn't see anything but he is going again tomorrow afternoon....I will report back....

rick

 

[Huntin_Dawg1215]

O.K. Good to hear, good luck on Saturday, I hope to go it is the last day of our late muzzleloader season here in Va.

 

[Yankee Doodle]

FWIW, I had a B.M.M., and according to the T/C manual, it is designed to work with pelletized powder. I used nothing but pellets in mine, and never had a problem once I switched to RWS musket caps.

 

[jumbeaux]

Yankee Doodle this was the first real problem with ignition. The first time the rifle was fired it had a slow or hang fire. After that it has worked like clock work. We only have a 2 week ML season in Eastern Texas and my son works oilfield so his time is very limited this year. I only use Goex and PRB in my carbine so I think he is gonna follow suit....he will probably use up his remaining pellets/sabots off season shooting hogs or coyotes....

rick