Thick cleaning patches causing misfires?

[markinstettler]

I've been having issues with my .54" GPR flint starting to misfire after half-a-dozen or so rounds. I'm beginning to think that it's because I cut myself a bunch of cleaning patches from flannelette. I'd say that it is at least twice as thick as the material in cleaning patches that I bought from TOTW.

I tend to swab between shots. Doing so, I can count on the sixth or seventh shot misfiring. If I work some powder through the touch hole, she'll fire. At that point, I clean out the patent breech with a bronze brush wrapped with a cleaning patch, clear the touch-hole, and she's good for another half-dozen or so rounds.

If we get some nice weather this weekend, I'll stick to my TOTW patches, resist the urge to swab after each round, and see how things go.

 

[roundball]

I've been having issues with my .54" GPR flint starting to misfire after half-a-dozen or so rounds. I'm beginning to think that it's because I cut myself a bunch of cleaning patches from flannelette. I'd say that it is at least twice as thick as the material in cleaning patches that I bought from TOTW.

I tend to swab between shots. Doing so, I can count on the sixth or seventh shot misfiring. If I work some powder through the touch hole, she'll fire. At that point, I clean out the patent breech with a bronze brush wrapped with a cleaning patch, clear the touch-hole, and she's good for another half-dozen or so rounds.

If we get some nice weather this weekend, I'll stick to my TOTW patches, resist the urge to swab after each round, and see how things go.

The patent breeches on my TC Hawkens are probably the same as yours and they stay as clean as a whistle through an entire 50 shot range session WITHOUT wiping between shots, so I doubt it's fouling.

BUT...I have had your problem a couple times...and it's always been from swabbing between shots, accidentally having too much moisture in the patches, some squeezes out, runs down into the well of the patent breech, kills the first bit powder of the next powder charge that's dropped, so the powder just inside the vent is damp, won't ignite, etc.

The thicker patches you switched to might be holding more moisture than normal and being thicker they're bound to be tighter in the bore, and the increased compression then might be squeezing out moisture when wiping between shots...

 

[jtmattison]

This is a shot in the dark but when you run the patch down on a jag is it getting cut by the breech face?
On my rifles when they are new, the breech face is sharp and sometimes when the jag and patch hit it it's just like a hole punch. The patch comes out with a perfect hole in it and the little piece remains in the barrel.
I had missfires in my Deerstalker flintlock because of the little round patch cutout blocking the vent.

The only other thing I can think of it you are using too wet of a patch and leaving moisture down bore contaminating your charge.

HD

 

[J.D.]

The problem may be with the diameter of the jag. File, grind, or otherwise remove .010-.020 from the diameter. The smaller diameter will allow the patch to ride over the foulding going down, but the patch will bunch up to remove fouling on the "up stroke".

Personally, I prefer thicker cleaning patches and smaller diameter jags.
J.D.

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

Roundball hit the nail on the head...too much moisture killing the charge. If you change your ways and don't swab after every shot, you'll have more fun and get more BANG . Just my 2 cents' worth, Dave

 

[markinstettler]

Thanks for the comments. I'll do some experimenting and try to figure out a way around the problem. The cleaning patches I was using were just moist, so it seems unlikely to me that any liquid was being squeezed out, but I could be wrong. In any case, I'll try using dry patches to see what happens.

Originally, I was using (shooting) patches that were inadequately lubed. This made loading without cleaning between shots nearly impossible. Now, with a little more lube and many more rounds through the bore, I can shoot without cleaning between shots. But bad habits die hard, especially when you think they're good.

 

[roundball]

In any case, I'll try using dry patches to see what happens.

Mark, BIG CAUTION against using a DRY patch to swab a fouled bore...a dry patch put down a fouled bore will almost always jam up your ramrod at the bottom of the bore.

Always at least have it damp to the touch...

 

[Zonie]

To add to roundballs comment about a dry patch, it will break loose the fouling on the barrel wall and shove it down to the bottom of the barrel where it can plug up the touch hole or the flame channel to the nipple.

IMO, the proper wiping method is to use a damp but not dripping wet patch. Shove it to the bottom of the bore and let it sit for a few seconds, then pull it back out.
This gives the moisture a chance to soften the fouling so that the upstroke removes it.

Do not run the damp patch up and down the bore more than the one time I described as this will also cram fouling down into the breech.

zonie

 

[Headhunter]

I swab the bore when I feel fouling is building up. And after I do, I ALWAYS pop a couple caps thru it before loading and continuing.

Headhunter