whoosh--bang!

[Col. Batguano]

What causes this to happen?

I know it's a delay in the firing chain between either the cap and main charge, or the pan / prime and main charge. But, what is actually different in the loads that causes it?

 

[cynthialee]

the times I had it happen I think I had a wet powder spot somewhere along the way
:idunno:

 

[Lonegun1894]

Could be several things, but mine stopped doing it when I decreased the amount of powder in the pan and enlarged the flash hole slightly. Mine, as many others, came from the factory too small.

 

[Flash Pan Dan]

I swear these things are funny; my whoosh-bang stopped when I also increased the size of the touch hole and filled the pan, rather than decreasing the pan charge I was using. I think increasing the touch hole size, tuning the lock, and putting the flint bevel down had more to do with getting rid of the whoosh-bang than the pan charge. But I still fill the pan. Each rifle likes what it likes and a person would be foolish to try to make do something else.

 

[hanshi]

Vent liners do come with touch holes that are much too small. I drill mine out to 1/16" first thing. I also use a small amount of prime, around 1/3 ave. Rarely get "whoosh bangs" and then only when the touch hole get plugged.

 

[nit wit]

The are alot like women(no offenceCindiLee) :rotf: :rotf:
Nit Wit

 

[M. De Land]

A brave man indeed!............ or "Nuts" :rotf: MD

 

[Lonegun1894]

That explains a LOT!!! More ways that one too. But there is one major difference. When you figure out what your flinter wants, it doesn't change just for it's own entertainment.

 

[George T.]

If the vent hole is ok and/or the nipple is ok then it is probably oil or moisture in the flash channel. I have found it to be the case if the first shot is the problem. I have taken this problem out of the equasion by putting a good squirt of break cleaner or carb cleaner down the barrel. Make sure you tilt the rifle to let it drip out and not run down the stock. I wait a couple of minutes after it stops dripping and then dry patch it out. Good luck! Geo. T.

 

[Matt85]

this usually happens to me if my primary charge gets moist. sometimes when swabbing i get a little over zealous with the alchohol i use to wet the patch and my first shot will have a delay.

-matt

 

[nchawkeye]

Let's start at the beginning, it's hard to solve problems until you know what you are dealing with...

Give us some info like what gun you have, what powder are you using, how old is the powder, has it always done this, where is the touch hole located, does it ignite the pan powder easily or not...

I use to work for Deere & Company as a Field Service Rep...I learned years ago to gather info before starting the guessing game...

 

[Dphar]

What causes this to happen?

I know it's a delay in the firing chain between either the cap and main charge, or the pan / prime and main charge. But, what is actually different in the loads that causes it?

Damp powder, plugged passages, poor design, wrong powder for prime in a FL, too little prime, lack of attention when loading. These are the most common.
Or the shooting God frowns upon you. Leprechauns pee in the vent....

Dan

 

[don hepler]

"Change", makes it happen. If everything stays the same, the results will be the same.

Every time you shoot and get good results, you need to know why and repeat it. The three things I pay attention to, are clean, dry, and consistant.

You start with a clean and dry barrel, clean and dry frizzen,and a clean and dry flint. You also have a sharp flint tightened and positioned consistantly.

You add the proper type and amount of powder, and patch and ball and push it down against the powder, but not compressing the powder, to a mark on the ram rod, (consistantly). You place the powder in the pan and shake it toward the flash hole then level it back in the pan, consistant to what you always do. By this time you should know how to position the flint, and be as consistant in positioning it as possible. There will be more varables with the flint, due to the shape and nature of the flint.

Now you fire the rifle, and everything went good. Well, everything just "changed", now the barrel is dirty, the pan is dirty, the flint is dirty, and duller, and may have loosened or changed position. Mean while, the moisture is attacking the residue in the pan, the barrel, the frizzen and on the flint.

Here is where you must return the rifle back to it's original state of clean, and dry. You can wipe the pan, flint and frizzen and do the best you can. Pick the flash hole and clean it out. Wipe the frizzen and flint. Check the flints edge and position. While in the field, you will never be able to return it back to it's original state of clean and dry, but you consistantly do the best you can, and hopefully get more ka-booms, than swoosh-boom.

That's my take on it, your milage may vary.

 

[Col. Batguano]

How about very cold weather? Is this a potential cause?

A friend of mine changes his nipples to musket nipples (from #11's) in the winter time. He shoots ONLY Triple 7 though.

 

Let's start at the beginning, it's hard to solve problems until you know what you are dealing with...

Give us some info like what gun you have, what powder are you using, how old is the powder, has it always done this, where is the touch hole located, does it ignite the pan powder easily or not...

I use to work for Deere & Company as a Field Service Rep...I learned years ago to gather info before starting the guessing game...

Imagine calling a mechanic and asking, "My car won't start - can you tell me what's wrong with it?" "Can you diagnose it over the phone?" :haha:

 

[Billnpatti]

Carefully enlarge the touch hole to 1/16 inch. Check the position of the touch hole relative to the pan. The hole should be even with the top of the pan and centered on it. Make sure the touch hole and fire channel are clean and contain no oil. Examine your flint to be sure it is sharp, the cock screw is tight and the flint is striking the frizzen correctly. Place your normal charge in your rifle and rap the side of the barrel with the heel of your hand to settle the charge. Add the patched round ball and seat correctly. Then place 3 to 5 grains of powder in your pan and bank it toward the hole. Your gun should now fire properly.

 

[Dickydalton]

The touchhole on a flint pistol I just bought was at the extreme front of the pan and not centered, so it did the slow-fire whoosh. I drilled a 45 degree groove to the hole from farther back, but didn't make the touchhole larger inside and now it fires properly.

 

[Little Wattsy]

the times I had it happen I think I had a wet powder spot somewhere along the way
:idunno:

Yep.. SOMETHING in the flash channel is congested; most likely a wetness be it oil or H2O. It might also be a build up of crud/carbon. Either way get that nice and cleaned out and its "snick-BANG" everytime.
FYI: check cleaning with warm water siphoned thru the flash channel for a really good deep clean.

 

[HAMMERSCHILD]

The "clean, sharp and dry" on a rocklock cannot be over stated. I speed up my range time by keeping a pack of alcohol prep pads handy to wipe my flint,pan and frizzen. They work very well and dry almost instantly on warm metal.
Also, I have found than a piece of hardwood or bone between the flint and the jaw screw helps the flint hit hard and maintain its position in the jaws. watch yer back trail, Bud..... :thumbsup:

 

[don hepler]

Cold weather itself, should not have an effect on a cap lock rifle. The problem with cold weather is going from cold outside to warm inside. The gun may condensate. It still goes back to Clean, Dry, and consistant.

Here, in Virginia, it really isn't that cold during hunting season, but I have been hunting with caplock rifles since the mid 70's, have shot all kinds of game, and I have never had a caplock rifle fail to fire in a hunting situation. I have had fail to fire at the range, after things get dirty, and I relax on keeping things clean and dry.

I hunt, fire the rifle at the end of the day, clean it when I get home, and the next time I hunt with a clean, fresh rifle. A lot of work, but tomorrow might be that trophy deer, and FTF is not going to make a happy hunter.