I took my black powder on the weekend and found I have a problem.I have to hit the cap twice for it to fire I tried a new nipple then I had to try to fire 3 or 4 times before it would go off I also tryed new caps but no real improvement .
cap probems
- Thread starter homegrown
- Start date
Does the hammer spring feel stong enough? Are the caps fitting down tightly on the nipple? Sounds like an issue with the caps not fitting down all the way and the hammer driving the cap down to contact the top of the nipple before it will fire. There are several sizes of caps and then they varry a little from brand to brand too.
My first guess would be that the nipple is a bit mushroomed and the cap is not going all the way down. Second possibility is that you have picked up some number 10 caps which are slightly smaller than #11 which are by far the most common. In either case a weak hammer spring will aggravate the problem.
There is one more possibility ---- if the hammer is not centered on the nipple, the recess in the hammer face will rub on the nipple as the hammer falls, particularly when a cap is on it. In that situation a strong hammer will fire but a weak hammer will take several blows. The solution to that problem is to heat the hammer red hot and bend the nose so that it is centered on the nipple
cheers mooncoon
There is one more possibility ---- if the hammer is not centered on the nipple, the recess in the hammer face will rub on the nipple as the hammer falls, particularly when a cap is on it. In that situation a strong hammer will fire but a weak hammer will take several blows. The solution to that problem is to heat the hammer red hot and bend the nose so that it is centered on the nipple
cheers mooncoon
The only time I had a problem with my perc. gun was when I replaced the original with a "red hot" one. That nipple was too long...the face of
the hammer was not striking the nipple flat. It was only contacting it on one side...so I put the original back on...end of problem.
the hammer was not striking the nipple flat. It was only contacting it on one side...so I put the original back on...end of problem.
I've had problems with the 11 magnun caps too. One tin of them is fine and the next are double tappers.
Check your hammer face as well. Sometimes parts of an old cap can hang up in there and you don't notice. Probe it with a knife point and see what's there to make sure it is free of copper.
Check your hammer face as well. Sometimes parts of an old cap can hang up in there and you don't notice. Probe it with a knife point and see what's there to make sure it is free of copper.
Some nipples re tapered, and the cap doesn't bottom till the second strike.I like cleaning up by calamping them in a drill, and then filing, kinda a poor mans lathe.
Sometimes polishing the internals (mating parts) will reduce the lag in the lock.
Cheers nessy.
Sometimes polishing the internals (mating parts) will reduce the lag in the lock.
Cheers nessy.
