Won't go bang!

B

Bluffton Bill

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Need some tips on hunting with my .50 caliber percussion (side lock) rifle.

The problem is this.

I take it out of the case. Run a few rags through it. Fire off a 10 grain charge with a wad to burn up any grease and foul the barrel. Then I load it and go hunting. The problem is when I'm on an extended trip. I may not shoot off the charge all day. I will leave it until the next day but when I do shoot, the cap goes off but no boom. Usually will shoot with the second or third cap. By then ol' mossy horn is gone.

Are there any tricks or tips? I'm shooting 100g Pyrodex ffg with #11 caps and 250 grain bullet or patched ball.

I will not shoot it off at the end of the day because that would be illegal, scare game and be a waste of ammo. I was led to believe that corrosion was not an issue over a day or two if it isn't humid anyway. If that's not the case please let me know.
 
Sounds like some oil in the action? Possibly some coked up old burnt powder clogging up the flash tube as well? (my first black powder gun had a peanut nut sized ball of coked up blackpowder with a needle fine pathway through it... gun shot ok before, then shot like a laser and totally reliably after. I got it out by soaking the bejeesus out of it in boiling water and pulling the nipple, then hooking an air hose at the highest pressure to the nipple hole.)

Or perhaps water.... are these conditions wet?
 
Just a suggestion, but why not just ditch the pyrodex for actual black powder, it will ignite much more reliably, and really not much downside to the black vs black substitute.
 
To get all the oil out I pour some 99% rubbing alcohol down then dry with patches then fire small load like you to make sure bore is dry then load for real never had a problem.
 
Maybe moisture getting into the nipple? Try covering the nipple with plastic cling wrap.

X2 on the rubbing alcohol. The writer Craig Boddington suggested it in one of his articles.
 
I think that you are getting moisture in the fouling from the first shot. If you take the cap off at night, put a piece of leather or rubber between the hammer and the nipple to prevent any moist are getting in. On the second morning you might also pull the nipple and put a little 3 or 4 F under the nipple for added flash.

cheers mooncoon
 
apu said:
Just a suggestion, but why not just ditch the pyrodex for actual black powder, it will ignite much more reliably, and really not much downside to the black vs black substitute.
Click to expand...

I was thinking about that as well. Was concerned about leaving it over night without cleaning. Maybe I misunderstand the benefits of the substitutes.

The suggestions from others about alcohol and something over the nipple to store are much appreciated.

Thanks
 
Once I have a black powder arm loaded and taken out into cold temperatures, I never bring it back into a warm enviroment. If the metal is cold and brought into a warm place, you can get condensation forming and foul the powder. I simply leave the arm outside in my garage or the trunk of a vehicle where condensation will not be an issue.
I have left a rifle loaded for weeks by doing this. When I wanted it to go bang it idi.
 
You say you use a 10 gr charge to burn up grease? When I hunted with a sidelock, I cleaned the gun thoroughly with boiling hot water and lots of brushing until the water comes out clean. I only used a very very lightly lubed patch (actually left it dry many times as well). I never once had an issue with ignition and I left if loaded for days at a time.
 
In my opinion mooncoon is on to something. Before going on a hunt, the bore should be cleaned and entirely free of oil. Clean out the nipple and vent with a pipe cleaner. Snap off a couple of caps, then make sure the nipple is clear with a pick, then load. Igniting the caps are all that is needed to clear the tiny amount of oil that may be left. Using just powder is not a proper way to foul the bore. It will leave too much fouling right where you don't want it. In any case I assume you are not taking very long shots, so your 1st from a clean bore should not be an issue. My 2 cents worth anyways. I've been shooting sidelocks for a long time and have always done it this way. Good luck, nice to see someone hunting with RB.
 
tactical870 said:
You say you use a 10 gr charge to burn up grease? When I hunted with a sidelock, I cleaned the gun thoroughly with boiling hot water and lots of brushing until the water comes out clean. I only used a very very lightly lubed patch (actually left it dry many times as well). I never once had an issue with ignition and I left if loaded for days at a time.
Click to expand...

After shooting I start cleaning by removing the nipple and dumping boiling water down the barrel. Then with the barrel in a pail of boiling water, to which I have added a squirt of TKO Orange Cleaner, I swab several patches through until they start to come clean (it starts to siphon like a syrringe). Then I dry patch the tar out of it. The barrel seem to dry very quickly when its hot. I then take the compressor hose and blow air through the nipple hole.

After dry swabbing the barrel some more, I run a patch soaked in TC 1000 natural lube down the barrel followed by a dry patch. I repeat this a couple times. Then I spray down the outside parts and barrel with G96 let it sit a few minute and then wipe it off. After that I will let it sit out for 1/2 and hour and then store it.

I do this everytime after a trip or a session at the range.

I was not talking about shooting 10g of powder through it to clean it. I shoot the light load through just before I load it to go hunting.

Thanks for all the comments. I will start using the alcohol. If I am going overkill on the cleaning I would appreciate any advice.
 
lyman54 said:
In my opinion mooncoon is on to something. Before going on a hunt, the bore should be cleaned and entirely free of oil. Clean out the nipple and vent with a pipe cleaner. Snap off a couple of caps, then make sure the nipple is clear with a pick, then load. Igniting the caps are all that is needed to clear the tiny amount of oil that may be left. Using just powder is not a proper way to foul the bore. It will leave too much fouling right where you don't want it. In any case I assume you are not taking very long shots, so your 1st from a clean bore should not be an issue. My 2 cents worth anyways. I've been shooting sidelocks for a long time and have always done it this way. Good luck, nice to see someone hunting with RB.
Click to expand...

I was putting a felt wad down on top of the charge, but if that won't make any difference I will just snap off a couple of caps.

Thanks
 
I have a CVA Kentucky style .45 cal. side lock and ran into trouble using Triple Seven FFFG.The first shot was good but it would not fire again unless I took the screw out of the side and cleaned the passages of all the carbon like crap. This happened every time and was getting a bit tedious having to take it apart for every shot.
The problem went away when I switched to Goex FFFG,I also shot Triple Seven in my cap and ball revolvers and found that the trigger works would clog up with carbon like crap and I would have to dismantle the entire gun after about 50 rounds. After switching to Goex the only time I had to take my revolver apart was when the hand spring broke and I found that after over 300 rounds there was very little crud inside and no corrosion.
You can get reliable ignition with substitutes if you clear the passages between the nipple and the breach EVERY time you load it.
 
iceman2 said:
Once I have a black powder arm loaded and taken out into cold temperatures, I never bring it back into a warm enviroment. If the metal is cold and brought into a warm place, you can get condensation forming and foul the powder. I simply leave the arm outside in my garage or the trunk of a vehicle where condensation will not be an issue.
I have left a rifle loaded for weeks by doing this. When I wanted it to go bang it idi.
Click to expand...

This. Cold gun + warm environment = condensation.
 
Bluffton Bill said:
I was putting a felt wad down on top of the charge, but if that won't make any difference I will just snap off a couple of caps.
Click to expand...

I think that you misunderstood me. The fouling that gets wet is in the flash channel between the nipple and the powder charge. While the fouling in the main part of the barrel is also hydroscopic, the patched ball seals everything below it.

If you snap a couple of caps only before loading with your hunting charge and if the nipple hole is always sealed in some fashion (either by a cap or by a piece of leather), the gun should go off. Putting a small amount of black powder under the nipple enhances the flash from the cap and is added insurance

cheers mooncoon
 
I have had the same trouble with pyrodex. I found that on the second day, it often didn't fire. But if I pulled the nipple and trickled a little fresh powder under the nipple, it would then fire. I switched to Goex and the problem went away.
 
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