Failure to Fire

[fjmccarthy]

Looking for any advise regarding my T/C Renegade recently failing to fire until the thrid cap finally set it off. Now I was using very old black powder and suspect that may be my problem. I cleaned the gun very well, emoved nipple etc. before loading. Gun was loaded about 10 days before I had the failure to fire incident. I had taped over the end of the barrel immediately after loading and kept the hammer down on the nipple.

Any thoughts and/or suggestions would be appreciated.

Fran McCarthy
UP of Michigan

[mario]

A couple of thing jumped out at me in your question:

Looking for any advise regarding my T/C Renegade recently failing to fire until the thrid cap finally set it off. Now I was using very old black powder and suspect that may be my problem. I cleaned the gun very well, emoved nipple etc. before loading. Gun was loaded about 10 days before I had the failure to fire incident. I had taped over the end of the barrel immediately after loading and kept the hammer down on the nipple.

Both scream damp powder to me. The other question I would pose is did you snap a couple of caps before you loaded it?

Mario
reformed caplock shooter...

[fjmccarthy]

The powder may well have been wet??? And no I did not snap a couple of caps before loading. What does that do for future ingnition?

Thanks for the response Mario.

[Bigsmoke]

Ditto what Mario said.  Especially about snapping a couple of caps prior to loading it.  That dries out the ignition passage from the nipple to the charge from any moisture or oil that might happen to be lurking there.
I wipe the barrel down with a dry patch, also checking with the ramrod that there is not already a charge in the barrel.  Then I locate some blades of grass sticking up, or a patch of sandy soil or a puddle of water, anything that will show a reaction.  Load a cap, point it at the surface and pull the trigger.  At this point you are going to want to be looking and listening.  You will want to look for a reaction, the grass bends over, the sand puffs or the water ripples.  You will want to also hear a crisp report, not muffled.  If both situations are not present, then pop another cap and another until they are.
Also curious about the components.  What kind of caps?
Seriously doubt if the age of the powder has anything to do with it.
Also, if you brought the gun in and out of warm environments into cold environments, that could play a part with condensation.
John
Confirmed caplock shooter

[greyhunter]

As to a loaded caplock that has been stored for awhile, I would suspect
moisture in the main charge. Otherwise, the drill I use is to wipe the barrel then mount a cap on the nipple leaving a clean patch on the ramrod seated in the breech. Fire the cap and then look at the patch, it should be plenty black from the cap firing indicating a clear fire path. Then wipe the bore and load. To save caps, which are getting pricey, I clean the nipple with a blast of carb cleaner, the small plastic tube fits into the nipple. Protect the wood finish tho with an old t shirt. Then blow it out with compressed air. My nephew recently showed up to our shoot with 3+ years old BP, stored in a damp basement. We had a devil of a time clearing that caplock out. Once we charged the rifle with fresh powder it fired all day. And sometimes the cap may be at fault, fired cap paper scrap can stick to the top of the cap and block the nipple. This usually happens when old Mossy Horns makes his appearance. Regards, GH

[Riley/MN]

I agree on the damp powder. I will also ask - 'specially bein up in da yoop dis time o' year... Where was the firearm stored during those 10 days? I always leave a loaded gun out in the cold once it has been cold. If you you bring it into the warm house after a cold day in the woods, the rifle barrel can sweat on the inside and dampen the powder that way.

[sse]

I think it was bad caps, clogged nipple, clogged channel from the snail to the main charge.  Damp powder wouldn't pop off.

[fjmccarthy]

Thanks to all for the responses. The gun did come in and out of the cold some during that time and I did not fire a cap or two to be sure the channel to the powder was clear. so supect that was my problem. By the way I did have a decent 8 pt buck involved with this failure to fire. He still walks. Maybe next year.

[Riley/MN]

By the way I did have a decent 8 pt buck involved with this failure to fire. He still walks.

Ouch - but that's why they call it hunting, I guess...

[Uncle Russ]

Thanks to all for the responses. The gun did come in and out of the cold some during that time and I did not fire a cap or two to be sure the channel to the powder was clear. so supect that was my problem. By the way I did have a decent 8 pt buck involved with this failure to fire. He still walks. Maybe next year.

Don't feel for one instant that your incident is isolated or in anyway stands alone...albeit I am sorry you had to experience it at such a prime moment.
It either has happened or will happen to all of us, that is if we insist on being around these wonderful old guns long enough.

I've been around these ol' charcoal burners for about sixty plus years and there is never a year gone by but what I hear of at least one, two, five, or even more episodes of failure to fire....sometimes on the range, sometimes while hunting, but it seems to happen more than many care to admit.

The one constant in this failure, is the fact it happens, and it's totally unexpected and unpredictable.

Sorry to hear about the nice Buck that is still walking.......  

I do hope that will be your last experience with this ugly behavior.

The only way I know to even half-way prevent it is a judicious wiping, good fire channel clearing / cleaning, and fresh loads at the start of ever hunt....tokens and sacrifices to the Spirits don't seem to offer the same level of protection as attention to detail, and those who insist on such offerings are more often than not a bit  disappointed.

Uncle Russ....

[mario]

Switch to flintlocks. They NEVER misfire...



Mario