Pedersolli misfire

1-24 twist Traditional Hawken Hunter failed to fire 2 out of 10 shots. Did fire after reprime. 95 grain ffg 777 by volume. 250 grn .452 diameter xtp, cci #11 magnum primer. Harvester crush rib. Same setup with Lyman Deerstalker and no problem. Any suggestions welcome.

First thing I would check is the nipple. Is it clear, clean and open. Then I would clean the rifle again and be sure to get it super clean. When cleaned, replace the nipple and then ,... blow down the UNLOADED barrel. Put your finger just above the nipple and see if you can feel your breath coming through. If you can, then before you shoot ... pop a cap through the empty cleaned, no oil in it, rifle barrel. Then push a clean white patch in the empty barrel to the bottom of the breech. Pop a cap and pull the patch. Look for burn marks. If none, push the patch back down there and try it again. Pull the patch and check for burn marks. Do this three times. If that clean barrel will not burn a patch, replace the nipple with a new one.

With a new nipple do the same thing. Clean barrel, patch at the breech, BOOM, check for burn. If you see a burn with the new nipple then you should be set. Remember only load on a clean oil free barrel when you start out. If there is oil in the bore that can accumulate in the breech near the fire channel and cause all kinds of ignition problems. If that rifle will not ignite Triple Seven powder, switch to black powder. I say this because a friend brought his son's Tradition St. Louis Hawken to the house. he said it would not go off. So I tried all the tricks with that rifle. Finally I used real black powder and it went off like a perfect day on the range. So that is all he shoots out of it is black powder. He has changed nipples but now only trusts real black powder. He actually shot a deer that year with it. 40 yards, round ball through the lungs, dead deer.

Is it possible I'm contaminating the nipple when I swab? To much liquid?

rangerod said:

Is it possible I'm contaminating the nipple when I swab? To much liquid?

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that is very possible. When I swab a barrel I have my cleaning solution be it isopropyl alcohol, windex, rusty duck, even dish water in small spray bottles. I get a lot of them with the bug juice I use here. I just pull the top off an empty off bottle, rinse it out and fill it with a cleaner. Then on the range hold a patch up and spritz it. It does not have to be wet or even damp. Just enough cleaner on to so you can feel it on your skin. If you suspect too much, bunch that patch up and ring it out. Then swab with that. Work it slow in short strokes. If it feels like it is jamming, pull it back up and out.

If you swab too wet you push wet fouling down in front of the vent line where the fire from the nipple passes from the cap into the fire chamber. One reason before I start shooting I swab with alcohol to remove any oils, then dry patches. And then I shoot caps into clean patches to check for burning. If you're getting burning on the patch that means the fire is passing through into the fire chamber.

I was thinking about that. The patches I used were pre saturated ones that I got from Knight. I wrang them out as best I could but they still seemed pretty wet. I have a spray bottle with some stuff from TC I thought I'd try next time. It just surprised me I would have trouble with the Pedersolli and not the Lyman. Maybe difference in design. On the Pedersolli the nipple fits into a drum. Not so on the Lyman. I really like the Lyman a lot. Don't know about the Pedersolli yet.

I have long admired a Pedersoli rifle. But now I simply have the rifle I want custom made. They are just a beautiful rifle that Tennessee Valley Muzzle loading makes.

Cayuga, just a thought... would a squirt of ether down the bore then firing a cap help dry out any oils in the breech being so volitol?
Magnum

After loading the powder:

1. Lean the rifle lock side down.
2. Give the stock a couple slaps with the hand.

This allows powder to enter the drum and prevents many misfires.

Magnum said:

Cayuga, just a thought... would a squirt of ether down the bore then firing a cap help dry out any oils in the breech being so volitol?
Magnum

Click to expand...

Before I shoot any rifle, inline, percussion, or flintlock, I swab the bore with Isopropyl (Rubbing) alcohol that I get from Wal Mart. Get the stronger version as it comes in two dilutions. Let that alcohol swab draw out all the oils in the barrel. Then dry patch it. And the reason for popping a cap or two or three before you load it is to blow the fire chamber clean.

As Okie Hog noted, it does help sometimes to turn the rifle lock side down and slap the lock a few times. This knocked powder up in the fire chamber line. I just wouldn't want to mess with either. Although it might look cool firing off a cap and seeing the flame shoot out the end of the rifle. And you'd still have to swab the bore after a blast of that. The trick is to get the oil out of the bore.

I use FFF in everything these days. It may have been my old Pedersoli Rolling Block 54 that got me started on FFF 15 years ago. Better / surer ignition and a little more power.

I use a little hand held steam cleaner, Nothing cleans like the power of steam!! Pedersoli markets one for big dollar, but it does nothing more than my little cheap one from Amazon! I use mine to clean the snail, Patented breech (which is likely where your ignition problem is coming from) i pull the barrel from the Stock, pull the nipple, point the nozzle in the nipple hole and shoot hot steam in for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, i keep the muzzle pointed down, this will get about 10 inches or so of the barrel really HOT, i use a towel to hold the barrel, with muzzle continuously pointed down so moisture can run out, then push 4-5 clean dry patches through, the back 10 inches or so of barrel that is HOT from the steam will evaporate any moisture immediately, i let the barrel cool while i am rounding up my gear to go shoot, by the time i am ready to go the barrel is cool, i replace it in the stock, and I'm off. I have yet to have a hangfire using this method! The Stainless .50 Cal GM LRH barrel i bought from Cayuga was my Hangfire champion, little did i know it was my OWN FAULT! After i clean my barrels i use a LOT of oil in the bore, i would rather have to much oil than not enough. The problem with doing this is the Patented Breech/Ante Chamber, oil gets in there, and your patched jag stops short, another way to get in there is to use a 30 caliber brush with a clean dry patch wrapped around it and folded over, push that all the way down, you should feel it slip into the Patented Breech/Ante Chamber, turn the rod and clean that chamber!! The steam cleaner I mentioned above is by far the better way to go! Once I learned what a Patented breech/Ante chamber was i cleaned all of my barrels, THEY WERE NASTY DIRTY! Hangfires will become a thing of the past

Gonna try and post a picture of my little steam cleaner, it's attached to the Stainless Green Mountain LRH .50 Cal barrel i got from Dave here.