Firing Primer After Cleaning. Why?

[emrah]

So is there a physical or chemical reason for firing a primer (with no powder or bullet loaded) after cleaning the ML? I know part of it is to make sure the flash hole has no obstruction. But what if you look through the darned thing and it clearly has NO obstruction; you can see light. Is the primer-only "fouling shot" really necessary?

Emrah

 

[cayuga]

the reason I fire a primer through a breech plug or nipple before loading a clean barrel is... I want to check the fire chamber. I want to know that the flame from that primer is reaching the breech, where my main charge will be placed. Also, if the breech plug/bolster/drum has oil in it, and you dump powder that powder can react with the oil causing a sludge of sorts. Also shooting off a primer blows that oil out, into a patch where it is trapped. There used to be a theory that you carbon coated the breech plug by shooting primers. Whether that is true I can not say. But there is some residue left by primers when you fire them. I have noted in inline rifles, that if you fire say three primers, there is a coating of such part way up the barrel from the primer ignition. Some say this helps the first shot stay with the main group.

 

[BuckDoeHunter]

I don't fire one after cleaning, I can look through all my breech plugs and see any obstructions and I don't want any residue in my freshly oiled barrel. I do fire 3 primers before shooting to foul the bore after I run an alcohol patch and dry patch through the barrel.

This year has been my best year for having no flyers (way off the mark and not shooter error) on a clean (primer fouling only) barrel. But I do a combo of things to try to eliminate first shot flyers:

Alcohol patch followed by dry patch
Pop 3 primers
Knurl bullets
Index sabots

 

[edmehlig]

Ditto to what Dave and BuckdoeHunter said.

 

[emrah]

Thanks guys. It was the first-shot flyer thing I was concerned about.

Emrah

 

[toytruck]

Agreed with all above. On a different note, I don't usually fire off a cap on my 12 ga. White Thunder shotgun. I forgot one time (first time out that season) an it didn't matter....just ask that squirrel! :lol: :lol:

 

[Ethang]

When I was hunting with my TC Hawken I always fired a cap before loading, except for one time. Guess which time the big 12 point buck walked almost right into my stand? Guess who's rifle failed to go off.....

 

[Lee 9]

If you oil your rifle then you need to fire a cap to be sure a tiny drop of oil is not in the torch hole to cause a misfire.

 

[d.winsor]

The first time I went deer hunting with my .54 Cal Renegade I poped a couple of caps, they were water proof #11 caps loaded up. While I was in my stand it started pouring, I got soaked and cold. About 10:30 am I came out of the stand, couldn't stand the rain and cold any more, I decided that I would shoot out my .54 and go home dry out and put in a new load so I could hunt the afternoon. My gun didn't go off, no mater how many times I capped it. I got home and removed the nipple and could not see thru it, I got a fine piece of wire and pushed out 2 little circular cards. The cards were from the water proof #11 caps. Never again have I ever poped a cap, not before I load, Not to foul my muzzleloader. I have never had any taype of a problem. For first shot fliers I just clean my barrel between shots, I mean clean (solvent) and lube (gun oil) I do not just use a spit patch. Never had any problems.