Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Do percussion caps go bad?

At 7:15 this morning I was covered up with deer. Sitting in blind I took my 1st shot. Sounded like a cap gun, not igniting powder. I snapped 5 or 6 on same doe. I drove 20 miles to my house to grab a newer Knight that uses a shot gun primers. Back in blind by 10:00, ten minutes later had a buck on the ground. I know my old mk85 is a good shooter, and it was clean. Could these percussion caps be so old they went bad? I hear em go off, but it's hit or miss igniting powder.

if the Caps are going off and not igniting the powder I would lean toward the nipples plugged up

No, your gun is f-ed up. Either the nipple is clogged or the "flash channel" between the cap and the powder charge is clogged. Or the powder is contaminated because you didn't pre-clean the gun before loading it. I would start out with a nipple pick trying to unclog the nipple. If that doesn't work, remove the nipple and poke a few granules of powder down into the hole under the nipple, then reinstall the nipple, add a cap, and fire it. (Edit to add: note that the gun is going to make more flash and boom when it goes off doing this because you'll have powder burning where powder ain't really supposed to burn, so use safety goggles / watch your eyes for flying bits of percussion cap.) Or, if you have a CO2 discharger, discharge the ball/powder, then clean the gun properly.

Rather than snapping a cap or two as is most folks' practice before loading (to clear oil, etc out of the flash channel), I usually just give it a good shot of CO2 before loading. This clears the passage without leaving caustic residue to attract moisture from the air. By doing that, I don't have to give the gun a full cleaning if I don't actually fire it, I can just clear the charge with CO2, then swab a few times with a dry patch.

Nipple was clean. It actually shot on 7th cap as a doe was headed over the ridge. Was a miss, 8th try it wouldn't ignite again. That's when I got pissed, and left to get the newer Knight.

When I load my Thompson Renegade, I’ll load the powder/projectile, then I screw the nipple and see if I can see any powder granules in the hole where it goes. I also make sure I can see through the hole in the nipple. If so, it’ll fire. If not, I’ll sprinkle a few granules of powder in there and then replace the nipple.

If you heard the cap “pop!”, it did it’s job.

Yep.

If they are popping, they are not bad. Could be bad powder or a clogged flash channel.

Also, make sure to get all the solvents/oils out of the barrel before loading.

Yep. It will deactivate the powder.

I went last Sunday, and came home with the flu. It stayed loaded all week until today. It gave me a fit at the range trying to set scope. Cleaned it well, back to range and 4 shots no problem to set scope. It was clean this morning as far as I know. I'm gonna start using the newer Knight anyways. Got a buck at the processor, and sitting here eating dinner. Everything worked out, just wondering why I'm getting intermittent ignition.

Use a rifle that doesn't need a cap. It's called a "flintlock". I quit shooting percussion rifles over 20 years ago, and I've never had a problem with the rifle failing to fire. The myth about flinters being slow and unreliable is a shooter's problem, not the rifle's.

My dad died last year, and I'd got most of his guns over here. I hadn't brought his muzzleloader, but his box of supplies with primers was here. I had to go to mom's, get his muzzleloader, to my house 20 miles away to get primers, back to blind. It all worked out well, just an interesting morning.

I only use musket caps/nipple.

What powder are you using?

2 Pyrodex pellets. No problem out of newer gun with 209 primers

Missed a dandy buck to a hang fire a few yrs ago due to cheap 209 primers I switched to a hot federal mag primer and haven’t had the issue after

As far as sidelocks go my old man pulled the bullet and dumped the powder after the days hunt he had a similar experience same stand ginormous buck

I had a problem with Remington #11 caps that were several years old and would not regularly fire. I switched over to CCI caps and problem solved.

Wait a sec dude.
Pyrodex pellets in a side lock???

That's why.
You got no powder under the nipple in.the flash channel.
Pyrodex pellets are meant to be center ignited .
Not loose powder side ignited.

Those pellets also have like a 5gr ring around the base that is supposed to lite off easier.
Kinda like a distinct darker colored line of it.

A musket cap will touch one off if center ignited like the older knights ignition system

209 primer in the newer knights and older ones with 209 conversion will ignite pellets.
Even with some very early inline guns center ignited with # 11 caps are not meant for pellets.
Some early Austin and Halleck guns IIRC were inline # 11 ignited.
Some of those guns predate pellets and are meant for loose powder only.
A #11 is not very hot or its flame pattern really concentrated.

Side lock with a percussion cap and pelllets????
That is your problem if it is what was going on from what I understand now.

Side locks need loose powder to fill the flash channel under the nipple.
Flame under nipple hit powder under and lites off the flash channel filled with powder in its 90° turn to main charge in barrel.

If your loading pellets into a side lock

That cap flame has nothing to ignite for probably almost 1/2 to
3/ 4 ths inch in the flash chamber.
And it might not even be around that little booster charge ring for ignition of a pellet due to actual breech design recess and that pellet booster ring setting slightly behind the actual flash hole into the barrel.



Dunno ...
I might have read this wrong in pellets in a sidekick and misunderstood you.

Yeah, no pellets. Musket caps still work better.