Frustration

[buckman202]

I don't snap caps. Eventhough people have told me to I still don't.

[fishunt247]

Are you putting an excessive amount of grease on the nipple and/or breach plug? Have known several guys who have done that at home. Then they get in the field, the weather heats up, the grease must leak around, and the gun just goes pop. Could be your issue.

[BOWHUNTER45]

I don't snap caps. Eventhough people have told me to I still don't.

well you may want to start 

[buckman202]

What is the benefit to snapping the cap?

[carpsniperg2]

I don't snap caps. Eventhough people have told me to I still don't.

well you may want to start 

AND BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE!!!! SNAP A CAP OR 2 BEFORE YOU LOAD YOUR GUN!!!!

If you don't you can have breech plug grease or solivent in there and that will eat you fire up!!!

[buckman202]

well from here on out, i'll snap a cap. Well time to give the gun a bath.

[carpsniperg2]

Yes new caps "get the germans" and snap a cap or 2 before loading your gun. I think that will really help you out.

[erk444]

Also, if your using pellets it can happen too. I had a gun that would miss fire almost half the time with pellets. I switched to loose powder, and it has went boom every single time now for over two years. I was using the german caps the whole time too.

[buckman202]

Loose powder is all i've ever used.

[Blacktail Sniper]

At the end of the day's hunt, do you fire the load out and clean it for a fresh load the next day or do you leave your charge in there overnight?

Reason I ask is the ONE AND ONLY time I did not fire the charge at the end of the day and left it overnight, was the time I crawled to with-in 25 yards of a bedded buck only the have three caps go "POP" while he lay there looking up at me.

Had to crawl back away, get to the truck and use the rod with the bullet puller to break the charge loose till it would fire clean, reload, crawl back to the buck, who was surprizingly still beded and manage to get a shot out and tag him.

That experience was enough to never leave the woods without an empty barrel.   

[MIKEXRAY]

When I used to muzzy hunt I had the same frustrating problem,  drove me crazy for a couple of years !  One time I had a successful hunt & reloaded just in case.  Not needing a follow up shot I tried to fire into the ground and pop.  I pulled the nipple and that is when I realized I was not getting powder far enough down into the breach.
After that day I would load normally,  pull the nipple & pour just a VERY small amount of  FFF  into the breech from the nipple and I never had a miss fire again. Shot every time.  Pissed me off thinking about the elk & deer missed those couple of years.

I also took all of the standard west side moisture precautions, I even reloaded with new powder at lunch for the afternoon hunt. The FFF in the breach was my fix, did not put enough to mess up my load / shot. Just enough to give the primer something to hit.  Mike

[Kioti]

I am shooting a Knight front stuffer with musket caps from Germany.  I have never had a problem with my cap popping without the charge going off.  But then I always snap a few caps before I go into the field...gets the grease and gunk out of the way of the breech plug hole.

I use Pyrodex pellets in my Knight 54 cal and never had a problem.  Taken lots of deer and elk with it and has fired every time. 

[turbo]

Sorry for your luck! Thanks for reminding me why I don't/won't muzzy hunt. 

[Wacenturion]

When I first started muzzle loading back in the 70's it was common to hear the same thing with the same guns...CVA's (and a couple others).  Never have had my old Thompson Renegade or my now newer Knight Bighorn or Wolverines ever misfire.  Not trying to knock any particular gun, but for the most part you can pretty much trace misfires to some particular brands.

Usually empty when finished for the day, but on occasion have not, and the next day...BOOM.  I can remember chasing elk 30 years ago out near the Humptulliups with a friend in a continual downpour.  You were soaked as soon as you stepped out of the rig.  I hunted with with my old Renegade and at the end of the day when I emptied it, it went boom.  My partner's gun went pop.  It too was a CVA.

For what it's worth...get a T/C or Knight.

[lokidog]

When I first started muzzle loading back in the 70's it was common to hear the same thing with the same guns...CVA's (and a couple others).  Never have had my old Thompson Renegade or my now newer Knight Bighorn or Wolverines ever misfire.  Not trying to knock any particular gun, but for the most part you can pretty much trace misfires to some particular brands.

Usually empty when finished for the day, but on occasion have not, and the next day...BOOM.  I can remember chasing elk 30 years ago out near the Humptulliups with a friend in a continual downpour.  You were soaked as soon as you stepped out of the rig.  I hunted with with my old Renegade and at the end of the day when I emptied it, it went boom.  My partner's gun went pop.  It too was a CVA.

For what it's worth...get a T/C or Knight.

My ex had a CVA in the 90's that liked to "pop" as well.  Before switching to my underhammer (rarely misfires) I would tilt my Hawken toward the nipple and smack it a couple of times to settle the powder into the flash passage.  This really seemed to make a difference.

Also, agree with evryone, snap a cap before loading while aiming at a leaf or something that will move when the pressure comes out the barrel.  I then blow down the barrel and make sure the smoke is blowing back out the clear nipple hole.  You might also look for a nipple with a larger hole.  I would ream mine out with a micro drill bit (**do this at your own risk**    ).