First shot problems

[Tracker0721]

I finished my TC Hawken and have gone shooting a few times now but keep having a problem of my first shot not firing. I do the slap on the side after dumping powder but for the first shot it doesn’t seem to work. I’ve just poured a couple grains down the nipple and she goes. Today it didn’t so I pulled the ball, took off the barrel, and the nipple was clogged. I clean my barrel after shooting but do I need to remove the nipple and clean it as well?

[Martin S.]

Before you load, pop a cap or two while putting the muzzle against a blade of grass.

If the grass moves, the nipple is clear.

[smokinbuck]

It could be a fouled nipple but it sounds more like moisture in the chamber. You may be wiping the bore with a wet patch and not running a dry one before loading. The first cap sets it out enough that the second one fires the charge.
Mark

[EC121]

If you don't remove the nipple when cleaning, you aren't cleaning.  Take the nipple out and run a pipe cleaner in the flash channel and nipple.  If left long enough, fouling will swell in the channel and plug it.  Popping  cap on the grass to verify a clear channel is also SOP for poplocks. 

[Tracker0721]

Brand spankin new to muzzleloaders and this is super helpful info! Thank you!

[smylee grouch]

You only have to clean the nipple every time you clean if you want the gun to go off every time.  Snapping a cap on a unloaded gun will in most cases clear the fire channel but you should be cleani ng that fire channel with the nipple removed and then dry every thing out before you replace the nipple. Welcome to the sport and good luck.

[Iktomi]

A brass wire nipple pick is a handy item to pack along as well. Ditto on everything else. Pull the nipple when cleaning, scrub the channel with a pipe cleaner rinse/flush dry and oil. Snap a cap before the first loading and bob's yer uncle. My GPR capper ALWAYS goes bang, only misfires I can recall are from bad caps.

[HAWKEN]

Before you load, pop a cap or two while putting the muzzle against a blade of grass.
If the grass moves, the nipple is clear.

Good advise.  Also,, the small red straw that comes with a can of carborator cleaner just fits in a nipple.  A short blast of cleaner blasts away all of the residule carbon deposits.  Keep yer powder dry........robin

[hanshi]

I learned over 50 years ago to always remove the nipple and clean it.  You'll nearly always run into trouble by not cleaning the nipple.

[J.E. Moore]

Small guitar or banjo string trimmings are handy to have too as you can bend a slight curve to them so they go through the nipple into the drum to help free the plug ( done this when I had some real weak caps once)

[Spentprimer]

hanshi has some excellent advice about nipple cleaning and it should be followed every time.

[Tracker0721]

Lesson learned! Thanks everyone. I’ll have to throw some pipe cleaners in the bag now.

[Scota4570]

Store it muzzle down so oil does not pool in the breechplug.

[Daryl]

Store it muzzle down so oil does not pool in the breechplug.

ditto

[Bob Roller]

Before you load, pop a cap or two while putting the muzzle against a blade of grass.

If the grass moves, the nipple is clear.

I put a dry patch in the muzzle,fire a cap and if the patch blows off it's ready
to load.
Bob Roller

[Tracker0721]

Went to the range yesterday and didn’t have a single misfire! Cleaned it and went squirrel chasing and managed to get 3 of these little hoof-breakers!

[Iktomi]

Went to the range yesterday and didn’t have a single misfire! Cleaned it and went squirrel chasing and managed to get 3 of these little hoof-breakers!

  

[Martin S.]

It looks like it is working fine, now!

Well done.