Humidity

[Forestclimber]

I was shooting a 50 caliber Green Mountain drop-in barrel in a Hawken stock today.  I had a little trouble with the gun going off after about the 8th shot.  I think the humidity is a big factor.  Here in the Ohio Valley it's hot and humid in August.

[Semisane]

Were you swabbing between shots Forestclimber?

[Forestclimber]

Yes.  I was probably pushing crud down the barrel.

[Semisane]

Not necessarily.  I almost always swab between shots.  Swabbing is a good thing in my view.

I find when it's real humid your swabbing patch should be no more than very slightly damp.  Get it too moist and it will start building damp crud around the breech chamber.  

Also, if your swabbing patch is real tight in the bore it tends to push junk ahead of it.  The patch should just touch the bore so that when you pull it out the skirt behind the jag bunches up and pushes into the grooves so as to pull the crud with it on the way out.

If your cleaning jag is too tight, chuck it in a hand drill and reduce the diameter with a file or some sandpaper.

[groundhog107]

I also live in the Mid Ohio Valley and I dont share the same issues as you.  You are correct on the humidity however, I think there is more going on here than just that however

[coyotejoe]

Were you shooting blackpowder or one of the substitutes? Green Mountain makes a very good barrel but unfortunately the breech is a copy of the T/C breech which uses a very small flash channel between the nipple and the powder chamber. That small channel becomes even smaller after a bit of fouling builds up on the channel walls. Powder can't flow through the flash channel to sit directly under the nipple as I prefer. So the cap blast has to jump to the powder and by the time it gets there it may not be hot enough to ignite the subs which require a higher ignition temperature. If the fouling build up becomes severe it may not even ignite blackpowder. Pull the nipple and work a pipe cleaner through the flash channel and reliable ignition will be restored for a while, Magnum caps may also help, though they shouldn't be required.

[Forestclimber]

I think you are right about the T/C breech, and my patches may have been too wet.  I was using 3F.

[Forestclimber]

"unfortunately the breech is a copy of the T/C breech which uses a very small flash channel "

What if I drilled out the flash channel and re-threaded the clean-out plug hole?

[necchi]

.  I think the humidity is a big factor. 

OH YA ! It get's nasty here in Minn too.

What if I drilled out the flash channel and re-threaded the clean-out plug hole?

Na, just pick the nip from time ta time,,If I'm in a aggregate shoot or session and I get just a little hang fire,,I'll pull the nip and brush it well (little brass brush from NAPA-$3) get the bottom of it too. I've found the cap fouling is worse than the powder in the flash channel. Point is the flash channel is big enough,, the fouling happens in the nip,, I keep small sections of pipe cleaners handy too for inside the nipple

[Forestclimber]

thanx