I have a new 54 cal great plains. I have about 50 shots thrugh it w/no problems. Today I shot four shots and on my fith shot, it would not fire. The percussion caps would not bang. I tried several and some would go off and some would not. Then the gun finally fired. The next shot did the same thing but the gun would not fire. I went through about seven percussion caps, some would bang and some would not. The gun would not fire. Would this be a problem with my nipple maybe?? By the way I tried percussion caps from two seperate batches so I dought that they are at fault.

is the nipple clean, free from debris and grease/oil etc??? i dont know much about percussion guns.....but know they gota be clean and oil free like my touchhole on a flinter....not sure how you clean it or anything...but maybe try giving it a good cleaning inside and out? someone else will know more im sure lol......but being noone else replied i figured id try my best

Make sure the hammer is Clean. It could get some fowling up in there and cause some problems. Also, make sure you pick your nipple after every few shots. Good Luck with the rifle. I am sure it is just somethink minor.

Tryshooting the same failed cap again, that would be revealing. Your caps may not be seating fully on the nipple. I believe I've read the factory supplied nipples are fairly soft and yours might be distorted enough to cause a problem.

If this is the original nipple from Lymans.. it could very well be the problem. For some reason they build a great rifle then put a terrible nipple on them I would replace the nipple with a new stainless steel one.

Next I would check to make sure the hammer is in true alignment to the nipple. Sometimes they are a little slanted and this can cause you problems.

Next, if it fires five times in a row then starts to act up, take some isopropyl alcohol and make sure there is no fowling crud building up on the nipple. This black fowling crud can be enough to keep the new cap from seating firmly against the nipple, so the hammer falls, and sets the cap but does not ignite it. The next hammer strike fires it, and so on. Keep the nipple clean. Some alcohol and Q-tips will solve this. Also look into the nose of your hammer and make sure that the old spent caps are not fragmenting and building up in there. Clean that out with a Q-tip also.

When you cock the hammer I am guessing it is not catching as it falls on the half cock slowing the hammer strike down is it. Check that as well. Take a cotton patch and lay that over the nipple then cock and fire the hammer onto that cloth. It should cut the patch between the nipple and the hammer or seriously damage the material, with the fall of the hammer.

The last guess would be a bad hammer spring. If the rifle is new I would doubt it, unless you have been dry firing the rifle a lot. My first looking place would be the new nipple and cleaning the old one between shots. Also make sure you pick any material out of the nipple with a nipple pick. I was watching people a while back and hardly anyone picks the nipples anymore. I do and I still notice fowling in there which can cause a misfire.

As Cayugad said, make sure there are no cap fragments wedged up inside the hammer recess. That could cushion the hammer fall and cause a cap to fail to fire. Make sure that the flat in the top of your hammer recess is striking SQUARE all acrossthe faceof the nipple.

After several shots, it is possible for fouling to plug both the little hole in the bottom of the nipple, and also to plug up the entire flash channel through the bolster and into the chamber of the barrel. You might need to take the nipple out, and use a pipe cleaner or a similar stiff, flexible object to make sure the flash channel is clear all the way into the barrel.

If you can find them, get some aftermarket HOTSHOT type replacement nipples for your gun, and use a clean one every time you go to the range.

BTW, what kind of powder were you using? Pyrodex is relatively hard to ignite under any circumstances. I suggest that you use CCI #11 MAGNUM caps for ANY powder. A good, clean nipple and the Magnum type caps should resolve this problem.

Those Great Plains rifles are very nice, and I'm sure yours will work OK with a better nipple!

I know a guy who will sell you a couple nipples for very cheap. They are Hot Shot nipples. Would you like them?

Well, I cleaned the nipple real good and now they all go "bang". But I cant fire the ball left in the barrel so there must be some crud in the breech plug. I have spent the last two hours trying to get the damn ball out with the screw attachment. It just wont come out. Are there any tricks to this, besides throwing your gun off a cliff??

I am guessing the powder got contaminated. Be sure and pick the nipple real good. Push that nipple pick in as far as you can reach. Try another cap and see if it fires. If it does not;

Take the nipple off the rifle. Then take some powder in your fingers. Slowly drizzle the powder into the open nipple hole. Take a tooth pick and kind of pack that powder down there. Try to get in as much as you can in there but not up level. Remember you have to put the nipple back in there. Now replace the nipple in the rifle.

NEXT TAKE YOUR RAMROD AND MAKE SURE YOU SEAT THE BALL. SHOOTING A BALL THAT HAS MOVED OFF THE CHARGE CAN BE DANGEROUS AND POSSIBLY DAMAGE YOUR RIFE. MAKE NOT OF WHERE THE RAMROD ENDS OUT THE BARREL SO IF THE NEXT STEP WORKS YOU CAN MAKE SURE THE RIFLE IS EMPTY.

Now you can shoot the ball out in most cases.If the ball fails to come out, then repeat the steps sooner or later the ball will come out of the barrel. Make sure you point this is a safe direction because in your case the rifle is loaded, but actually if you dry ball the rifle, you pack enough powder in there, I have had them fly 25 yards hit a target and bounce back at you.

Another way is get to an air compresser and remove the nipple. Turn the compressor up to as high a PSI as it will go. Put an air pressure attachment and rig something so you can force air into the back end of the rifle. Sometime you can blow the whole works out..

I normally shoot them out since I live in the country.

If you have any FFFF take out the nipple and pour some in the nipple hole work it down good make sure the nipple is clean replace nipple add cap and fire do it out at the range so the powder is real fresh and dose not have a chance to absorb moisture from the old residue which is attrating it. If you don't have 4F 3 F might work.Lee