yeoman

What are the consequences of the hole in the base of a nipple burning open over time? Does it reduce the heat? Shorten the flame? Anyone know? I'm guessing both and have no idea. I shot my CVA hawken last weekend and continue to have misfire issues and have noticed, when cleaning,the aperture in the bottom of my nipple is enlarged. I'm surprised as this nipple has had fewer than 50 rounds fired through it.

cayugad

yeoman - I've never in all my years heard of a nipple on a traditional rifle wearing out after 50 rounds. That is amazing. I have some nipples on older rifles that are pushing over 1000 rounds through them easy and still going. I always get a red hot stainless steel nipple. Are you picking your nipple with a pick before shooting? Some of them will get crud from caps in them and this can cause problems.

If this is an original nipple, replace it. Again, a hot shot stainless steel is the only thing I will use.

Then take BOILING water with some dish soap and pump that through the rifle. Be sure to wear good gloves as that barrel will get hot. I am suspecting that there is some kind of crud buildup in the bolster area. After you have that done, set that barrel somewhere and pour barrel after barrel of boiling water through it, letting the water run out that nipple hole. Watch the water, it should be running unobstructed.

After that, I would then run some solvent patches through the barrel and finally dry patch the barrel out. You should have a spotless barrel by now.

Next check the age and manufacture of your caps. If they are not a magnum cap, get some. CCI Magnum, RWS 1075, and finally the Remington Caps that claim to be 40% hotter (ever figure how they determine that).

Last is the age of your powder. Are you shooting Triple Se7en and has it turned cold? Some powders with age beging to act up. It could be this. You might want to replace the powder. When rifle acts up with me, I head straight to the Goex can. If that powder will not flash then I know I have some problems.

Just some thoughts from me that might help.

yeoman

Hm. I don't know that the nipple is worn out. I always remove the nipple when I clean, and soak it and the bolster screw in hot soapy water. What I have noticed is that I can hold the nipple up and see more light thru it now than I could when it was new. I have been running a pick thru the nipple between shots so it isn't that. The barrel is very clean when I'm done running water thru it. I have one of those bore lights I drop in, first to look thru the bolster, then reverse to look down the barrel. It could be the powder. That has some age. Seems odd though that I could get excellent ignition on one shot, then no ignition onthe next, and I always tap the rifle on its side to get powder into the bolster. When it hasn't fired, I've had to remove the bolster screw and add some powder to get it to go. I can't figure this out since I've always tapped the rifle the same way and now it suddenly isn't working reliably. I've never removed the bolster screw to look for powder when it was working, so I don't know that that has really changed. That's what led me to the nipple questions.

cayugad

Well it sure sounds like you're doing everything right. I can hold my rifle nipples up to the light and see through them as well. That's how I check them actually before I begin to shoot. If the rifle used to be a good shooter, then I would suspect the caps or the powder.

You're getting the cap to fire are you not.. just not setting the load off?

yeoman

Caps go, load does not. I have bought new powder (Pyrodex RS) but I can't remember if I filled my powder horn with the new stuff before shooting last weekend or not. I'll know when I get home tonight. I don't think I did. Sure be nice if powder's the problem. Fingers crossed. I'm hunting tomorrow morning and probably Saturday eve. and maybe both ends Christmas Day. I really do not want another hang-fire.

lemoyne

I have run into a problem on several CVA that people were looking for help on when I finally fixed it it was the hammer spring, one of the got so weak it quit firing the caps. [the strength of the hammer strike has to do with how much and how fast and how hot the energy the cap realeases up to the where it is strong enough to release it all at once] Lee

cayugad

If your hunting and worried about the load going off.. load the rifle, pull the nipple and just put a pinch of powder into the bolster, then replace the nipple. That's an almost certain igntion that way. I sometimes on stand will actually do that if things are slow. Of course about the time you get the nipple out is when the critters show up. Good luck hunting.

yeoman

Well, it would appear my ignition problem was mostly old powder, as Cayugad suggested. After loading Saturday AM with new powder, I went on stand both in AM and PM, passing on a doe w/fawns each stand. Sunday, next day,at noon,I went to the range. First cap, no fire. Second cap, no fire. Pulled bolster screw, add powder, presto, we've got ignition. I then loaded and fired 10-12 rounds. One cap failed to fire, but all other charges went off. Ignition was delayed on several charges, so maybe I do need to consider a new hammer spring, but otherwise things went well. My new rules are: one load per day. If hunting second day, pull bolster screw, add powder. If longer than two days, pull old load, swab, blow air thru bolster, reload fresh. Once fired, reload and add powder thru bolster, or complete cleaning. This is not a lazy man's gig, at least, not if you want to have the weapon go off when the big boy is in your sights!

cayugad

Well I am glad to hear you have your problem solved and that the rifle is shooting properly. Now all you need is that monster buck to wander in front of you...