Cap goes off but gun does not fire

A

a1parrothead

New member
Hello all,
I am new to shooting black powder guns, but am an avid reloader.

I just put together a Pedersoli Philadelphia Derringer kit.

I am using 15 grs. of FFFG as recommended (15-20) by the manufacturer, pushing a patched .440 ball. Using #11 CCI caps (as recommended).

When I try and shoot it, the cap goes off but will not set off the powder.

I took out the nipple and the hole in it is tiny. I can fit a very small single strand of fine electrical wire through it but that's all.

Any ideas? I made sure it was all tamped down and seated well. The caps, powder are brand new. I can see the powder under the nipple when I unscrew it. The caps are firing.

Any suggestions would be great.

Thanks, Jeff
 
Has it been unloaded?

Soak the nipple in water and then run the nipple cleaner through it.
Flush out the barrel too and use a bamboo skewer to clean the area that the cap's flash travels through.

When it's reassembled and dry, put a cap o the nipple and place the muzzle by a blade of grass. The grass should move when the cap discharges. This indicates that the cap's explosion passes freely through the nipple, into the barrel and through the barrel.

Did you do that before first trying to shoot?
 
Thanks for the response. Yes. I made sure all was clean. Its brand new and I do not have any specific nipple cleaner. I cleaned it again and found grease in the nipple. I have completely cleaned it and now have shot it 6 times and it functions perfectly.
Thanks again for your response.
Jeff
 
Mis-Fire; Load too tight

a1parrothead
There can be a few reasons why this is happening and my first SWAG is that your load is too tight and your spark is dead-headed at the nipple.
Did you pop-a-cap with no charge of restriction. This a the most common problem, In fact, take a small piece of paper and "lay" into the muzzle. Paper must be loose. If you are getting good flow, the paper will be blown out. Pop a couple of caps and observe the flow. Again, do this with as completely empty barrel. By the way, a good cleaning tool for the nipple and channel, is a piece of plipe cleaner and drop of mineral spirits. ....

All part of the fun;
Be Safe !!!
 
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