Learning to Speak "Musket"

[DaveCVG]

You know, after 20 years in the N-SSA, one would think that I would have learned to speak "Musket". This spring, however, my Musket was talking to me about a problem, and I couldn't translate. Please stay with me for a short story.
My spring shooting practice started very well, but soon started a slow downhill slide. At the same time as the slide, I noticed that my "final oiling patch" after cleaning showed a black mark corresponding to the ID of the barrel at the breech plug. It was also there when I put a patch down the barrel to remove the oil before shooting. I wasn't listening.
At the Spring National, the Musket decided to get my attention ... sort of a Musket equivalent of hitting me with a 2x4. My first shot was a keyhole ... then later I placed a bullet under the bottom horizontal frame board ... after which I had my first failure-to-fire in twenty years ... with the final embarrasment of a team hit time of 142 seconds per hit.
OK ... you got my attention. At home I disassembled the Musket and started cleaning the barrel using the hot-water-in-a-bucket flushing procedure. Nothing was unusual until I finally removed the cleanout screw and found a solid wall of black powder shooting debris that even an awl could not penetrate. Back to the hot water, which finally dissolved the wall.
My Musket had been trying to tell me via the patch black mark that the cap flame channel was almost completely blocked, which caused variable ignition (including no ignition). At the next skirmish, my team hit time dropped to 62 seconds per hit, almost normal, which validated my conclusions.
So ... thank you for allowing me to enter this event into the N-SSA Library of Musket Knowledge & Language.
My Best/Good Shooting/and Please Listen to Your Musket,
Dave M.

[Lou Lou Lou]

Time for me to pull my breech plug as well.

[Maillemaker]

Hi Dave,

I'm having a little trouble following your story.

It sounds like you might be describing two different problems - a plugged flash hole (you said you pulled the clean out screw and found fouling bulid-up), but from your description of your cleaning patch it also sounds like something was wrong with your breach?

When you say you disassembled the musket did you also pull the breach plug? If so, what did you find? A torn-off skirt? Was that the round that key-holed? Was the torn-off skirt preventing your patch from getting all the way to the breach face?

Sounds like an interesting story I just want to fully understand what was happening.

Steve

[DaveCVG]

Hi Steve,
Thanks for your interest. The problem was entirely a NEARLY-plugged flash hole ... the debris was packed against the clean-out screw, and the debris extended through the barrel wall where it contacted my cleaning patches. The debris also packed against the flame hole below the nipple ... my flintlock spring-wire flashhole cleaner would not go into that hole. I did not pull the breech plug ... however, I used a camera bore probe to check everything before re-assembling the musket. There was no skirt debris or any other problem in the barrel.
I got some hits at 50 yards ... I was getting adequate ignition some times ... that is why I capitalized the word NEARLY in NEARLY-plugged above. The keyhole and below-the-backer shot both were caused by poor ignition ... inadequate expansion of the skirt. I had an unstable condition ... sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.
Also, the ignition failure occurred during the last 50-yard event. The Musket was cleared with pressurized air. I then got 3 or 4 hits at 100 yards, which only added to my confusion until I got home. The air-blast partially cleared the path, enough to get me through one event. Sorry ... I should have added this 100-yard info to my post ... I didn't want the post to get too long.
I hope this helps, and again ... thanks for your interest.
Respectfully,
Dave M.

[Blair]

Dave,


Learning to Speak "Musket" may be nothing more than learning to "thoroughly" clean your particular firearm?
Suggestion... check with your older or long term Team Mates, they can be a wealth of information if you only ask.

[RaiderANV]

Dave,


Learning to Speak "Musket" may be nothing more than learning to "thoroughly" clean your particular firearm?


Blair,
I think that's what Dave is getting at. With his TWENTY years in the N-SSA he knew better but wasn't paying attention to "what his musket was saying" with a patch anyways dirty in the same spot which was trying to inform him of the build-up/problem.

[Ken Hansgen, 11094]

What means "Junior Member?"

[Francis J. Miller Jr, 02601]

What means "Junior Member?"

"Junior Member" means a person with less than 100 posts on the BB.

[Ron/The Old Reb]

My problem is I can't understand my musket when it speaks. It only speaks Italian.http://www.n-ssa.org/vbforum/images/smilies/icon_lol.gif

[Maillemaker]

My problem is I can't understand my musket when it speaks. It only speaks Italian.

LOL :)

Steve

[Southron Sr.]

Dear daveCVG:

You are a LUCKY man. WHY? Because with that build up of "Cake" in your breech LIKE YOU HAD, you did not have any COOK OFFS in the Musket Team Matches."Cake" is responsible for a lot of Cook Offs every year. There were several occasions when fellow Skirmishers on my team experienced Cook Offs in rapid fire, musket team events. EVERY TIME I pulled a breech plug of one of their muskets-Cake was present. I cleaned out the Cake and the Cook Off problem disappeared!

"Cake" is of course, that hard ring of carbon fouling that builds up between the edge of the face of the breechplug and the sides of the breech of the barrel. From your description, your Cake "infestation" had progressed so much that the Cake was blocking the flame channel of your barrel's vent.

THE ONLY WAY TO REMOVE "CAKE" IS TO SIMPLY PULL THE BREECH PLUG (ONCE A YEAR IS RECOMMENDED) AND WORKING FROM THE REAR END OF THE NOW OPEN BARREL, KNOCK AND BRUSH OUT ALL OF THE "CAKE."

I make it a rule to pull the breechplugs of all of my muskets after the end of every Skirmish season and remove all traces of the Cake. Remember, Cook Offs are NOT FUN!

By the way, I checked with the Italian manufacturers and "Muskets speak Musket," not Italian!

[Ron/The Old Reb]

I don't know Southern, Every time I squeeze the trigger it goes, SCOPPIO.

[marv762]

at the end of every shoot when i do a good cleaning of my guns i remove the nipple. i run a pipe cleaner into the flash hole of my muskets to make sure it is clear and clean. a little anti seize on the threads makes sure it comes out with no problems. i have been doing this for years and it will prevent that issue. Marv

[DaveCVG]

Dear Skirmishers,
First, I would like to thank all the folks who commented on my recent experience ... sharing information is important, and the N-SSA does it quite well. So, here's some additional info.
First, I wrote about my experience to remind everyone ... if you see something different (the patch black marks/ring), do something different.
Second, in my first N-SSA enlistment (1970s), I shot my unit's first PH 2-band. I disassembled and flush-cleaned the barrel after every weekend, just like the DGW Catalog said, and I cleaned the flash-hole, just like the gentleman above suggested. I also averaged two cookoffs a season. I checked all breech fit and dimensions, and all was A-OK. Everyone in our unit shot Zoli Zouaves and used base Crisco at that time ... I switched to lithium grease when I heard on-the-line that other first PH shooters were having my same cookoff problem and making the same switch (no internet then), and that ended the cookoffs.
Third, after a "short" leave-of-absence (about 20 years), I returned to the N-SSA, now shooting an M1855 Artillery Rifle with a modern-generation barrel. I resumed all my old habits, but slowly changed based on experience from my new team-mates. Most significantly, I stopped the disassembly flush-cleaning, which is overkill EXCEPT when something odd occurs. For ten years all was well (e.g., no cookoffs, good rifle performance) ... then the black spot(s) appeared. Because of all the interest in this post, I checked my powder lot records, and I found that the trouble started with one purchase of powder. Thus, another factor that has been discussed many times on this BB was involved.
Fourth, I am back to the beginning ... if you see something different, do something different.
One of the first "replies" from Lou Lou Lou said this post reminded him it was time to pull the breech-plug ... GREAT ... that made me happy that I made the post. RaiderANV also identified with my bottom-line message.
Good shooting!
Respectfully,
DaveCVG (retired)

[David Kennard 12146]

You know that it is the gestures that are important when speaking Italian. Run with that......