Thoughts on shooting Pedersoli Sharps 54 cal rifle

[keweenaw]

You could try shooting it without the forearm. Since you have two issues, I would deal with the ignition problem first, since misfires, rather the anticipation of them, and hang fires are going to hurt accuracy. Have you spoken to Charlie about it? He might suggest that you send him the block or perhaps the entire rifle. Seems to me that if you're still getting misfires after what you've done to the end of the tube, then you certainly have a significant blockage.

Funny thing is, when I snap a cap pointing at the ground, I get noticeable movement of leaves, grass, etc.

[gemmer]

Funny thing is, when I snap a cap pointing at the ground, I get noticeable movement of leaves, grass, etc.

When you get a misfire, do you notice any black marks from the cap on the tube cap?

[keweenaw]

When you get a misfire, do you notice any black marks from the cap on the tube cap?

Yes, the few times I dropped the breech to look.

[Yakiman]

Have you tried shooting with loose powder?

[keweenaw]

No, I have not tried that.

[John Holland]

All the movement of the grass means when you snap a cap is that the vent is clear. The cap going off is pushing air out the barrel, but the flame isn't reaching the chamber.

[Yakiman]

No, I have not tried that.

Have you been able to determine whether you have a fire channel problem, a percussion cap problem, or a paper cartridge issue? Accuracy problems aside, if it goes off every time with loose powder then you can concentrate on your cartridge. What length Hahn tube are you using, what are you sealing it with?

[keweenaw]

Have you been able to determine whether you have a fire channel problem, a percussion cap problem, or a paper cartridge issue? Accuracy problems aside, if it goes off every time with loose powder then you can concentrate on your cartridge. What length Hahn tube are you using, what are you sealing it with?

Well, when snapping a cap at the ground it shows good grass/leaf movement. While that does not represent fire, it does show a clear path for pressure all the way out. I am using new old stock RWS caps, which (from the olden days) were the hottest. I am looking at trying a number of nipple styles. Perhaps a straight sided one with the top of nipple counter sunk to allow max flash through the nipple and minimize any flash around the outside of the nipple (?). Using Hahn tube of 1.38 with moose mold bullet per Charlie recommendations. Cartridge ends up flush with the breech. Dont know what you mean by sealing it, other than I am using hair curler papers white glued to the end of the tube, if that is what you mean. The flash channel appears clear. Taking out the screw and using a pipe cleaner, it is visible through the holes.

Does anyone know if there is a hotter cap?

If the fire channel is too large, I wonder if a sleeve could be put in horizontally to remedy this?

[keweenaw]

Well, when snapping a cap at the ground it shows good grass/leaf movement. While that does not represent fire, it does show a clear path for pressure all the way out. I am using new old stock RWS caps, which (from the olden days) were the hottest. I am looking at trying a number of nipple styles. Perhaps a straight sided one with the top of nipple counter sunk to allow max flash through the nipple and minimize any flash around the outside of the nipple (?). Using Hahn tube of 1.38 with moose mold bullet per Charlie recommendations. Cartridge ends up flush with the breech. Dont know what you mean by sealing it, other than I am using hair curler papers white glued to the end of the tube, if that is what you mean. The flash channel appears clear. Taking out the screw and using a pipe cleaner, it is visible through the holes.

Does anyone know if there is a hotter cap?

If the fire channel is too large, I wonder if a sleeve could be put in horizontally to remedy this?

Also thinking about getting a nipple that takes a #11 cap. My understanding is someone out there makes a magnum version of their #11 cap. Maybe that would help??

[Yakiman]

Also thinking about getting a nipple that takes a #11 cap. My understanding is someone out there makes a magnum version of their #11 cap. Maybe that would help??

As I said, I got rid of the stock Pedersoli nipple and went to the one TOW recommended and the problem went away. The Pedersoli one was a tapered cone with a large flash hole. The TOW one is straight sided, musket cap fits snugly all the way down and the flash hole is small. Here's a side by side comparison. The TOW is item #MMS-1