Best/hottest musket cap?

[Texas Moon]

I have a Sharps percussion carbine(repro).
Having ignition issues with the caps. I'm using RWS.
Is there stronger/hotter musket cap available?

 

[Curator]

RWS musket caps is about as "hot" as you can get. I had ignition problems with my paper-cutter Sharps until I enlarged the flash channel slightly. After that the RWS caps gave good ignition.

 

[MEHavey]

How are you loading this Sharps...?

 

[Dog Soldier]

The flame channel in the Sharps Paper Ctg. breech is some what circuitous. It requires careful removal of carbon and spent powder residues.

 

[Jimster]

I have the 1859 infantry rifle version and use RWS caps with paper cartridges and have never had trouble. Remove that clean out screw on the left side of the block along with the nipple and clean it out. I use a pipe cleaner to help get around some corners. Are you loading loose powder or a paper cartridge?

 

[MEHavey]

I ask "how are you loading?" because loose powder (or a cut cartridge
that effectively becomes loose powder) that drops below the level of
the flash channel cone will often not ignite -- no matter the cap "hotness"

You need the powder exposed directly in front of that cone.

 

[Texas Moon]

I load with loose powder. I point the barrel up and tap the gun to settle the powder against the breach face.
I thoroughly clean and dry the breachblock before firing.
The odd thing about this gun is getting the initial shot of the day to fire.
Once the first round fires the gun runs perfectly afterward. It's just that first round that takes several caps to finally fire off.
It has had the Hahn conversion on chamber and breachblock.

 

[MEHavey]

Try this:

Pull the breech block and fill the block's cavity with your prescribed powder load.
Does it completely cover the cone exit?

Out of curiosity have you considered that even then, when you lower the weapon, most of the powder stays back in the breech block cavity and what little falls forward of it -- most drops quickly to the chamber floor and completely out of the flash line from the cone?

Better... try pointing the rifle to the ground first, so that most all the powder is definitely against the bullet/in front of the flash cone's path when it fires.

 

[sharps59]

Once the first round fires the gun runs perfectly afterward. It's just that first round that takes several caps to finally fire off.
It has had the Hahn conversion on chamber and breachblock.[/QUOTE]
If you have Charlies conversion you should have no problem. First make sure there is no oil in the flash channel.I oil mine afterm cleaning but before I shoot it I blow it out. Then snap 4 or 5 caps. Before loading. I still will get a hang fire now and then..Make sure there is no oil on the block face also. It don't take much to foul the powder. W that said mine likes the hotter caps. The wingless where better. There is now Spanish caps out there that are hottor. Than rws. I like them ad much ad the wingless. Also your clean out screw maybe to short if you have one. It depends on how Charlie modified it.

 

[Texas Moon]

I know it sounds odd but the first shot is always a misfire.
I always make very sure the flash channel is clean and dry. I also pop several caps thru it before initial loading.
The caps just suck.

Where can I get these "spanish" caps?

 

[sharps59]

I know it sounds odd but the first shot is always a misfire.
I always make very sure the flash channel is clean and dry. I also pop several caps thru it before initial loading.
The caps just suck.

Where can I get these "spanish" caps?

Black creak gun shop Gainsboro va. The box the come in looks like a shotgun primer box.

 

[Texas Moon]

Do you mean Black Creek gun shop in Winchester,Va.? Will they mail order caps?

 

[sharps59]

Do you mean Black Creek gun shop in Winchester,Va.? Will they mail order caps?

Yes I do and yes they will. What ever you need they can send. Prices are fair. Really nice to deal with.
I'm one of the lucky one. I'm there 3 times a year. Twice for N-SSA national and once for the vets.

 

[Stumper]

I am absolutely NOT an expert on the sharps breechloaders. However, since you say that the gun always runs fine after the initial shot and always gives trouble on the first shot I would conclude that the primary problem is not the caps but something to do with gun and its preparation.

 

[44 Dave]

I always blast the nipples clean with my shop compressor, and rarely pop a cap on them before loading. If I were going to load for hunting or competition I would but otherwise why waste the money on caps.

 

[Mike OTDP]

+1 on the Spanish caps. I've tried them, they are definitely hotter than even RWS. +2 on Back Creek. I've been getting powder from them for 35 years.