remington percussion cap residue

[Busyhands94]

i have been using Remington caps for a while now, they work really well in my NAA companions. however, i found that after 50 or so shots my flat firing pin used to squash the caps gets so gummed up it hardly even will set off the caps. it gets to the point where it may take 7 blows from the hammer to get it to go off. what is the best way to clean this stuff out from the internals so i can get back to slinging lead and making smoke? i have also noticed that when i was using toy caps in my mini revolvers i could get my gun to fire more than 50 with no problems (probably because they are more sensitive) and i could just pour hot water through my barrel and it would dissolve the Triple Seven residue. however, i don't use toy caps due to them being too sensitive to safely use. i have to ease the cylinder back into the gun witch can take several minutes with toy caps if i am being careful, not to mention the sweat running down my brow worrying whether or not this thing is going to go off in my hands. i had my .22 LR equivalent go off when i was putting the cylinder in. it scared the heck out of me. and i was using toy caps instead of percussion caps.

i have found that it takes a lot of hot soapy water and scrubbing to get the cap residue off the inside of my gun's frame and around the firing pin, and that doesn't even count for the internal parts. please help, i have tried everything and i want to take care of my gun. but at the same time i still want to shoot it and do very often. i need something, some product that i can take to the range, that will actually clean that gunk out of there so i can keep on shooting. any advice is welcomed!

Sincerely, Levi Hawken Dabney

 

[arcticap]

Are you sure that it's not blowback from the 777 that's causing the sticky residue?
I can understand that there's more residue associated with using the percussion caps, but I'm not so sure that the cap compound itself is actually creating it.
I say that because I can shoot hundreds and hundreds of rounds of rimfire ammo without any kind of significant sticky residue build up that would stop a gun from functioning. And that's using nearly any brand of ammo that's producing both powder and primer residue.
I wonder if you tried loading your NAA's with Bullseye powder whether you would still have such an accumulation of residue or not?
Otherwise I can only suggest to apply drops of either cleaning solvent or lube to your firing pin before it seizes up and not wait until the accumulation builds up so much.
For instance powdered graphite can be mixed with oil as a carrier to seep into tight spaces.
Since the cylinder is being removed for loading anyway, use that opportunity to apply some drops of any product that you think will work to prevent the binding.
TC's T17 cleaning solvents are designed to quickly dissolve 777 residue if that's the culprit.
And if it's just primer residue, then a drop or two of any good solvent may also quickly dissolve it.
And switching to Bullseye powder might also solve the problem.

 

[Busyhands94]

it happens when i shoot smokeless too a little slower but it still happens. or even low pressure loads like percussion cap and pellet target loads or snakeshot. i think i will try some solvent to get rid of the residue. it's really stuck on there and it usually takes loads of Windex, soapy water, and scrubbing to get the stuff off. i actually know it's the caps because when i was using toy caps the residue would actually just wipe right off with a spit-patch. i could literally just stick a cleaning patch in my cheek when i was loading it and before i put the cylinder in i spat it out and wiped off the firing pin area. i am thinking, what if i were to rub a small about of my homemade chamber grease on the firing pin area. that might be kinda like greasing a cookie sheet before you bake. only we are baking fouling, not cookies. i might be going to a gun shop tomorrow so i will bring a couple extra dollars so i can get a can of Hoppes bore blaster, that stuff would probably work great!

Sincerely, Levi

 

[arcticap]

Another Warning About The Impact Sensitivity Of Plastic Caps!

... i don't use toy caps due to them being too sensitive to safely use. i have to ease the cylinder back into the gun witch can take several minutes with toy caps if i am being careful, not to mention the sweat running down my brow worrying whether or not this thing is going to go off in my hands. i had my .22 LR equivalent go off when i was putting the cylinder in. it scared the heck out of me. and i was using toy caps instead of percussion caps.

Thank you Busyhands94.
I'm glad that you mentioned that this accidental discharge event occurred.
With all of the discussion about trying out and using plastic caps lately, to hear about this 2nd occurrence being reported by yet another person within such a short period of time should help to effectively warn folks about using them.
Especially with the increased cost of regular percussion caps which makes switching to plastic caps so enticing, folks need to be aware of their potential to be too impact sensitive.

The other recent report about an accidental discharge using plastic caps and a subsequent warning was previously posted below:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showpost.php?p=7377602&postcount=16

 

[Busyhands94]

they are not just very impact sensitive, they are pressure sensitive too. if you push too hard on one it will go off.