42 Springfields

[Craig L Barry]

Re: 42 Springfields

1. Well, a pool of residual oil will certainly muck things up in the bolster, sure enough, if the gun is clean otherwise.

2. I use the steel cone from Regtqm w/ the larger vent. I know "stainless" when used in conjuction
with "steel" are dirty words in these parts but that cone just affords much better ignition and the design
holds the percussion cap without pinching it. Sometimes a misfire-prone musket is remedied by changing
to that cone with a larger vent and no other alteration is needed.

[stri volunteer]

Re: 42 Springfields

I remember it happened to me with the first repro US 1842 when we forgot to run a patch down the bore before shooting it. Pffffffft.

[David Fox]

Re: 42 Springfields

I know this is superfluous (sic?), but if one intends to fire a '42 or any other percussion weapon with ball ammunition, one can open the nipple too much, causing potentially dangerous back pressure. I had an original '55 rifle-musket set itself back to half cock upon firing due to this condition. Not good.

[Craig L Barry]

Re: 42 Springfields

Right, it is recommended to use a smaller vented cone for live fire. 1/16" is for blanks. BP finds the path of least resistance. Good point, David.

[Bob 125th NYSVI]

Re: 42 Springfields

My 1840 conversion, Enfield and 61 all get placed under a fold in the groundcloth at night to keep them nice and dry. I worry more about them than I do about me, I still work when wet.

[Todd Watts]

Re: 42 Springfields

Temperature changes from cool to warm create condensation on metals. From warm to cool does not cause condensation as badly if at all (which is why your glasses fog in the winter when coming from outside and going inside but not vice versa) so the condensation is mostly happening in the morning hours as the day warms up. If there is any fouling left, it will absorb this condensation beneath it and turn to a sludge. Sludge migrates with gravity so a musket lying on its side will have the sludge move down. If the lock is facing down or back, sludge will move into the vent. A gun in a stack is angled perfectly to migrate sludge into the breech and vent. If the bolster has not been cleaned well the night before, that fouling as well will get damp and move around. It does not take much to clog a vent, especially a fouled vent. It could take 2-3 caps to not only dry the sludge enough to not kill most of each flame, but to blast the vent clear. All of our guns are doing this, some worse than others, and I think the big .69s may do it worse simply because of the amount of metal there is to suffer the condensation effects. More metal = more water droplets. Just a theory there, but it seems reasonable.
I always clean my gun after each day's event and give it a light wipe-down with an oily patch inside and out, and have learned to pay particular attention to the cone and bolster/cone seat. I get in there a chip away the fouling and dry that area well. Sometime before the next day's events, I always run a dry patch down and out to dry the bore and breech out. During the inspection when I snap a cap, that 1 cap should blast the moisture out of the bolster and I am then ready for the day.

[GWagner]

Re: 42 Springfields

I took the musket out Saturday and fired ten 90 grain 2f charges, and five 70 grain charges. In the middle of the ten 90's, I dumped a 50 grain charge, and it failed to fire. I added 40 grains of 2f and boom.

I think the size of my rounds, coupled with a partially fould vent fromt he last cleaning caused my issues.

Thanks to all who responded. it is what makes this community so great!:wink_smil

[Bob 125th NYSVI]

Re: 42 Springfields

Man I must live right ........

because I'm reading all this 'drill out the cone' and 'up the charge' suggestions and I use the standard cone and never use more than 65 grain charges in any of my muskets and I almost never have a firing problem.

Occasionally the dampness will cause a misfire on the first round of my .69 but the second charge always takes care of that.

It can't be clean living so it must be a clean gun.

[Todd Watts]

Re: 42 Springfields

I'll take the opportunity to climb up onto my soap box if Mr. Barry will allow me a space and make an observation about weapons cleaning. This is a pet-peev of mine (and his) and I have seen it mentioned here in other threads as well, so it is not a new idea although it gets argument every time. The military man maintains his equipment as well as possible all the time. They do today and they did in the 1860s as well. Yes, even Confederates and even the trans-MS Confederates. Heck, even the indians did! They were taught to do this if they automatically did not know to do this. Would any farm boy back then have dared to put away his harness twisted, torn or wet? Would any shop keeper's son in a city have dared to not organize his father's store at the close of the day? Would any private in any army, having been issued a cool military-style gun have not been keenly interested in maintaining it? No. The maintanance of weapons, clothing, knapsacks, etc. would have been automatic to people back then and would have been drilled into the recruits' heads in the camps of instruction. Later in camps during those long hours of boredom, no Sgt. worth his bottom stripe would have allowed his Pvts. to sit around doing nothing with a stack of fouled rusty guns in camp, or visibly torn trousers. And when that work was finished there was always camp maintenacne chores to be done. Wood had to be cut and collected, streets cleared, water collected, etc. Brass buttons and hat ornaments would have been polished, bayonets scoured of rust, flags sewn, etc. And this should not stop with the enlisted men. It irks me to see a noble looking officer with gray and brown brass buckles and buttons, a saber scabbard with scale rust and torn clothing. What, he didn't have hundreds of bored men under him to delegate his own maintenace duties to? He was proud of his rank and he had his own uniform to maintain. An officer likely did not do much of this himself - he had people to do this. This is a great thing to show camp visitors. Delegate that officer maintenance duty to a Sgt who then can delegate to a Pvt. Yes, there were some officers (Grant) who were said to commonly look fairly mundane, but they were the exception which is why they were noteworthy and this was not their appearance in combat I think. Lounging in camp on campaign sure, everyone became the color of the road, but when they knew they were going to be fighting or were doing any sorts of official duty they would have done their best to have the right appearance. This was, afterall, Victorian times and image was very important. Respect and honor were important as was the caste system so an officer would have done his best to appear "above" the common soldier. I have 2 Enfields at the shop waiting on me right now that for all the world could have been recently excavated relics except they say "Euroarms" in the rust on the barrels. I can't understand why someone would pay $500+ for a musket and then let it go like that and then wonder why the thing isn't working right. In 1860, these items were new, and they appeared, well, new. The notion that our equipment to look 1860-ish must look like a 145 year old relic is super-farb IMHO.;)

O.K., Mr. Barry I am sure is itching to push me off his soap-box so I'll step down.;)

[GWagner]

Re: 42 Springfields

Does the flash hole on a 42 go straight through. I went to clean today, and there is very little air moving through the flash channel, and just a trickle of water.

I am using my vent pick to clean out the hole...which is slightly larger than 1/16"

I get about 1/8 of an inch cleaned out, and then it feels like I am hitting metal.

Does it turn 90 degrees? Anyone have any ideas about cleaning it out if it does turn? I have run about a gallon of water down it. I put a patch on my jag, and get allot of resitance, and once I get it all the way down, there is allot of suction trying to pull it out...which means hardly any air air is moving...the patch creates suction.

How large...1/16 etc is the channel. Can I drill through the crud with the smaller 1/16 bit or does the hole turn or get smaller as it goes. What is the appx angle from the opening under the cone to the chamber?

I need to get water flowing and this may have been my problem all along.

[MuleyGil]

Re: 42 Springfields

Unscrew the nipple and take a piece of stiff wire, paper clip, etc, and clean out the the passageway.

For shooting blanks, you can use a larger hole in the nipple. Stay with a small hole for live fire; you don't want the hammer to blow back.

[Co D-1st FL]

Re: 42 Springfields

Galen,

On my '42 the hole is about 3 times the size of my nipple pick and it goes in at about a 30 degree angle. It should go all the way into the bore.

Hope this helps.

Glad you guys got back ok from Ft Morgan. My 1st Sgt got over heated on Sat and took it easy on Sunday which was a little cooler.

[GWagner]

Re: 42 Springfields

Ok. I have been trying wire etc all evening.

My question is can I drill the sucker out. It is like metal in there.

Does the 30 degree angle lean towards where the barrell meets the breech? What I mean is does it angel toward the muzzle, or in from the nipple to the opposite side of the barrell?

Is it a straight shot at 30 dgrees or does it turn at all? The bolster is spic and span, but I am not getting any air or flash down the channel Much less is any water moving through...just a trickle if I let it sit with the cone down towards the ground.

[Craig L Barry]

Re: 42 Springfields

There is some kind of blockage, but before I resorted to the titanium drill bits, try dissolving the clot in some Hoppes # 9. Fill the bottom of a paper cup and put the barrel in the cup so the bolster is "flooded." Leave it in the solution overnight, and then ream the bore with a wire brush and run a pipe cleaner through the flash channel. Hoppes may dissolve whatever is blocking it and if nothing else will make it easier to re-establish a flash channel if you must resort to drilling.

[GWagner]

Re: 42 Springfields

Craig,

I had already soaked it in Hoppes for several hours today. With Jim Busby's help via phone, I used a 3/32 bit, which is the size that passed through his with a little room to spare, and drilled through the flash channel. It was like concrete. Once it bored through, air and water are running like the 61 now. I believe this was the problem from the get go on this thing...from day one that I owned it. I will take it out tomorrow for some test firing and keep the channel free and clear hence forth.

Thanks a bunch to Jim Busby. My wife thanks you too, and said she is glad I am done throwing things.