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- Mar 11, 2010
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Was this a black powder gun? If so, there could be plenty of opportunities for a misfire or complete fail to fire if the gun isn't kept clean or dry, particularly if it's a matchlock or flintlock where a small powder charge instead of a percussion cap is used to ignite the main charge.
For example, dirt blocking the touch-hole could prevent the flame from reaching the main powder charge in the barrel, so everything would otherwise appear to work but it just wouldn't fire. Water getting into the priming powder in the flash pan of a flintlock or matchlock could make that fizzle so there's no flame to get through there. Or the flint in a flintlock may fail to ignite the powder.
Or you could just say it goes click and not try to explain why .
I've only fired black powder guns a few times with a group of friends, but from what I remember we had a few failures of that kind between us; particularly with the flintlocks. I'm sure there are more experienced black powder shooters here but they don't seem to be posting today .
For example, dirt blocking the touch-hole could prevent the flame from reaching the main powder charge in the barrel, so everything would otherwise appear to work but it just wouldn't fire. Water getting into the priming powder in the flash pan of a flintlock or matchlock could make that fizzle so there's no flame to get through there. Or the flint in a flintlock may fail to ignite the powder.
Or you could just say it goes click and not try to explain why .
I've only fired black powder guns a few times with a group of friends, but from what I remember we had a few failures of that kind between us; particularly with the flintlocks. I'm sure there are more experienced black powder shooters here but they don't seem to be posting today .