At the end of the cleaning process you should have left a coating of an anti-rust lubricant on the inside and outside of the muzzleloader. I choose Ballistol as my rust protection lubricant.
Before shooting you should run a clean patch down the barrel to remove any lubricant left behind. You also could run a dry pipe cleaner through the drum if your have a clean out screw.
The next way to ensure that there is no oil or patch material left in the barrel is to pop a cap. You can hold the muzzle a few inches from a blade of grass and then pop the cap. You should see the grass blade move from the cap exploding. If there is no movement then there is an obstruction somewhere between the nipple and the muzzle.
Another suggestion that I was given ensures a clear nipple, but you must be 100% sure the gun is unloaded. Leave the ram rod with a cleaning patch down the barrel. The cleaning patch should be next to the drum. Then pop a cap. Any dirt, oil or debris will be blown into the clean patch. Once you remove the ram rod and patch you should see the burn mark plus any of the debris that was in the nipple or drum. Always make sure the barrel is pointed in a safe direction when popping the cap.
If you follow these steps you should always get a good fire on your first shot.
