It might be as simple as to much powder in the pan. Try just a large pinch right against the flahhole. derf

Always pick your flashhole to clear it of powder grains.

Like Derf said, maybe too much powder in the pan. Maybe not enough. Should be below the level of the flashhole typically.
Brent

Touch hole size? I drill mine to .063" sometimes bigger on a gun that has slow/poor ignition. Is the liner coned on the inside? I'd remover the liner and make sure it is, if not, cone it yourself. I've built my own liners out of ss bolts and always cone em on the inside and some on the outside too, to bring the charge close to the pan.

1) place your primer charge AWAY from the flash hole, not against it. You want the flame to jump across the pan and into the touch hole. If you place the priming charge against the flash hole, you can actually block or delay the ignition (creates a fuse effect), and create the "clatch-boom" delay.

2)One trick to increase ignition speed is to back bore the touch hole liner. Unscrew the touch hole liner and drill (from the inside to the outside) about 1/2 way with a drill that is ~ 1/8" diameter (you don't want to drill out the external threads of the liner)). When loading with the barrel charge, tap the side of the rifle a few times. This can help get some powder positioned in the cavity of the touch hole liner you just created.

3) make sure your flash hole is centered properly in relation to your pan. It should be at least at the same level of an imaginary line drawn from the front/back "lips" of the priming pan, or slightly higher (I like mine higher). If the hole is centered more front or back you have two options: use small needle file and file out hole to the direction you want.(you'll make an oval hole, but this in itself isn't a problem) second: you can either make a touch hole liner yourself, or perhaps pick up an undrilled touch hole liner from a place like "Track of the Wolf". Insert the undrilled liner, and mark on it where the hole SHOULD be. Remove the liner, drill out (back bore and primary hole, reinstall and try it.

4) are your flints sharp? Sharp flints throw more sparks. You can make a dandy little tool to do this. Use a common steel nail (about 2 1/2 -3" long). File the pointy end flat on both sides for a flat area about 1/4" to 3/8" long on the major axis of the nail. The remaining flat section of the nail should be about 1/32 to 1/16" thick. File INTO the thinned out piece (the part ~ 1/32 to 1/16" thick remaining) about 1/16th to 3/32nds of an inch for 3/4 of the thinned out section (parallel to the major axis). You want a right angle (90 degrees)on the upper part of the thinned out section. Now, what you want to do is use this "hook" or "notcher" tool to place on the striking edge of the flint (while it is in the jaws of the lock). Then tap it with a small hammer, or your short starter. This will pawl off a small section of the flint. Move the tool across the flint and do this 3-4 times, until you have a sharp flint. You will throw sparks now!

Thanks for all the input. I believe I found the problem. I removed the barrel and removed the flash hole and the corresponding screw directly opposite so that I could see straight thru the breech. I then poured some loose powder into the barrel to see if it would fall thru to the breech. Not a flake. I held the breech up to a bright light and looked down the barrel. Light was barely coming thru a small hole, too small to allow powder into the breech. It appears that the patent breech was not fully drilled at the factory. I will call Dixie Gun Works in the morning for an exchange.

Thanks again.