[Across The Pond]

Folks, I am considering getting a set of these for my revolvers - I have done most of Mec's published 'improved cap handling' modifications to my '51 and still get hangups. I have read some 'customer testimonials' suggesting that they might be good, but value the real world experience of my friends here.. so:

Are they worth getting?

Regards,

Dave

* PS - I have reverted to the original term 'cones' to spare BP Tess' blushes and keep the heart rate of reminiscing male posters down below safe limits! :D

[Manyirons]

Yup! Accurate&Consistant in dimensions, these or Thunder Ridge TUBES (Another old term, perhaps better than CONES see; Ancient Madonna) of stainless steel also quite good.

One of the reasons I hate talking with uninitiated people about these is all of the double entendre rubbish you get pelted with.

[Steve499]

O.K., O.K., CONES! I replaced the originals on my Remington with Ampco brand spouts which have a considerably smaller orifice. I did so because the originals were battered by an improperly angled hammer nose. I have had zero misfires since the switch.
I just ordered new Ampco bronze tubes for my pocket navy, which has given me problems since I got it. The cap is almost always blown rearward and off the fitting, sometimes the hammer is held partially rearward by cap fragments and a couple of times has been at half cock (can I say that?) with 18 grains of Goex. I'm hopeful the Ampco replacement percussion cap holders with a smaller passage will make it more fired cap friendly.

I'll let you know after they arrive and I've tested them.

Steve

[Across The Pond]

Thanks gents.. I have a feeling that I'll be trying some before too long. :D

Regards and good shooting!

Dave

EDIT.. Steve, you have a penchant for innuendo! :-)

[mec]

Bates got a new Uberti Navy that had hammer blow back even after he put in a heavier mainspring. The Tresco nipples took care of the problem.

[Derek]

Stuck a new Amco nipple in my fake Mang .40, and bumped the charge as you lads suggested, to 20grains of fffg. Shot two groups in a row, 1"X1 1/2". at 25yds. Now, if I could just do that off-hand-----![I used two hands and a muzzle rest!]

[Duncaninfrance]

Now, if I could just do that off-hand-----![I used two hands and a muzzle rest!]

Cold porridge for breakfast before you go to the range - when it sets you will be stiff as a board and one hand should be fine!:D :D :D

Duncan

[Manyirons]

WAY too many 'straight lines' in these last few posts, ya could kill a guy!:)

[Derek]

Duncan, I was born and raised in Glasgow, I KNOW about porridge. It's my SHOOTING ARM I have to stiffen.

[Steve499]

Got my Ampco nipples installed in my pocket navy and shot it about 30 times today. I had fewer problems with fired caps than formerly, the caps tending to stay in one piece where before they were fragmenting. I still had a couple of cases of hammer blowback where the fired cap gets in the hammer cut and holds the hammer partially back. I suspect it's rebounding at every shot but I just can't tell unless a fired cap falls down just right to hold it back. I had no half cock blowbacks, though.

These nipples were supposed to be for # 11 caps. Remington #10s were what I used and they were, if anything, a little loose. I was checking the unfired chambers for caps after each shot and I had one cap which had backed partially off of the nipple and had to be reseated. After that I pinched the caps just a little.

Everything considered, it was worth the trouble to change the nipples. I can't use my Colt replica like my Remington, however. The Colt has to be babied to keep it from hanging up...It's definately not a candidate for fanning! The Remington has only bound up on a cap 3 or 4 times total and those happened before I put Ampco nipples on it. No problems of any kind with it since. I'm sold on them.

Steve

[Ned Christy]

Steve, where did you buy the Ampco Nipples and what is the model # for them? I need a set for my 49 pocket model and can't find what size to get.

Ned Christy

[Steve499]

Ned, the size is 5.5mm X .9. I wasn't able to find them from Dixie but did locate them from Track Of The Wolf. The ones they have list the correct 5.5mm X .9 size but say they are for a .31 Remington pocket revolver. They are bronze and will set you back $3.00 each. They fit my Uberti pocket navy fine but may be a shade longer than the originals it came with. I had to cut a capping groove in the frame of mine before I could get the caps on with the new nipples. The old ones didn't need that.

Steve

[Derek]

Ned, I posted a while back to ask the troops about how well a .31 shot.I'd be very interested in how well yours did, group size, range, load[s],barrel lenght, rest, if any, that sort of thing, if you have the time . Thank you!

[Duncaninfrance]

Derek, I was always lead to beleive that a Sasenach was a Scotsman who lived in another country. Anyway, as you probably know, when asked if anything was worn under the kilt Jock replied " NO, it's all in perfect working order!"
Duncan ( A YORKSHIREMAN ) with Ross ancestors

[Across The Pond]

Well, I finally got to the range this morning (anybody have a cure for work? :rolleyes: ) and tried out the Treso nipples/tubes/cones that I got from ManyIrons' blackpowder 'smith.... Just to recap (no pun intended!) I have a Uberti 51 Navy, that was throwing a cap into the hammer slot just about every shot, regardless of load. I was using Rem/CCI no 11 caps, with the standard, original nipples.

The Treso cones have much more well shaped threads - made them a little tough to seat fully, but perseverance, cleaning with a bronze brush and WD-40 got them home. They are well machined and finished, with a noticeably smaller flash hole than the originals.

First thing to say is that the CCI and Remy No 11's are waaay loose. Fortunately I had a tub of RWS 1075 - and these fit perfectly.

I fired about 70 shots (H777, .380 Cast RB, Lubed WW) and had.......

Not one hangup, jam, or problem of any sort. INCREDIBLE!

So, my thanks to everyone that replied and special thanks to ManyIrons and his 'smith for getting these 'across the pond' to me - I now have the most reliable '51 that I have ever seen! :D :D :D Time to show it off to the CAS boys at my club.. they can't fail to be impressed!

ATP

[Manyirons]

Awwwww I showed this to tha krautsmith and he almost smiled! Damn! almost broke his face!! :)

[gmatov]

ATP,

What does it mean they are more well formed threads, lube and work and you got them home?

They should spin right in if the thread is right. Seal, only after they are seated.

You might just have gotten the wrong thread nipples. Either mangled the threads on the nipples, or in the cylinder.

I would hate to have mangled anything, with a 30 buck or so purchase of "better" nipples. "Better" is a set that fits.

Now, if you should find that you have the wrong nipples, and you buy the right nipples, per thread size and lead, and replace them, you will distort the thread the other way, possibly strip the cylinder's threads.

Oh, he*l. Do like you want.

Cheers,

George

Cheers,

George

[Across The Pond]

Hi George.. I understand your point, but I guess I didn't explain well.. I'm not a very good engineer!

The threads in the cylinder were really, really dirty - probably never been properly cleaned out, hence the WD and the brush. This only became apparent installing the new ones, as the originals were in poor condition - the comment about 'well formed threads' was trying to say that the original threads look almost 'rounded' rather than sharp, like the Tresos. I guess this might be erosion? Old ones like this: ( ) rather than the new ones : < >...

(tech drawing never my strong point!!)

I am 99.98% confident that the threads are correct (12x28) as a couple of them did just spin in, without much hassle. Also the Thunder Ridge site lists them as 12 x 28 for all Uberti, giving me a little more confidence!

Also, I took them out for cleaning after my range trip and they come out cleanly and return cleanly.

Appreciate your comments George, regds, ATP

[Tight_Wad]

I also live in England and recently replaced the tubes on my two Ruger Old Army's with Ampco beryllium tubes ordered from Dixie Gun Works Inc. Arrived in a jiffy bag in about 8-days and in my opinion are better made and with smaller flash holes than the originals by Ruger. So pleased with them I ordered a set for my Pedersoli Rogers & Spencer in 6mm x 0.75. The Dixie catalogue is very useful and gives the Ruger tube size as 12 x 28. It gives the size for a Uberti '51 Navy as 5.5mm x 0.9 (meaning thread diameter of 5.5mm and distance between threads 0.9mm). Now I've just got out my original factory Ruger cones and measured them with a digital calliper gauge and they are 5.43mm across the treads. I wouldn't be able to say with any accuracy what the measurement between the treads is.

I don't know if 12 x 28 is an imperial equivalent to 5.5mm x 0.9, it probably isn't exactly the same. I only mention it out of concern for your safety.

I'd recommend a visit to the Dixie web site www.dixiegunworks.com or order their catalogue, I think it was $5 but about $10 postage.

Regards

Tight Wad

[Across The Pond]

Hmm. Ok, I'll check again... the site I used to determine correct size is:
http://www.thunder-ridge-muzzleloading.com/parts_nipples.htm#11s
and as per my post above they seem to go in fine without sign of cross threading. The problems that I had seem to be that there was hard deposit in the threads (BP fouling?) and the very bottom of the thread was tight on one or two, i.e. hard to finally seat. Interestingly the originals go back in fine, and the distance between the sharp points of the thread (pitch??) are the same. I guess that they might be different threads, but if they are, it's so small a difference that I can't see it. I will attempt to run a thread restoring tap through there if I can find one the right size - maybe I'll pop in to Fultons at Bisley and ask them to check for me.

There's no way that they are going to blow out - they seat fine and were tight after about ten cylinders worth - and they came out just fine too. Looks like I opened a can of worms here.. thankyou for all your interest and concern! :)

Regards, ATP

[Across The Pond]

Hi again - Possibleshop list them as 12x28 too......

http://www.possibleshop.com/nipples.htm

I took them out again last night, taped the threads with PTFE tape (like to do this, learned it from MLAGB book IIRC, supposed to keep the crud out of the threads..!) Anyway, they threaded in fine:

I looked at the DGW site and saw the info on them being metric. Still confused. :confused:

Maybe I'll email Uberti.....................


Regards, ATP

[Duncaninfrance]

Funny you should mention this. I was talking to opne of the guys at the club on Sunday and suggested using this in one chamber of my 58 where there is a thread problem but Alain could not understand what I was suggesting. ( His English is good my French is not! ) Does it stand the heat OK and does it reduce fouling?
Duncan

[Manyirons]

Yep! Either 'antiseize' with copper or teflon tape. Confusion occurs with guns as there WAS a change from metric to 12-28, thus SOME use metric, others 12-28, and guess what? Most so sloppy in manufacturing both will work anyway! (Thanks to tha 'smith for additional information afore he booted me out agin!)

[Across The Pond]

Duncan, yes - the PTFE tape keeps the crud under control, and it seems to cope with the heat just fine. I have used it on all my C&B revos, never had a problem. Recommended.

Manyirons, please thank herr Tyrvaldsen (SP?) from me, much appreciated!!

Regds, ATP.....

[Manyirons]

I'll do it! Know he LOVES ta see me! :)