Aftermarket Lyman GPR nipples

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Theseus

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I've seen several references to this problem elsewhere, but wonder if anyone has a good solution to it. Here's the story:
  • I've begun shooting a GPR that I inherited from my son, and I really like the gun. But the nipple situation is driving me a bit crazy.
  • With the standard Lyman nipple, I can't seem to find a type of #11 cap that will will fit tightly. This is inconvenient and potentially a bit unsafe.
  • I have now tried two different aftermarket nipples (one from TOW and one from Oxyoke). They're stainless, and I'd like to use a stainless nipple if I can get one to work for me.
  • With these nipples, the caps fit on tightly, BUT ...
  • Once the nipple is on, I can't put the gun into half-cock. This is quite unacceptable to me, especially since I'm starting to shoot in matches on a regular basis.
  • After quite a bit of trial and error, and measurement, I've discovered that the aftermarket nipples are taller than the Lyman ones. Measured from the base of the nipple that seats against the lock (i.e., at the top of the thread) to the top of the nipple, the Lyman nipple measures about 0.385" and the other nipples measure about 0.455". The result is that once the cap is on the taller nipple, the hammer can't fall far enough to reset for putting into half cock.
  • So I seem to be in a situation where I can either put the hammer in half cock OR I can have a tightly seated cap, BUT NOT BOTH.
Has anyone else resolved this problem? I think that my best attempt is going to be to file down the problematic nipples to the 0.385" height. But I'm not entirely sure how this will work since (because of the other dimensions) this will leave a quite short cone section in these cases. In addition, the remaining portion of the cone needs to be re-contoured. The section of the non-Lyman nipples from where they seat to the base of the cone is taller than in the Lyman case. Basically, what's happened is that when these nipples were designed, the focus appears to have been on (a) the thread, and (b) the overall height of the entire nipple -- so they're NOT dimensionally equivalent to a Lyman nipple. They're sort of Lyman-equivalent "nipple kits".

I'm just wondering what experience other people have had with this and what they've done about it.
 
I had the same issue with a TC rifle. The nipple was tapered a bit. A few passes over the nipple with a file made for a nice tight fit.
 
Get a new Lyman nipple and use Remington #10 caps.

I doubt your problems will persist after that. Mine is flawless with that combo, has NEVER failed to set off a cap in several hundred shots, and the fistful of times the gun hasn't been off was after a lot of shooting when I should have cleaned the flash hole.

20171202_132436-1.jpg
 
WestKentucky said:
I had the same issue with a TC rifle. The nipple was tapered a bit. A few passes over the nipple with a file made for a nice tight fit.
Click to expand...

This is the solution that comes to mind to me as well.
I know that removing metal to make a tighter fit is not the first thought for some folks, however the base of the cone is indeed larger than the tip. It shouldn't take much adjustment.
 
Thanks for these replies.

I have not tried the RWS caps. They seem more difficult to get than the others, and I believe I read a couple of reports that in fact they're identical to the Remington caps -- but I don't know if this is true. I'll give them a try at some point, even just as an experiment.

I'll also file down my Lyman nipple. I guess the only reasons I didn't do that already were that I was trying to find primers that would fit better and I was being stubborn about getting a stainless nipple that would work. I'll also file down those stainless nipples (even more than I have!!) and contour them. At least I now have three niipples to work with.

I'll also try #10 caps. In terms of caps, the CCI ones are the most "convenient" since CCI seems to have done a marvelous marketing job in ensuring that anyone who carries any caps at all carries theirs (and now usually no others). Remingtons are obtainable around here, but only reliably in a couple of places.
 
Chuck the threaded end of the offending nipple in the jaws of a cordless drill. Turn the nipple against a fine file or good stone until it reaches the configuration you desire. The cordless drills have lower rpm which gives you a bit of slop (wiggle room). Lots easier than hand filing.
 
Yup, but the drill press is even easier! :) One does need to be careful not to deform the threads when tightening the chuck. Also, a medium grit of sandpaper (or one of my wife's emery boards) tends to work better than a file for this sort of thing -- at least for me. Then polish with finer grit. One of those situations where I wish I had a lathe. But I just don't have space for another stationary machine tool.:(
 
I have a Magspark adapter on my Investarms Hawken that has a firing pin in the cap, fires 209 primers. With a primer in the cup, one cannot install the cap/firing pin and set the gun on half cock due to the firing pin sets too high. SO, I just lower the hammer with the cap off, hold the hammer a little above half cock with my thumb and install the cap, lower the hammer back to half cock. In your situation, just put the gun on half cock, hold it slightly above half cock and install that tight nipple. Then, lower the hammer back to half cock.
 
I note with my brand new GPR it is impossible to cap at 1/2 cock. I cap at full cock, then lower the hammer on to the cap and raise it back to 1/2 cock. Being able to safely lower the hammer on a loaded rifle is skill one must learn and master. This is the same skill needed for revolvers and lever action rifles.

I took a hunter safety course in Missouri last summer. Hunter safety in Missouri is required for those who were born after Jan. 1, 1967 who wish to hunt off their own land. I started hunting at age 15 in Illinois. Hunter safety wasn't mandated in Illinois for those that were born before 1980. Since moving to MO 10 years ago, I've only hunted on my own land which also doesn't require Hunter Safety. Problem is w/o Hunter Safety in MO, you are limited to where you can hunt and only the minimum free land owner deer tags.

Interestingly enough, Missouri's DNR requires Hunter Safety class participants to show that they can safely manipulate - load, unload, and make safe - various types of firearms. Being able to safely lower the the hammer on a lever action was one of MO DNR's hands on practical requirements. I was surprised by the number of people that couldn't safely lower the hammer on a Mossberg Lever Action Rifle, the 1st time handling it during the practice session. It actually makes me rethink recommending a revolver to new shooters.
 
MCgunner said:
I have a Magspark adapter on my Investarms Hawken that has a firing pin in the cap, fires 209 primers. With a primer in the cup, one cannot install the cap/firing pin and set the gun on half cock due to the firing pin sets too high. SO, I just lower the hammer with the cap off, hold the hammer a little above half cock with my thumb and install the cap, lower the hammer back to half cock. In your situation, just put the gun on half cock, hold it slightly above half cock and install that tight nipple. Then, lower the hammer back to half cock.
Click to expand...
A friend of mine used a similar system, He dropped his rifle and now has two matching 50 cal holes in his thigh, one where the ball went in and one where it came out. Adjust your nipple to the correct height for your particular gun.
 
If the hammer were to slip out of my thumb, there's no possible way the gun could go off. The hammer would stop on the half cock notch. I don't think y'all are getting what I'm saying. Lower the hammer to the empty nipple, then raise the hammer PAST half cock, but not to full cock, install your cap, lower the hammer BACK to half cock. Simple, safe, and doable. I don't think it requires any more manual dexterity than lowering the hammer on the safety notch of a Remington or ROA revolver and the short barrel of the revolver adds more danger that the muzzle will not be pointing at a safe direction....for the non-muzzle aware.

And, btw, never point your gun at anything you don't wanna shoot, always in a safe direction. I believe that's one of the four safety rules I used to teach the 4H kids when I had a NRA instructors certification.
 
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