CCI #11s, finally...whoops, magnums?

Which brand RWS or CCI?
I hope that they fit your nipples okay.
They have more primer compound which might affect how far down that they seat on the nipple.
How well they are seated can mean an extra hammer hit is needed, more so with the CCI's.
The RWS may fit more snug on some nipples.
Make sure to wear eye protection in case the caps fragment.
And hope the fragments don't jam up the works on your gun.
You may end up liking them.
Maybe using a push stick to seat them would help.
Let us know more details and how they work out for you.

I asked this same question a while back. Use them and enjoy the session. The magnum caps had no effect on accuracy. This was with real black powder. Don't know if using a substitute like Pyrodex would matter.

Jeff

Never had an issue with magnum or regular cci caps, they seem to fit ok on my stuff and they make the gun go bang.

armoredman said:

CCI #11s, and real black, not Pyrodex. What is a push stick? Thank you for the replies?

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A push stick is a device to help seat the caps firmly onto the nipple cone.
Some folks use the eraser end of a pencil.
Any piece of wood, plastic or antler will do.
The idea is that if you seat the magnum cap well enough that it won't require two hits of the hammer to set it off.
The reason why it may have a problem igniting is due to the extra primer material acting like a cushion.
Using a push stick will protect your fingers from injury due to accidental primer ignition during capping.
Those injuries can be very severe since they can split the thumb open.

arcticap said:

A push stick is a device to help seat the caps firmly onto the nipple cone.
Some folks use the eraser end of a pencil.
Any piece of wood, plastic or antler will do.
The idea is that if you seat the magnum cap well enough that it won't require two hits of the hammer to set it off.
The reason why it may have a problem igniting is due to the extra primer material acting like a cushion.
Using a push stick will protect your fingers from injury due to accidental discharge of the primer during capping.
Those injuries can be very severe since they can split the thumb open.

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I highly recommend using caps that fit the cones. The cones may require modifications but nothing I own requires a push stick. I do use cappers much of the time. Others have tried to set off caps with a squeeze in a vice or some such (as a test) and generally speaking, percussion caps require percussion to ignite. As otherwise we’d be fools to carry them in our pockets. Still, better safe than sorry.

On my '62, with Treso nipples, the magnums will not fire, even with repeated blows, and being pushed on the nipple with a push stick. After repeated blows, I can see "mushrooming" of the cap, as the hammer does not seem to have enough force to fully seat the cap. I suspect they are made of a thicker gauge of metal. Regular CCI #11's, Remington caps, etc. all fire reliably on both the Treso's and the Uberti nipples.

The magnums also work fine on my Plains Pistol, so I suspect perhaps maybe possibly they are intended for rifles/sidelocks? I think they work on my Remington Navy and 1860, but those are both loaded right now so I can't snap some to make sure. Actually, I just recalled, (!!!) that they seat so far out, or high on the 1860 that they get closer to the recoil shield than I am comfortable with....so, haven't tried them on the 1860.

Some folks even use the hammer to firmly seat caps, Elmer style.

whughett said:

Some folks even use the hammer to firmly seat caps, Elmer style.

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That's what I do. Lower the hammer slowly and carefully with the muzzle pointed in a safe place. With the hammer down on the cap, push it firmly down with your thumb. Sometimes, I even give the hammer a gentle 'whack' with the heel of my hand.

I've been doing this for years and never had one actually fire prematurely.

whughett said:

Some folks even use the hammer to firmly seat caps, Elmer style.

Click to expand...

I tried that once and the gun went off. Never tried it again.

damoc said:

I tried that once and the gun went off. Never tried it again.

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Well the idea is to push the hammer forward not drop it.

And, expect the unexpected.

That is honestly all I did it surprised the hell out of me also.

whughett said:

Well the idea is to push the hammer forward not drop it.

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Someone somewhere has probably had the same surprise discharge using a dowel or other instrument. At least under the hammer it’s going in a know direction.

Elmer spoke of “a raised blister” on his thumb from a cap discharging under thumb pressure.

Reinforces the “keep the gun pointed down range at all times” axiom.

In all honesty I generally use my thumb, I have, and tried cappers, just not a personal preference.

I have to use a capper of some form nowadays. I am just not nimble enough to put them on with my fingers in this stage of like. Got tired of bending over and pickin them up.

damoc said:

I tried that once and the gun went off. Never tried it again.

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An SASS member permanently damaged his thumb in 1986 when a regular percussion cap detonated by thumb pressure during capping and the gun fired out of battery.
It was a very rare situation and there's only been a few documented cases found. But this is one of them.
Use a push stick when capping especially if using home made or toy caps and always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction during capping in case the gun fires out of battery.

The details from the victim can be read about in this post by makos_goods:--->>>[Post # 7]https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/cap-last.585328/#post-7220032

About the accidental ignition of toy caps: --->>> https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...t-percussion-caps.849353/page-3#post-11097007

Not only pointed in a safe direction, but with the thought that it IS going to go off. I will often press caps on with the hammer, but my attitude is: "it is going to go off", not "it might go off" and point the gun exactly where I want the bullet to go...into a tree, rail-road tie, etc. And, hold the gun firmly...because...it IS going to go off! (even though I'm pretty sure, "almost" positive that it will.) I actually feel a little more secure, or that my hold on the pistol is more secure using the hammer. With a stick or dowel, one tends to cradle the the pistol in the non-dominant hand, while pushing the cap on with the dominant hand. That could result in a finger winding up in front of the cylinder.

When shooting my Clements .50 cal. Conversion , I use the mag. Primers as each chamber holds a lot of powder , so far so good