1862 Pocket Police Problem

[Go For Broke]

My 1862 (Uberti) is a custom snubbie. It is beautiful, but I'm not sure that I doing the loading and shooting correctly. There are two problems.

PROBELM #1

After firing, the busted cap falls backwards and comes to rest between the back of the frame and the hammer.

Since the hammer cannot go completely forward and reset, so the revolver is essentially locked up. The hammer cannot be cocked.

I solve the problem by taking my pocket knife and removing the busted cap. Then everything is fine. However, this happens fairly regularly.

I am using Hodgdon 777, from 10 to 20 grs under a RB.

I have tried both number 10 and 11 caps. One feel too tight and one feel too loose.

PROBLEM #2

The hammer falls on the cap with no discharge. Second time around, the same cap fires.

It seems as if the cap is being seated on the first go around and fired on the second.

The nipples do not appear to be fouled.

I have tried both number 10 and 11 caps. One feel too tight and one feel too loose. The problem seems to be the same with both caps sizes.

Thanks in advance.

 

[RON in PA]

Use the number 11 cap, pinch it slightly before you put it on so that it will stay on. The "going off on the second try" is due to a too small cap. Caps jamming up the works is a problem with cap n' ball revolvers in general. Try different brands, some may be bettert than others.

 

[1858remington]

I had the same problem with my colt replica. I found that RWS #11 caps worked well, and that Remington caps worked very poorly. I've also had good luck with CCI caps.

 

[Derby FALs]

Point the muzzle up when you cock it and usually the cap will drop out on its own. Then you can "draw down" on the target for the next shot.

 

[mec]

CCI caps are a lot thicker than remingtons. This usually doesnt matter but I have a 60 army that will not set the ccis off on the first hit but will ignite 100 percent with the remingtons.

The best way I've found to discourage the spent caps from becoming a hammer block safety is to cock the revolver pointed at a downward angle. If the clearances are adequate, the cap should cycle over to the capping slot and fall out. It is pretty common to find close tollerances in the pocket sized guns and function is often improved by opening up some of the tight places

H777 works best when loaded to a somewhat smaller volume than the ordinary charge of fffg. Heavily compressed loads with H777 are generally very erratic - large velocity spread. The pocket police and pocket navy comfortably hold 15-16 grains of fffg and I believe you will get very close to the same performance from 10-12 grain /vol equivalent of h777. The ball should seat down on the powder column with only very slight compression for best results.

 

[Across The Pond]

Similar experience..

Hi - I have discovered that the amount of compression of the powder is critical for keeping my caps out of the action - I was pushing the rammer on my 51 navy to the stop with 15Gns of 777 and a lubed wad - the caps (CCI no 11) were being blasted back off the nipple and were jamming the action every time I fired. Compressing the powder less stopped this, and I managed to get a cylinder full off without a stoppage. Sadly I ran out of range time at that point, but am looking forward to more research!!

I will have a go at the modifications posted above too.

Dave

 

[Burt Blade]

If the nipples have overly large holes through them, either made that way or shot out, then more pressure will blast back against the cap. This tends to make the cap shred spectacularly.

If the hammer face becomes badly marked form dry strikes on bare nipples, it will tend to grip the cap pulling it back off the nipple when you work the action.

If the powder charge is particularly stout, it can also magnify cap problems.

Try a minimal load. If you download below the point where the ram will seat the ball against the powder, use a fiber wad or quantity of grits (or cream of wheat) to fill up the volume.

 

[mec]

I've found that h777 does not respond well to significant compression while seating. Loaded to the same volume as fffg or pyrodex P, I was experiences wild velocity spreads- over two hundred feet per second in some cases with the upper readings in the 1400s with a walker replica and 1200s from a navy. Dropping the charge and seating the bullet just on top of the powder column settle things in nicely and eliminate the extremes. I can see how it might cause your cap hangup problems or cause hammer blow-back with some nipples.

 

[entropy]

I also suggest using RWS #11's , pinching them, and backing your loads off to the piont where they aren't compressed, even better if you can get a lubed felt wad in there under the ball. The old-timers used to follow the recoil up, and roll the wrist slightly to the right to allow the cap to fall out before they could jam the gun. I like mec's illustration on altering the cap channel even deeper. My uncle did this to an 1860 kit he built, but it is still unfired, as it was a presentation gun.

 

[mec]

I was watching the history channel the other night when a gun handler put on a demonstration- shooting percussion revolvers from both hands and then swapping them out for two more. Rock and Roll. You could see that he was cocking the revolvers at a slightly downward angle-something I've found works better than the gunfighter's flip. When the revolver has enough clearance for the cap to travel, this keeps the frags from dropping back into the hammer slot and becomming hammer block safeties.Frequent cleaning of the hammer face to prevent it from being sticky enough to pick up the fragments helps too.