Capping nipples while cylinder removed from frame?

[goldpelican]

Finally got out to use my Pietta 44 (brass framed "Navy") this weekend. First black powder experience, and went well.

Loading was a bit experimental though - I removed the cylinder from the revolver, used 20g of Pyrodex P, popped a wad into each chamber, tamped them down gently using the brass butt of a wedge removal tool (perfect size to push the wad down), squeezed a gob of bore butter over each wad, then fitted the cylinder back into the revolver. I found tipping the revolver onto its left side let me just drop a .451 ball in front of the chamber, and pressed it in with the loading lever. After 18 shots it was still clean and goop free, only hassle was a stuck cap between the hammer and frame on one F2F that was quickly cleared (learnt to check for an obstruction between each shot).

The balls depressed deeper into the chamber than I would have liked - but two wads was too much, so I just had to deal with balls being seated a little deeper than desirable - next time I will use 25g, I know that's not ideal in a brass frame gun, but honestly I'm not going to be putting thousand or even hundreds of shots through it.

Now the caps were the PITA part. I bought a capper tool from BassPro, but found it was very difficult to place a cap on the cylinder using this tool - it seems to be slightly too long to safely place a cap onto the nipple, it just doesn't fit.

Is it safe to cap the nipples BEFORE placing the cylinder back into the revolver? Or is this a safety no-no?

Firing was very surprising - hardly any recoil from 20g, nowhere near as loud as I expected, and everyone on the firing line just stopped to watch

 

[skolten]

Capping should only be done with the cyl in the revolver, in case its dropped it will turn it into a Mortar.

 

[EljaySL]

The consensus is definitely that putting the caps on with the cylinder out has a lot of potential for excitement... and not the good kind.

I've done it, because I own a Paterson and that's the only option, but it does require a level of care, that's for sure.

 

[il.bill]

Capping should only be done with the cyl in the revolver, in case its dropped it will turn it into a Mortar.

I have handled the cylinder from my Pietta 1858 Remington many times. Once when I was showing a couple of buddies how easily it came out and went into the frame I dropped the unloaded empty cylinder on concrete from about waist high and it landed on the nipple end.

Had that cylinder been loaded and capped when I dropped it the 'mortar effect' could well have been devastating, if not deadly. Only cap the nipple just before you are ready to actually fire the loaded revolver.

 

[Hellgate]

Goldpelican,
Most cappers have steel springs on the tip that stick out like a pair of lips. Grind off the excess part so the capper can get closer to the nipple. You can set the caps onto the cones by hadn and then use a wooden dowel (3/8" diameter) to push the cap the rest of the way on.

See photo of my cappers. Note how I have ground away the redundant tips of the springs and brass portions of the capper tips. I have not modified the all brass cappers. Sorry I don't have before & after pics but you can take a look at your own capper and see which one it resembles and modify it.

 

[DD4lifeusmc]

different brands of cappers have different fingers on the end.
You may want to look at different ones, Or use a dremel tool to remove excess from one you have.
And possibly polish out the opening into the nipple area while you are at it.

 

[goldpelican]

Goldpelican,
Most cappers have steel springs on the tip that stick out like a pair of lips. Grind off the excess part so the capper can get closer to the nipple. You can set the caps onto the cones by hadn and then use a wooden dowel (3/8" diameter) to push the cap the rest of the way on.

See photo of my cappers. Note how I have ground away the redundant tips of the springs and brass portions of the capper tips. I have not modified the all brass cappers. Sorry I don't have before & after pics but you can take a look at your own capper and see which one it resembles and modify it.

Thanks - that's basically what I was planning to do, take a dremel to the end of the capper. It's the same as the one second from the right in the second photo - it only has one spring "hand" at the end to hold the cap, but brass protrudes considerably past that.

I have some dowel - I'll cut a piece off and take that along next time too, and see what works best.

I was looking at the end of the cylinder imaging that's pretty much what staring down the barrels of a pepperbox would be like, not something I would want to drop! My grandfather lost an eye to a primer when reloading in the 1950s, so I'm very conscious of the danger that the caps could present let alone on a loaded chamber.

 

[Texas Moon]

It may not be the correct way but its how I reload.
I use a stand alone press to seat the bullet/balls, then cap, then insert loaded cylinder back into the frame.
I'm careful but I've found it virtually impossible to cap the bloody thing with bare fingers or cappers. I can do it with a small thin pair of needle-nose pliers.

 

[BHP FAN]

you stand just about as good a chance of setting a cap off pushing it on with a hard object. a few years back someone here posted a pic of someone with a split thumb from pushing a cap on using his thumb nail. The difference is that it's not pointed at your face. Probably the best idea is to get good cones [or nipples] and caps that fit right, that is, that don't fall off or need excessive force to install, then modify a capper like Hellgate.

 

[Crawdad1]

Probably the best idea is to get good cones [or nipples] and caps that fit right, that is, that don't fall off or need excessive force to install, then modify a capper like Hellgate.

I agree there, I find those factory nipples are junk. If used hard they mushroom, caps don't fit, they clog up way to easily and moving through the woods some caps pop off of them. No thank you. First thing I do is pull the factory nipples and replace them with good after market nipples.

 

[elhombreconnonombre]

I would definitely not cap a charged cylinder on an open top revolver off the the gun. That said, while I myself feel that I can safely swap empty cylinders for charged and capped ones with a
NMA, you certainly dont want to drop the cylinder. The same could be said for one of the two piece cartidge conversion cylinders I suppose.