caps

[PMVARGO]

new gun but when i go to shoot sometimes the caps wont fire
but they will the second time around is the problem in the nipple or the hammer i tightened the main spring seemed to help
but not 100 percent maybe needs to be tightened some moor?

 

[Ohio Gun Guy]

If they are the kind on the red ring, sometimes the dollar store ones dont work. If they are the paper kind on a roll, it may take 2 to 3 strikes.....

Okay,
I had a similar problem.... THe first thing to try is a larger cap. It has been a while but remington makes a #10 and a #11. My muzzle loader said it needed #10s but I had failures every so often. I tried a can of #11s, and no problems. They fit snug, and went bang every time.

 

[PMVARGO]

i was thinking that the #10s didnt go on all the way for some reason
im using cci's not sure if my gun shop has remingtons ill have to ask ccis is what he gave me

 

[madcratebuilder]

If the cap is not fully seated on the nipple, when the hammer strikes it, much of the energy is used pushing the cap down on the nipple, causing a FTF.

 

[Acorn Mush]

I think madcratebuilder has gotten to the root of your problem. Some shooters use a short piece of wood dowel to CAREFULLY push down each cap to assure it is seated fully on the nipple.

Try a piece of 3/8" diameter dowel, long enough so you can get a secure grip on it. You may even want to glue a thin piece of leather to one end, but I am not sure that is necessary.

Be aware that as you shoot residue does build up on the outsides of the nipples, so that makes it doubly necessary to make sure your caps are fully seated.

You will get your "teething" pains sorted out before long and be having a great time with your new revolver.

 

[Sagetown]

new gun but when i go to shoot sometimes the caps wont fire
but they will the second time around is the problem in the nipple or the hammer i tightened the main spring seemed to help
but not 100 percent maybe needs to be tightened some moor?

Some good answers there, but my experience with a lightly seated cap is that it will go off, but throws a flash around the top of the cylinder, rendering a FTF. A misfire makes me think you have a weak mainspring. Is the hammer striking the cap squarely?

 

[pohill]

From an old Colt Industries pamphlet:
"Percussion caps are now made in sizes from nine to thirteen. Ten and eleven are the best numbers for the small and medium-sized arms, and twelve for the larger sizes, although, as different-sized nipples are sometimes met in specimens of the same model, no hard and fast rule can be given. It is better to have caps slightly too large than too small, as large caps can be pinched together at the bottom enough so they will stay on the nipples, but small ones must be driven down on the nipple by the blow of the hammer, and this process frequently cushions the blow to the extent of producing a misfire."

 

[AdmiralB]

I've had the same problem. CCI #10s are small; they work fine on my Walker but they're a little tight on my 1860 and Remington, and I get FTFs on the first goround about half the time.

Remington #10s are a little bigger and work fine. CCI #11s should be fine; would also like to try RWS.

 

[PMVARGO]

Sagetown
i think that was part of the problem
and the hammer has a round mark so i feel it is hitting square
after i tightened the adjustment screw it seems to work better

 

[PMVARGO]

I'm also going to try the #11 caps

 

[Sagetown]

I've had the same problem. CCI #10s are small; they work fine on my Walker but they're a little tight on my 1860 and Remington, and I get FTFs on the first goround about half the time.

Remington #10s are a little bigger and work fine. CCI #11s should be fine; would also like to try RWS.

If I could find some RWS around here I'd like to try them too. I've heard they are the best fit. The CCI #11's really aren't all that bad, but the Remington #10's fit very well.

They all split and fall out after being fired. The Reminton's kinda eleminate that problem somewhat. Now I'm learning to do like the men of the old western movies. Ever notice when they fired a shot they raised their weapon above their head while cocking the hammer back. This allows the cap to fall clear most of the time. But getting the timing down takes practice.

 

[Jefferson Herb]

I just purchased my first cb revolver,unlike rifles there are a few tricks I hav'nt learned yet.My cb is an 1873 uberti that is'nt an origional/ replica,and someone put a leather pad under the spring.I guess accuracy is good ,but I want the thing to go bang when I drop the hammer.I may be looking for a hevier spring for frontier model colt to ensure reliability.
A light trigger is worthless if it is'nt going to fire consistantly,and a properly loaded caplock WILL GO OFF after two months or so if properly loaded.



Always armed ,Always Free

 

[Hellgate]

Jefferson,
Remove that leather pad from the mainspring and snug up the screw. You will find the hammer fall to be much harder. The leather pad is an old trick to lighten the mainspring to make it easier to cock. That is fine for a centerfire cartridge gun but not if the caps are small & hard like the CCIs or RWS.

 

[jmaubin]

PMVARGO, I had the same problem with my .44 colt. I tryed a lot of things, but what the real problem was, the nipples. I got a set ampco from Dixie gun works, now they never fail to go BANG. I also use Remington #10 caps, I can't find these local so I order from DGW or Cabela's, their worth the trouble of ordering.

 

[mykeal]

The leather pad is an old trick to lighten the mainspring

Huh?

How does the leather pad 'lighten' the mainspring? Do you mean to say that it decreases the effective spring stiffness or spring rate?

I think it has the opposite effect - it moves the spring fulcrum closer to the free end, thereby shortening the effective length of the spring leaf and increasing the spring rate - making the spring stiffer. How does that 'lighten' the spring?

Some people use a wood or even metal wedge to achieve the same effect. Leather is occasionally used to prevent causing a stress riser in the spring at the fulcrum and shortening the spring life, although I'm not convinced that it really works that well. In my opinion a hard wood wedge is the optimum material, but it really makes little difference as long as the fulcrum is effectively moved.

 

[Hellgate]

Mykeal,
I don't understand the physics of it. It was suggested to me for one of my guns, I did it and the hammer pull was lightened. Maybe it allows the spring to be angled down a little, due to the leather being soft. i.e. the spring being tipped downward a little toward the frame thus lessening the upward tension of the spring as the hammer is cocked. Putting a metal washer between the screw and frame would likely do as you say and increase the spring tension by moving it away from the hammer.

 

[pohill]

I had a weak hammer strike on a gun so I put a piece of a broken mainspring in front of the mainspring. It worked (gotta look closely at this dark pic).