Different ways to reduce cap fragments?

[BowerR64]

Been shooting my colts mostly the last few trips to the range and ive had a REALLY bad time with them and cap fragments. The #10 Remgintons are what i mostly use and they seem to be designed to split or its the design of the cap why they fit so well?

The best luck ive had so far with minimul fragments is with Mikes mod where you fill in the little slot on the hammer with JB weld and that helped ALOT with the cap fragments.

Ive seen one other idea where you put a little pin on the frame and the pin falls in the slot on the hammer.

When i shoot the colts i normaly stop after every shot and clear the cap so i dont have it fall and stop the hammer. Mikes mod got me confident and i stopped clearing it after every shot and i got some down in the action where it jammed up the bolt.

What other ideas are there to keep fragments out? any way to fill in that little hole on the hammer so the caps dont fall down into the action?

 

[Pulp]

One very easy and inexpensive fix is to buy a length of aquarium air line tubing, cut to lengths just shorter than a cap, and then put your caps in them. You can no longer use a capper, but it definitely eliminates cap fragments. You might also want to take an old screwdriver, bend the tip a little, then cut a v-notch into it for removing the "now stuck on the nipple" caps. Actually there is a tool made for getting under nail heads to pull them that is "pre-made" for cap removal.

 

[Willie Sutton]

Make a cap rake. That's the pin in the frame mod. You'll probably dress out the hammer slot as well. This system works so well I'm surprised it's not universal. It's easy to do, with a drill, a length of drill rod (or use the end of a drill that you sacrifice), and maybe a jewelers file.


Willie

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[45 Dragoon]

Some smaller revolvers dont have enough "meat" to drill and hold a pin, so dove tailing is the answer.

 

[BowerR64]

So the rake is the best most reliable so far?

filling the slot works pretty good but they can still slide down and jam the hammer from missfires and fall into the action.

 

[45 Dragoon]

Well, followed with a spent cap relief in the face of the right recoil shield. (see picture ^^^^)

 

[jaxenro]

That's a 1862 pocket in the pic which are notorious for cap jams and it now works perfectly

 

[45 Dragoon]

Thanks jaxenro! (I shoulda asked first but hoped ya wouldn't mind !!)

 

[Willie Sutton]

"So the rake is the best most reliable so far?"

Absolutely.


"Well, followed with a spent cap relief in the face of the right recoil shield"


Interesting, thanks. Dremel work?


Willie

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[J-Bar]

I'm told the old-timers would point the muzzle of the gun straight up and then cock the hammer, allowing any cap fragments to fall out backwards rather than down into hammer slot. You can see the technique in old cowboy movies from the 1930's and '40s. Apparently the actors were coached by fellows who had actually grown up with percussion guns, and still used the technique with cartridge revolvers.

Pointing it straight up might be frowned upon at some ranges; use you own discretion.

Using smaller powder charges and also after-market nipples with small flash holes reduces the problem also.

 

[rondog]

I have to wonder how many guys got shot back in the days because their pistol jammed from cap fragments.....

 

[BCRider]

For range use tilting the gun so the top points off to the right aids in the cap shards falling free. But it tends to slow things down a lot. Not a big deal for simply fun shooting but there's no time for such things if using the C&B guns in SASS matches.

There's been a whole lot of threads about various brands of after market nipples. The key advantages of a better fit to the available caps being an obvious issue. But a close second is the size of the flame transfer hole so that maximum ignition is assured while also blocking the back flow of the combustion gases. Some even have little side vent holes to aid in keeping the caps more or less intact by bleeding off the pressure that wants to frag the cap.

So all in all I don't think that there is any one item that fixes all our potential woes.

 

[Guide3]

I'm told the old-timers would point the muzzle of the gun straight up and then cock the hammer, allowing any cap fragments to fall out backwards rather than down into hammer slot. You can see the technique in old cowboy movies from the 1930's and '40s. Apparently the actors were coached by fellows who had actually grown up with percussion guns, and still used the technique with cartridge revolvers.

Pointing it straight up might be frowned upon at some ranges; use you own discretion.

Using smaller powder charges and also after-market nipples with small flash holes reduces the problem also.

Point it at the sky before you cock it if its a colt model. The caps will fall clear. If its a remington most times you won't have to worrey about it.

 

[raa-7]

BC Rider has a very good point about a vent hole bleeding off some pressure that aids in the cap fragmentation.I know that it works on one of my shotguns.I actually added a 1/16 hole (the smallest bit I could get) and added a vent because I was getting misfires and now it's just about 99.9% ignition unless it's a mistake on my part, but it did wonders for that gun. I'm going to check out the "rake", It sounds pretty good

 

[45 Dragoon]

Willie,
Yes, dremel work. There was no relief at all and was not sure if the orig. had it or not. I know the big guns do so . . . .



45 Dragoon

 

[BowerR64]

One thing i thought of but im sure its no good or some one else would of already done it is a leather strip that folds over the slot in the hammer to shield anything that falls into the action.

 

[J-Bar]

BowerR64:

Have you tried to pop a cap with that chunk of leather in there? Let us know how it goes...

I'm thinkin' it will keep the hammer from hitting the cap hard enough.

 

[BowerR64]

it might need to be milled out a little but it was just an idea for an image.

 

[BowerR64]

Why do the nipples need a hole in them to disperce the blowback?

Why cant they have a little slot cut in them insted? Like a slot with a dremel cutoff wheel.

 

[45 Dragoon]

Better than the blow back pushing the hammer back and getting stuff in yer face.
Holes are stronger than slots in structures.

 

[BowerR64]

Better than the blow back pushing the hammer back and getting stuff in yer face.
Holes are stronger than slots in structures.

Well i thought maybe it would be easy to just put a little slice in the top of the nipple rather then trying to drill a hole in them.

Ive had cap fragments hit me in the cheek before both times drew blood.

 

[StrawHat]

Blowback will also accompany the use of a reduced power mainspring, a modification that seems popular for some reason. Even the manufacturers are reducing the mainspring. A good solid whack can help hold the cap in place.

 

[44 Dave]

My 2 cents worth.
Just the other day I fired the 1860 with only caps (Remingtons). they split and come loose, could have caused a jam if I didn't have a rake.
Tried Slix-Shot drilled nipples, maybe the hammer didn't bounce but the caps were shreds anyway.
BowerR64, your cap catcher may keep cap fragments out of the works but they will still come off and keep the hammer from falling all of the way to strike on the next chamber.
A cap rake is easy, works and, hardly viable. Think if I had an original I was shooting would consider even doing a rake on it.
Yes and a good main spring, we are not trying to shave split seconds off our time we want it to WORK!

 

[BowerR64]

Ive started to flick my wrist after the shot sometimes ill flick it half cock some times when its fully cocked. Im about 50/50 with that method sometimes the caps will fly away sometimes they wont.

 

[WhispersGhost]

For the Cap Rake Method

What size and Drill Bit type and where do you get the Pin you used?


Thanks