Dry (practice) shooting an 1858

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andy_cc

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Hi all,

ONe thing I know for sure is letting the hammer fall will not be good for the nipples. But I could really do with practicing by dry firing, I personally find its helpful to do this often....and so far Ive avoided it with my 1858 pietta.

Is there anyway I can do this without damagine it, i was thinking possibly remove the nipples or maybe wrap something soft on the hammer?


Thanks all,

Andrew
 
There are many variations on this theme. Here's one: get some small diameter rubber tubing and cut short lengths to go over the nipple cones. Aquarium air hose as an example.

Removing the nipples may not work depending on the timing of your gun - the hammer may strike the frame and cause some deformation at that point, although that's not likely to be a problem if it occurs.

A leather 'hood' over the hammer is another thing used occasionally, although it will have to be carefully sized to fit in the small cavity around the nipple cone.
 
i have heard of using a worn out set of nipples for practice, would this cause any greater shock than if there was a thin copper cup to deaden the blow?
 
I believe that the percussion cap does deaden the blow because copper is a softer metal and is being sandwiched in between 2 harder metals.
That cap acts as a buffer which theoretically causes less nipple deformation than a direct hammer blow would.
Plus the primer material explodes once the hammer makes hard enough contact, and depending on the speed of that reaction, it may serve to repel the force of the hammer in the opposite direction.
Either reason helps to explain why the hammer blow with a cap present could be less severe.
It reminds me of a Jay Leno show that I saw where a man dunked his hand into water, then dunk the same hand into a pot of molten lead. He received no burns at all because the water vaporized when it was plunged into the hot lead, and that thin layer of water vapor protected the skin due to the high density of the molten lead which contained the water vapor like a protective blanket or envelope surrounding the skin. And the melting point of lead is 621.5 degrees Fahrenheit.
IMO because copper is a malleable metal, only a thin layer is enough to protect the nipple.
 
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That's good advice to not try it at home. The person who performed the act was a paid professional, but it certainly wasn't faked.
Does anyone suppose that the wild animals that he has on the show are fake too?
Everything that occurred has been replicated before. It's just like seeing a world record holding sword swallower on Ripley's Believe It or Not, or someone pulling out a table cloth from under a table full of place settings. He used the proper technique to not allow the water to explode when it contacted the lead because he did it so quickly,
It's one thing to not believe, but it's another to claim that something that's absolutely true is a fake.
The lead was liquid and they may have even used a thermometer to indicate how hot it was.
Of course the performer warned everyone in TV land to not attempt it themselves at home. :)
 
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The aquarium hose in an excellent method. Cut it a bit longer than the nipple so it will kind of fold over when the cylinder rotates.

I've read somewhere, that when properly adjusted and timed that the hammer never touches the nipple. There should be a very fine amount of clearance 'twixt the nipple and the hammer face. Not sure how one would go about measuring it though.
 
Yes, when properly timed the hammer will strike the frame just as it hits the cap, and just before it would hit the nipple. Of course, everything would have to be just right, including the length of the nipple. In my experience nipple lengths vary considerably from the ideal. And as for hammer timing, well, no comment.
 
I agree with th fish tank tubing method...

I am not sure how anyone could add a drop of water to moulten lead, and not explode the lead right out of the pot.

One drop of water falling as condensation into a pot of lead with go right to the bottom of the pot and turn to super heated steam and blow the lead right out of the pot!

I suffered this fate on a cold clear day in a building with a metal roof.

As the day warmed condensation gathered in the rafters and one drop of water blew that lead every where.

I had just stepped away from the pot to dump out another ball frm my mold.. Use caution.
 
correct, it woulda been a big drop of water though because it has to get under the surface, would it be more likely that you had started melting your lead a short time before it happened and there was a possible drop that was under an unmelted peace of lead, and when the lead was thouroghly melted the water was exposed, turned to steam and blew it all out? the hand trick .... i can see it not burning his hand, but i would imagine the lead should have splattered the rest of him?
 
1858rem , I am pretty sure that the drop came from above.. the building was a shed and the were pine boards as the roof with steel sheetmetal roofing.

The nails to build the shed were too long and stuck thru about 1 inch.

After the pot dumped itself out I looked up to see other nails with a bead of water, and ended the days project..

Once I painted a car under the clearest skys, to suffer the same fate. From a clouldless sly fell apx 60 drops of water right into the 3 qt of paint, and it made little volcanoes..

As to the trick I can sort of see water not getting him burned baddly, but I bet it was damnned hot just the same. I have used the trick to pluck coals from a camp fire before, but I don't press down hard on the coals either.. I use a little spit on my thumb and finger and it works ok.. I weld too, and that can get ya burned..

I had slag burn thru my jeans at the knee, and didn't know it. When I stood up from squatting that slag went down my leg which i could feel, but ended in my boot, which i could feel more! OUCH!
 
The performer did it very quickly. He must have shaken off the excess water and I think that he held his fingers tightly together as he plunged his hand straight down into the hot lead.
It was over in a matter of seconds, but his hand must have gone into the lead deep enough so that the density of the lead was enough to contain the steam below the surface and prevent an explosion.
IIRC, both he and Jay wore goggles and maybe even an apron too.
I looked for a video but could only come up with these.

One provides an explanation:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSEPEWaqmCA

One performs a quick example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN5aMjTCfo4
 
I use some tricks for dry firing practice.
. With wheelgun a piece of rubber, here with my 36 navy:
navy36-police_rubber_IMG_2036_cut_800.jpg
For the remmy, same trick, the difficulty is to get the right thickness.

For pistol it's easier: a rubber washer, works even with my smallest pistol:
pocket_rubber_P1000605_cut_800.jpg

rubber_P1000602_cut_480.jpg
 
arcticap , I am kinda assuming no one here is stupid enough to try that trick.

My main point is don't allow water in a pot of lead.. it isn't any fun..

I cast becasue .600 and .735 round ball is a tad expensive to buy. Last I knew it was something like 8 bucks for 25 ball. I might guess the cost is a tad higher than that now since I knew about a decade maybe more ago..
 
got that beat. Go out to your local toy shop. Pick up some of the caps used on cap guns. they are a little tight when putting on the nipples but they work. I usually let my kids shoot them in there toy guns then bring me the caps when they are done. Or you can either shoot them or take a pocket knife and scrape out the filliment. But they are a soft rubbery plastic. That will absorb the shock really good.
 
When I do a trigger job or want the feel the triggerpull on any of my Rems, I lower the Loading Lever, Pull out the cylinder Pin, remove the cylinder and snap shoot it all day ifin I wanted to. It ain't Rocket Science:evil:

SG
 
A small piece of latigo or hump leather pressed into the hammer channel will keep the hammer from hitting the nipples. I use 'em as a sort-of snap cap and I've also used them as a back-up safety when I have to transport a fully loaded gun.
 
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