Poor man's SliXshot nipples

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SomebodyMakeRiderRepro

SomebodyMakeRiderRepro

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I have about 40+ factory pietta nipples that I accumulated over the years by installing custom ones and a few revolvers still running on stock nipples. I've been thinking recently of trying some modifications on them to increase reliability.

From my experience the stock nipples produce cap jams much more frequently than SliXshots and I believe, the main culprit is smaller cone opening (I don't know if it is the correct term for that but I mean the hole that is drilled only above the threaded part, in the cone). diameter.

For comparison:

SliXshot:
91041.jpg

Factory pietta:
eng_pl_Pietta-Nipples-Stainless-Steel-for-Black-Powder-Revolver-AC065-105611_1.jpg

I think, the cone and its opening are subjected to very low pressures and it could be possible to remove some metal to widen the hole and thus reduce back pressure generated by cap explosion as well as to allow more spark to enter the nipple.
(Almost all pressure is contained by the breach part of the nipple which the threaded one, no modification will be done to it whatsoever).

The main failure point in my opinion would be mechanical failure resulting from hammer strikes cracking the weakened cone. However, I believe it should present minimal safety hazard even if it happens.

Has anyone tried modyfing stock nipples by widening the cone opening and drilling the vent holes in the cone? How much metal can be removed while still keeping the structural integrity of the nipple?

I am perfectly well aware that this modification will shorten the life cycle of the nipple significantly but I don't really care. The guns I shoot a lot have proper SliXshots installed and this alternative would be installed only on the ones that rarely see the range.

In no way do I intend to replace SliXshots with this project but I hope to find a middle ground solution that is still superior to stock nipples and helps with the cap jams but at a fraction of SliXshots price.
 
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To avoid any misunderstandings, what I mean is:

upload_2022-11-9_0-42-33.png

Removing a bit of metal in the cone opening (red circle) and drilling a vent hole like in proper SliXshots. How much metal to remove and still keep the structural integrity of a nipple is an open question.

The metal removal will be the greatest at the opening of the nipple and will reach basically zero before flash hole. I plan to make the hole pyramid shaped.

FLASH HOLE DIAMETER REMAINS UNCHANGED!

I would love to hear your opinion on this, do you think this project makes any sense or don't bother with it?
 
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I would be hesitant to load a full charge load beneath your modified nipples when you try them, I would worry that the pressure of your exploding black powder charge might find your widened flash hole as a convenient bleed off point.
 
conan32120 said:
I would be hesitant to load a full charge load beneath your modified nipples when you try them, I would worry that the pressure of your exploding black powder charge might find your widened flash hole as a convenient bleed off point.
Click to expand...

I don't intend to change the flash hole diameter. It will remain about 0.035 inches. I only want to modify the opening in the cone to be slightly bigger.

The whole idea is to allow more spark to enter the nipple rather than hitting its wall and blowing cap backwards.
 
I don't think there are any safety concerns.

I do think there is a fine balance between the flash hole, and the hole in the cone, which sometimes can't be achieved. If the hole in the cone is too big, or the flash hole too small, both can result in hammer blow back. Just the cap can blow back the hammer if the flash hole is too small. If the flash hole is too big...then the main charge can blow it back. !!!! DANG!

I've tried to drill side vents in the cones from the side like Slix-Shots, it was not worth the trouble. I broke at least two drill bits. Makes more sense just to buy the Slix-shots, or other higher quality cones.

IMO, cap jamming is the result of too much back pressure blowing the hammer back. Sometimes no kind of cones can fix that. The real and best cure is a cap-rake. Slix-Shot nipples can and will reduce cap-jams, but never eliminate them. A well tuned revolver with a cap-rake and action shield can achieve 100% reliability.
 
Another real easy fix is to take a small file and notch the end of the cone. This will vent it and helps split the cap. It makes removal of fired caps much easier. Ugly is right, the action shield and cap post make the revolver much much more reliable.
 
I'm one of the few that really doesn't have a problem with cap jams using stock nipples. Most people seem to use Remington caps. I use CCI caps. I don't know if that has anything to do with it or not.
 
CCIs were the only ones I could find during the days of purgatory in Nevada. The local Wally World had them and I would buy at least 2 tins each time I went in. Then some bozo in store management decided not carry caps any more and the supply was gone. Haven't seen caps in Wally World since. Or muzzleloader supplies for that matter. Won't be long before they stop selling anything gun related I reckon.
 
Jackrabbit1957 said:
Another real easy fix is to take a small file and notch the end of the cone. This will vent it and helps split the cap. It makes removal of fired caps much easier. Ugly is right, the action shield and cap post make the revolver much much more reliable.
Click to expand...

I'd go beyond "much more", and say that with the right cones, and the right caps (which could differ from gun to gun), an action shield and a cap post that a revolver can achieve 100% reliability. (or at least equal to a cartridge gun...sometime primers come out of the factory with prime in them, or missing the anvil so perhaps 99.95% is more realistic!)
 
Jackrabbit1957 said:
CCIs were the only ones I could find during the days of purgatory in Nevada. The local Wally World had them and I would buy at least 2 tins each time I went in. Then some bozo in store management decided not carry caps any more and the supply was gone. Haven't seen caps in Wally World since. Or muzzleloader supplies for that matter. Won't be long before they stop selling anything gun related I reckon.
Click to expand...
All wal mart here ever had was Remington no11 and a bunch of inline accessories go figure
 
Walmarts in my neck of the woods haven't carried anything muzzleloader connected in years. Here in MS we effectively don't have a muzzleloader season anymore so they weren't selling much.
 
Another option that worked for me was to 'break' the edges of the notch in the hammer and polish as best as possible. Did that with a couple of my open tops that always pulled a cap or two, no more cap sucking. For any one that doesn't know, by 'break' I mean file off the sharp edge of the safety notch in the face of the hammer.
 
Using whichever caps fit best works for me. Since I use Remington 10’s almost exclusively my cones are all modified to fit if they didn’t out of the box.

I can’t imagine a problem removing som material from that area inside of the cone. I’d set up a cylinder in the v-blocks in a vise under a good drill press and fresh them out.
 
It would be nice if the drilling/slight enlargement of the cone would work. Over the years I have accumulated a plastic sandwich bag full of mostly Uberti factory nipples. After going with the Slix Shots I almost threw the stock nipples away but decided there may come a time when I wanted to experiment or another shortage would loom.
 
Malachi Leviticus Blue said:
never heard of the originals having problems or experience excessive jams myself with the reproductions as furnished.
On occasion I've had a jam but not even once in every session.
Click to expand...

That's me. I've never had a jam that caused one to not function. I get the occasional fired cap get pulled off with the hammer and once in awhile I have to use my pocketknife to pry one off the nipple.
 
Malachi Leviticus Blue said:
never heard of the originals having problems or experience excessive jams myself with the reproductions as furnished.
On occasion I've had a jam but not even once in every session.
Click to expand...

hawg said:
That's me. I've never had a jam that caused one to not function. I get the occasional fired cap get pulled off with the hammer and once in awhile I have to use my pocketknife to pry one off the nipple.
Click to expand...

I've noticed that cap jams frequency goes up significantly with the increase in powder charge.

I have practically 100% reliability with mouse fart loads (<15 grains of powder, regardless of nipple used) and a roundball (for the most part caps stay on the cone, don't deform and thus don't interfere with the gun operation) but reliability decreases to about 80% - with stock nipples and 95% with SliXshots when using 35+ grain loads and/or heavy conicals, so it is quite substantial difference. Basically what happens is the back pressure deforms the cap and blows it backwards against the frame and once in a while when the cylinder is rotated, the cap gets sucked between the cylinder and the frame and jams the gun. Smaller flash holes in SlixShots are a game changer, the big flash hole and small cone opening in the stock nipples kill the reliability iny my opinion. Also main spring tension does a major difference, the heavier it is, the less jams I have.

So, if you shoot mild loads you won't experience anything close to what you get with stout loads.

I like to have fun with heavy loads from time to time and without SliXshot nipples installed, cap jams are quite a problem.
 
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Where I see cap jams are in 2 places, in the hammer slot where it holds the hammer off the frame and inside the action itself where the cap fragments bind up the trigger or the bolt. An action shield stops that cold, a cap post keeps the cap out of the frame. Between the 2 of them the problem goes away.
 
I still think hammer blow back is the main culprit, and what Jack says is true, a cap post and action shield will eliminate cap jams. Sometimes "cap sucking", or the cap being pulled off the cone by the hammer is actually hammer blow back. ( I know Hawg, you hate cap-posts!)

All the other "cures" or fixes will help, as will SlixShots, but I don't think will result in 100% reliability. As I use my cap-N-ball revolvers in the field, hunting and exploring/hiking etc., 100% is a must.

A curious thing, that I think kind of enforces my point (I won't say "proves") is that after Jack put a cap post and action shield on my 1862, and took a look for any other problems, the gun went 100% with the Slix Shots on it. Then I put the factory cones back on, as they were a little better fit with the CCI #11's, and it didn't change a thing. Still runs 100%.

Now to be honest, and full discloser, (!!!!!) if I go over 20 grains of 4fg under a ball, I can detect a little bit of hammer blow back, which does not cause a jam, but I can tell it's happening. If I were to put the Slixs back on, I think I could get an extra couple of grains in, without blow-back, but 20 seems to be the sweet spot for that pistol, accuracy is minute of grouse, and she'll shoot through a dense fresh 2X6", which is good enough for me.

One of these days, for extra insurance, I'll probably put the Slixes back on.
 
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