The Power Of Caps

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Here's a couple pictures I took of just a no. 11 CCI standard cap. I took these
with my I-Pad. This shows just how much fire there is in a cap.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

Cool.

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

What nipples did you use in your 58?

 

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That was a Tresco.

 

[fogg64]

Great pictures from an I-Pad
After seeing the sidelock picture, I rather use my underhammer.

 

[rodwha]

Weren't there old gallery guns that used a cap and a small caliber pellet?

 

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Yes, I think they still make them. When you forget and load without powder,
the cap itself will many times push the ball up the barrel in a rifle several inches.
When I read of guys having trouble ingniting subs, I wonder. When you can't
ingnitie subs with this kind of fire, you got a problem. And then they go to 209
shotgun primers??? On In lines

 

[J-Bar]

There is a thread going on the SASS Wire about leaving a charged chamber on a cap and ball revolver uncapped and shooting the other chambers.

Some feel it is likely to result in a chain fire. Others say it is unlikely.

Phil, and others, what do you say? Do you think charging 6 chambers and capping 5 and then shooting is a good idea?

After seeing Phil's photos, I don't think it is something I want to risk, But maybe I am too conservative.

 

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No, I think it is stupid. At the different Black Powder Clubs I shoot at, you are
not allowed to load six chambers. Only five are allowed. I've been in the habit
for over 50 years to load only five. If they ever caught anyone at the Nationals
at Friendship doing this, you would be escorted out the gate. And to load six
and only cap five!!! Somebody has a screw loose! Accident waiting to happen.
Phil

 

[44 Dave]

5 or 6

Yes but you still have to clean all 6, when with the SASS guys only load 5, but I have lost a cap on an occasion and never had the uncapped chamber chain fire.
The one I keep behind the closet door has all 6 loaded!

 

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There has been many,many a person that had been shot in the leg because of it.
But you do what you think best.

 

[AbitNutz]

Why would you do that? Aside from the flash-over possibility, I'm missing the point.

 

[4v50 Gary]

I didn't know the IPad could take such good photos. Great pics.

 

[avatarshots]

Back to the original subject of cap power, there are a few guns that only use 209 primers for the propellent. Great for plinking

 

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Yes I have seen them. Seems like every new generation that comes along has
to learn to only put 5 in a six shooter. Some learn the easy way, some learn the
hard way, but learn they do. The rule at the Nationals and all the clubs I attend
is all chambers that are loaded MUST be capped and only 5 chambers can be
loaded in a six shot revolver. Must be a reason for this. Also all cylinders that
are loaded must be capped in the gun. No loaded & capped cylinders are allowed
Out of the gun.
Yes caps and primers can be very powerful. I used to shoot a lot of wax bullets
just powered by a primer. They hit pretty hard. You wouldn't want to get shot
by one up close.

 

[44 Dave]

I agree on the safety of 5, if you are holstering a gun you don't want one lined up with the barrel. I load 6 only when shooting from the bench at the range or load for "home defense" and keep the gun in a safe place.
I never load 6 in my cartridge revolvers.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

They are not to be played with.

 

[whughett]

KWHI.......... Is the loading of 5 more to do with scoring or safety? In all my years of shooting center fire pistol I have and still load only five in all my handguns, revolver and pistol. I do this for scoring but also because of using ammo based on a fifty count. A gun club I once shot at had a .38 caliber revolver match that was based on fifty shots, five at a time. Seems most gun writers base accuracy on 5 shot groups also.

 

[AbitNutz]

Loading only 5 of 6 chambers makes incredible sense if the hammer has to rest on a live primer, such as an SAA. However, many C&B revolvers, like the ROA, have notches between the chambers that allow the hammer to be lowered safely. An ROA, hammer down in a safety notch, makes accidental discharge all but impossible. In this condition I don't see any reason why you wouldn't load all 6 chambers.

 

[rodwha]

Same with a Remington 1858. I noticed my new Pietta's hammer just barely rest inside that notch, which I had read is common. So I filed the face of the hammer until it rested more securely, and sit as flush as could be inside that notch.

My ROA nestles down inside of my holster. It's virtually impossible for anything to get way down in there.

 

[J-Bar]

The question about charging 6 and capping 5 comes up in Cowboy Action Matches occasionally.

A particular stage may call for a sixth cartridge to be loaded into a revolver while the shooter is engaging the targets...a revolver re-load. Those who shoot in Frontiersman category cant charge an empty chamber on the clock very well (well they could, but their scores would suffer incredibly!), so usually the Frontiersman charges all 6 chambers, but only caps 5 at the loading table in order to comply with the rule that the hammer must be down on an uncapped nipple when he comes to the firing line. Then, after the timer operator starts the stage, most of us put a cap on the 6th nipple before firing the revolver, then proceed with shooting the stage.

A few shooters whose opinions I normally respect have posted on that SASS thread that they have shot all five chambers, then capped the sixth, without ever experiencing a problem. It just seemed to be risky to me and that's why I brought the question up in this thread. Thanks for the responses. I did not intend to hijack the thread with a tangent issue, but I thought it fit somewhat closely with the OP's point about the amount of fire generated by percussion caps.

 

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Well if all of these post will prevent just one accident , it's worth it. The rule
for only loading 5 is for safety . Nothing to do with scoring.

 

[rodwha]

Loading 6. but capping 5 seems to invite problems…

If I load 'em I cap 'em as they are meant to be fired.

 

[Pulp]

My first '58 had a bad habit of shooting two at once. I was doing everything I could to prevent it but would still happen. Finally found one nipple had a broken shoulder and you could actually see down into the threads on that side. I'm guessing that's where the two for one was coming from. I quit loading that chamber, and the problem went away.

IMHO, the odds of a stray spark entering an uncapped nipple, then making it's way through the flashhole to the powder charge are pretty low. But it can happen, and has happened. Why take a chance?

 

[rodwha]

Not a chance I'm wanting to take.

Saw a thread many, many moons ago of someone testing if this were a plausible cause for crossfires and caped only one. Didn't follow it though...