Tips, hints to keep caps on?

[Oohrah!]

I shoot a Pietta colt 1851 Navy Confederate .44 in cowboy shooting. I have 5 cylinders preloaded for easy swap-out during the match. Using #10 Rem caps. Nipples get capped after the new cylinder is installed.

I know the usual dope - pinch the cap, but this is difficult for my fingers. I use a "snail?" capper, which is very easy to put the cap on, and I use a dowel to firmly press each cap into the nipple. But during the shooting stage, I seem to lose at least one cap, just falling off. This, of course, results in a miss and penalty. Am I the only one who has this problem?

Is there a way to make sure the capper tool can seat and pinch the cap better? I've tried #11s also and they seem less secure.

 

[Curator]

Swap out your nipples for ones that are slightly larger. Remington #10 caps are the longest of the commercial percussion caps. The RWS 1075 caps are also slightly smaller inside diameter. Check out this link for an explanation. http://www.theopenrange.net/forum/index.php?topic=9093.0

 

[Malachi Leviticus Blue]

I would try #10 CCI caps before replacing 5 sets of nipples.
You can always turn down the nipples for a perfect fit if the CCI's are tight.

 

[Crawdad1]

I don't compete just shoot and hunt but I don't have that problem because I immediately throw the factory nipples away and buy after market nipples for my revolvers.

I get these,
https://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Item.aspx/807/1

 

[Armored farmer]

I put new nips on my guns too

 

[J-Bar]

I agree the problem is the factory nipples, but heavy powder charges produce more recoil and are more likely to shake unfired caps off. What volume of powder are you using?

I have a pair of Uberti 1851s, but have owned Piettas in the past and I think this comment will apply to them as well. The recoil shield will prevent four unfired caps from falling off the nipple...there should not be enough space between the recoil shield and nipple to allow caps to fall off the first four shots you will fire. The one at risk is your last shot, which is to the right of the hammer as the hammer rests on the uncapped nipple. You can see that there is more space behind the unfired cap at the 1:00-2:00 o'clock position, as it enters the capping cutout in the recoil shield. In my experience, if an unfired cap is going to fall off, it's this one, your final shot.

So, getting a better cap-nipple fit with Ampco or Slix-Shot nipples is the best solution to your problem. In the meantime, you might experiment with reducing powder charges to the 15 to 18 grain range if they are not already at that level, and getting a good pinch on that cap that will fire your 5th shot...it's the one that has to survive four recoils.

 

[Smokin'Joe]

This works very well for me:
https://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?p=6096110#post6096110

 

[Jimster]

Pinching caps could promote chain fires. Replace your nipples and find the correct sized caps. Don't pinch caps.

 

[Oohrah!]

Great suggestions. I'm only using 24gr Pyrodex P. Getting new nipples may be the right answer.

J-Bar, you may have hit on it. It was in fact usually the fifth and last cap that fell off.

 

[44 Dave]

Is there a minimum charge in SASS for BP loads (think it might be 15)? The next question is, what is the min. the ram will seat a ball tight on the powder in your gun? At the SASS target distances filler to bring the bullet closer to the barrel for accuracy is a wasted step.

 

[drobs]

Might look in to cap keepers:
https://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5935286
http://1858remington.com/discuss/index.php?topic=5152.0
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Percussion-...No-10-and-No-11-caps-Color-BLUE-/141321540211


Looks to make the loading process even more tedious to me.

 

[BCRider]

Best thing I did was by better nipples. I managed fine for about 7 years with pinching the caps. My Uberti guns had stock nipples that had too much taper to let me use #10's No way to seat them without a hydraulic ram But #11's barely locked against the taper. I had to pinch them to make them stay in place Going to aftermarket nipples with less taper that properly fit the caps has been just bloody marvelous.

The other option is to rig up a way to dress the stock nipples with a small fine cut file using a hand drill as a crude metal lathe. Mount a suitable nut in the chuck to hold the nipples by the threading. Then use the file to remove some of the metal at the fatter base of the taper and remove metal from the fatter area until you can press a #10 cap into place over the new shape with firm finger pressure. If you mess it up then do what you should have done in the first place and buy some Tresos, Slix Shots or TOTW house brand nipples. Or some other good brand if I missed any.

 

[Bullseye]

Might look in to cap keepers:

I wonder if some cut off pieces of some aquarium hose or oxygen tubing would be the same stuff? I have some around here.
I'll have to try it.

 

[Malachi Leviticus Blue]

I wonder if some cut off pieces of some aquarium hose or oxygen tubing would be the same stuff? I have some around here.
I'll have to try it.

Yes, plenty of folks do just that.
I have used both a piece of aquarium tubing, and oxygen line on the nipple of my rifle during deer season as well. The theory being it will help keep out moisture since it invariable is exposed to weather and variable temperatures. I don't know how much it actually helps, but I have not had a single misfire, so it makes me feel good anyway.

 

[Oohrah!]

I have never heard of cap keepers. These would be great, because the other problem in cowboy shooting is you shoot so fast that it is easy to get a cap jam at the wrong time. (My RSO does not allow the "point the muzzle up and flick" motion to eject the cap.)

Regarding Sass rules, I have only read that there is a maximum muzzle velocity, not a minimum load.

 

[J-Bar]

There is a minimum smoke requirement, your loads should make at least as much smoke as 15 grains of Goex, or else they could be challenged. See page 15 of the SASS Shooters Handbook. A link can be found on the SASS Homepage.

 

[Oohrah!]

Thanks for that. My club does not do SASS sanctioned matches, and so far I'm the only one doing BP. I'm still a newb at this.

 

[J-Bar]

Thanks for that. My club does not do SASS sanctioned matches, and so far I'm the only one doing BP. I'm still a newb at this.

There are a bunch of SASS clubs inTexas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and they can be found via the "SASS Affiliated Clubs" link, also on the homepage. Get thee to cowboy action match, Grasshopper, and join the madness!

 

[Bullseye]

Sort of an update to my earlier post #13.

I cut a pc of tubing from the O2 concentrator hose and I could not get a cap to fit inside. Maybe there is a thinner walled tubing available but all the tubing I have, which is a lot, looks to be too small. We do have a store that sells this stuff off a reel by the foot nearby. If I remember to take my caps along in my pocket, I may find the right size there.
I wouldn't mind giving them a try. Might help prevent chain fires and jammed caps.

 

[Navy Six]

I tried the aquarium tubing and it did work to a large extant. I had to be careful which brand I bought because my pet store carried two different brands and one was too thick. When I used the thicker one I had trouble fitting the cap/tube combination into the nipple recess in some cylinders. Don't remember brand names as I stopped using this method. Have one Uberti Dragoon that pulled caps even with the tubing, and this after the usual precautions were taken--tresso nipples, polishing hammer face and safety cut, Remington #10s, etc. All in all it took a lot of time to make straight cuts on the tubing and installing them on the caps, but it did help some guns.

 

[Dog Soldier]

If caps are jamming and falling off, I recommend contacting Mike at Goon's Gun works. Mike has a great hardly noticeable cap protector that works. He modified my Walker which can blow caps off all the time. He also does the arbor stabilization which is great.

http://www.goonsgunworks.com/

 

[Noz]

C'mon guys. Buy a set of SLIX, TOW or TRESO nipples that are proper for your gun, buy #10 Remington caps and load a reasonable powder charge and your problems are solved. By reasonable, my experience tells me that anything over 25 grs of FFFg will blow the caps off.

 

[45 Dragoon]

Thanks Dog Soldier!!

Mike

 

[Dog Soldier]

Thanks Dog Soldier!!

Mike

I only recommend gun smiths that do excellent work. You qualify.

 

[whughett]

C'mon guys. Buy a set of SLIX, TOW or TRESO nipples that are proper for your gun, buy #10 Remington caps and load a reasonable powder charge and your problems are solved. By reasonable, my experience tells me that anything over 25 grs of FFFg will blow the caps off.

The cap post installed, along with all the bells and whistles, by a noted gunsmith on these pages, solved the problem of caps lodging in the action on my 62 Colt police.
It doesn't however stop the caps from being so blown open that they drag against the recoil shield and even jamb there. In the case of this 1862 any thing over 15 grains of 3f. LOL, for the money in this little gun, purchase price, gunsmith work and now a new set of nipples I could have bought another ROA to add to my collection. Makes me wonder why I take anything other than a Ruger Old Army or a Rogers and Spencer to the range. Guess there's more to this than just sending lead down range. Guess that's why said gunsmith now has a Walker undergoing the same mods.