# 10 percussion caps for .36 cal. ?

[brudford]

Noted that even after squezzing or pinching
the #11 caps for my new 1858 new model police there still a little loose. Anyone ever try the # 10's ? Also while I'am thinking about it, I'am using about 18 Grs. of 3f Goex with a wonder wad on top then the ball.I see folks are using fillers to get the ball at least 1/4 from the top. My ball is no where near 1/4 from top accuracy appears fine is this a safety issue ?

 

[jtmattison]

You need some #10's. My 1851 came with #10 nipples as I think most pistols do. I ordered some #11 nipples for it from TOW which I will use when I pop off the 200 #10's I have on hand.
As for the gap. It's not a safety concern but it might play on accuracy because of the "jump" from cylinder to bore.

HD

 

[Zonie]

I agree with HD.
There is no safety issue with loading the chambers with the ball below the mouth.
Folks have found that having the ball closer to the mouth of the chamber does give better accuracy though.

I think the reason for this is the roundball doesn't have much surface area contacting the rifling and they are usually very soft pure lead.

With the balls loaded just a little bit below the mouth of the chambers when the gun is fired, the ball doesn't have far to go before it engages the rifling in the barrel.

If the balls are loaded down into the chambers quite a ways they are traveling forward pretty fast before they engage the rifling and sometimes tend to strip off some lead before they finally 'hook up' and start spinning.

 

[renovato]

You don't need to use wads or filler. It just helps with groups. It's also helpful in keeping bore fouling under control. You should be able to find #10 caps most anywhere that sells muzzleloading accessories, as they're a common size for revolvers. I'm also about to convert mine to #11s so all my guns can share the same caps.