Accidental Discharges removing a cap

[roundball]

I've removed quite a few tight fitting #11 caps with the blade of a pocket knife, and never had or heard of it causing accidental discharges in my 17 years of muzzleloading.

Curious to know if I've just been lucky or if accidental discharges are a common problem when removing a cap with a pocket knife?

 

[MikeChapin]

I've never had that problem either. Even removing those nasty early CVA caps that were made out of heavy bronze. Those took a lot of prying.

 

[smo]

No problems here :thumbsup:

 

[rebel727]

No problems here either.

 

[rabjr]

Pulled a lot of caps off different guns and never had a problem.

 

[skeet]

Many years ago, while shooting my 1860 Colt Army pistol, a cap wouldn't fire. I was prying it off with a small screwdriver and while prying it off, it must have made enough of a spark, cause not only did that round go off, but i had a chain fire also! A very good lesson on why to always point the gun in a safe direction. I beleive the chain fire happened cause some caps had fallen off the other chambers, cause I always use lube to cover the bullet. It scared the heck out of me and my cousin who was standing next to me. I quit shooting blackpowder for awhile after that.

 

[bucktales]

No problems here either.
But I always have that thought in the back of my head when removing a cap as well as putting one on and moving the hammer. Safety rules ALWAYS apply and I always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction for either operation.

 

[FishDFly]

Your question has made me wonder more than once. I never have and nor have I heard of anyone having a problem.

I have wondered if there is a better way to remove a tight cap. I have considered using a very small pair of needle nose pliers so you could grab the cap and slowly slip it up.

RDE

 

[2172]

Never heard of such a discharge...I keep a small pair of needlenosed pliers in my percussion bag to use in getting a stuck cap off...seems to happen more with rifle than with revolver..Hank

 

[MikeC]

Never had a problem removing a cap with my knife, although last year I did chuck up all my nipples and hit them with sandpaper until I had a perfect snug fit but was able to easily remove it without tools.

 

[bart_anastasi]

Never tried to pry off a cap with a pocket knife.

Have a tool built into my Nipple Pick. On one end of the brass handle is a blade cut into the flat screw driver style end. Cut into that is a slot which fits around the nipple and under the cap. Pulls the cap off srtaight off by pulling from under both sides of the cap at once.

Much neater and easier. Use it a lot since I will once in a while get a cap that does not crack or break from the chamber pressure. Or on the range if we are going to break for lunch or talk a bit and do not want to leave a cap on the gun near buy when we talk. Also the cap is not destroyed by the tool so it is still usable.

 

[paulvallandigham]

I have trouble even figuring out how taking a cap off a nipple could cause it to be fired! I have never had any trouble taking them off, with a knife, or pliers, or anything else. The tightest caps I ever had to deal with were some foreign #10 caps I used on my first gun, and.36 Cal. Navy Replica revolver. Those cheap nipples peened over very quickly, and those tiny caps held on fire, or not, to those darn nipples. Because there is so little room to work in with even a pocket knife blade, getting either live, or spent caps off the nipples could sometimes be difficult. I started using pliers to remove the spent caps, as that seemed to work the best in the tight space.

I have since learned to check new nipples when I buy them, and inspect them carefully during use. I make sure that whatever caps I buy( I learned to buy them 1,000 at a time) the caps would fit the nipples without problems. I have been using stainless steel nipples on my shotgun, and don't have any problems with caps, going on or coming off. I did open the " hair-lip" on the front of both hammers, to insure that the caps split on firing, and that has made it almost unnecessary to take pliers along. I use my pliers now to help other shooters with stuck caps.

 

[jtmattison]

I've never had a problem removing them with a pocket knife. I do have that "fear" of it going off so I do it with the muzzle pointed in a safe direction. I think a small hemostat would be a good thing to carry along for removing caps. The tiny jaws would work great for gripping stuck caps as well as removing spent caps stuck in the hammer.

HD

 

[Snakebite]

Personnally, never seen it happen. I can only remember using my patch knife to peel a cap off, the action taking it away from the nipple. Not sure I understand how it could happen (not doubting anyone) it's just that it takes pressure coming down on it to pop. ALWAYS a good idea to keep it pointed downrange when loaded, capping or taking one off.

Merry Christmas to all. :hatsoff:

 

[Rat Trapper]

Never had a problem so far. Most of my rifles allow me to pick them off with my fingers. Have used knife only couple times, but it works too.

 

[Bountyhunter]

If I get a cap stuck, my knife is stout enough and sharp enough that I just get under the edge and simply split the cap. The knife peels out about 1/16" of the side of the cap and the cap falls off. The knife has a short blade with a straight edge, known in the trade as a sheepsfoot.

I have never witnessed a percussion gun accidentally discharge from removing a cap.

 

[Juggernaut]

I have never had a problem nor have I heard of anyone else having one either.

Juggernaut

 

[Stumpkiller]

Not me.

But then I've never been struck by lightning, kissed a pig or been to Paris in the Springtime, either.

A little work with a fine file will keep the nipple head from mushrooming out and grabbing the nipple.

 

Never even heard of it happening. :hmm:

 

[Halftail]

But then I've never been struck by lightning, kissed a pig or been to Paris in the Springtime, either.

quote]
Sounds to me you gotta a whole lotta living to do then! :rotf: