Caps

[yax]

I've been shooting my .36 navy '51 revolver for some time now using caps which I bought in Europe (I live here). They are good for ignition but after almost every shot they tear apart often blocking cylinder what makes the gun quite unreliable. I wondered if you guys tried to overcome this problem and get some satisfactory results in practice?

 

[robert garner]

Hey Colts are famous or this!Its"Traditional"!on the limited basis of info given just a few points for you to check.
1. Do the caps fit? or are your having to "Pinch" to make them stay in the first place? RWS makes good caps if your pinching get smaller caps,if caps are too small reduce diameter of the nipples to fit!
2. If caps are a good fit point pistol skyward and cock will probably need to do this at any rate dont worry its traditional!
3. All else failing reduce charge this may help if not with the caps tearing at least by tighteng the group?
good luck and let us hear how you're progressing!
robert garner occupied georgia

 

[yax]

I use RWS and S&B caps, they both fit the nipples well, don't need pinching, the charge is small for target shooting however they tear apart even when shooting empty chambers. I tried cocking while pointing the gun upwards but still the metal parts of cap often fall onto the inside part of hammer, stick to it and prevent next shot. I know its kind of tradition but still from the other hand it somewhat bothers me. I thought maybe someone tried to modify the nipples or to put some kind of embracing to keep these caps in one piece, I tried to use small metal and plastic tubes and it works but there is some hassle during reloading there.

 

Splitting caps are quiet normal. The Colt open-tops have a groove on the right side of the recoil-shield to allow the split caps to pass out of the revolver. I used Remington, CCI, and RWS caps, all the same! So, the advice from Robert Garner is a good one. You even see in old western movies that heros and villains stick their revolvers in the air before cocking it, even they have centerfire Peacemakers!

 

[crockett]

Inaddition to poorly fitting caps you may want to buy/try out some different brands of nipples. Some are more square, others tapered. The cap and nipple need to go together. A tight fitting cap may seem like the cure-all but if the cap's too tight then you have to pry them off after firing. The caps are pretty soft, you can usually crank the gun around and keep it firing. If unfired caps are falling off you have an exposed nipple with a loaded chamber- a definate no-no. You should not have to squeeze the caps to make them fit, if they don't go on easily get different caps and/or nipples.

 

G'day,

If the gun is a Uberti then suspect the nipples. We use a lot of their revolvers in Australia for our competitions. My experience has shown that the Uberti nipples vary in size to the extent that my first 1858 revolver's nipples were so undersize that even the number 10 caps fell off. I suggest you look at the Uncle Mikes nipples for the gun but check the threads before ordering. I tried to fit my 1858 nipples into another 1858 who's nipples were so short that the hammer wasn't hitting the caps but found the thread to be different. Same gun, same manufacturer but no go.

I like RWS 1075 caps - not the extra hot version. I also find the Remington to be ok as well and less likely to split. After shooting the gun I turn it upside down before I cock the hammer. With the Remington and the Old Army I just turn them on their side before recocking.

Hang in as all will not be lost in the long run.

Cheers from down under
Aussie Bob

 

[JohnW]

I find CCI caps fit perfect no problems whatsoever. However recent batch I bought I was having to pinch them slightly. Must have been a bad batch. No 11's by the way, pistol Remington 1858 Euroarms.

 

[Zonie]

Aussie Bob mentioned turning his Remingtons on their side while cocking.
This also helps the Colts.
Notice the backshroud or shield on your gun is relieved behind the nipples on the upper right side of the shield.
They did this to provide an area for the fragmented caps to pass thru as the gun was cocked.

It isn't great, but it is IMO better than pointing the gun at the sky which tends to cause the cap to fall back into the hammer slot.

I know it doesn't help, but just remember, your recreating history. They had the same problems you have found, but they still thought the revolver was better than the one shot muzzleloader. ::

 

[robert garner]

Right now Im ponderin and asking those with a more diverse experience to chime in as the problem doesn't seem to be poor fitting caps, but rather a too restricted nipple,he is reporting that the caps disintergrate with EMPTY chambers
Any time that i have fired caps on empty chambers they were stuck so tight they had to be forcibly removed,have even had to cut them through with a knife to get them to relenquish their hold!
Yax was this always a problem? perhaps carbon has built up and is choking your nipple,compare them with others and
or try cleaning with a welders tip cleaner paper clip or such?
good luck am interested in how this turns out
robert garner occupied georgia

 

[yax]

Thanks for all the answers. Seems the problem is neither with loosely fit nor with choking nipples, they are clean and the caps split even after the first shot with empty chamber. Nevertheless the ignition is fine when chambers are loaded. As for recreating history as Zonie mentioned, I bet the people there in ancient times tried to improve their guns as we do and some of them even more. Then I think its better to have a more reliable historic gun and try to improve it without essential modifications though. Here is my nipple a bit out of focus:

Its from Uberti '51 Navy.

 

[montanadan]

Well I went through this same problem, I sometimes shoot CAS where time is a factor. I first switched to REM 10 caps,made a big improvement. Then switched the nipples Treso ampco nipples, the hole drilled the nipple is much smaller, so you do not get as much blow back. I have found these nipples to much more uniform, I shoot the the CB just like cartridge pistols. Most factory nipples(cones)really are terrible,and the hole in the nipple is entirely to big. So you get more blow-back,split nipples,and a lot of frustration. I hope this helps...Montanadan(not trying to sound like know it all)