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Crockett rifle leakage around nipple

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Have you tried a 1/4-28 thread ? As sloppy as it sounds you could tell evan with a hardware screw bolt of the same thread. it will tell you if it will tighten up. You only have a minor difference in thread pitch of 1/4 (.250 )x 28 TPI and 6 mm ( .236'' ) x 1 (24,5 . TPI) Over the few thread that are used the difference would hardly be notice in the pitch with a difference of .006'' per side . The tap tolerance of a 6mm tap thread is over .003'' to start with on a H3 ( tap is +.003 tolerance ) cutting tap as standard that is commonly used . I have had nipples blow out and take my hat off ( Why I shoot flints ) . Honesty I would fix the problem right. I would buy a tap 1/4 x 28 H1 ( microammeter tolerance ) tap ( McMaster-Carr) and chase retread it to a new size and buy a new quality nipple if you shoot it a lot , Safety first always, Cheers my friend , remember at 300 psi plastic burns away.
 
Sounds like a bad tap setup on the production line. I would not consider any fix that involves tape or some kind of sealer. Just retread for a 1/4 28 nipple. That would also take care of your loose caps. Make sure the new thread cleans up good. If it doesn't get a new drum. Traditions and CVA used to be the same company and I suspect they still use the same manufacturer so the probelms would be similar.
 
That's odd. I'm used to nipples on drums leaking (a flat surface seated on a round) but not on a bolster or snail. I've used 1/4" Teflon Tape but not on my Crockett. The nipple comes right out but can be a booger to clean off even with a wire brush. Any kind of grease usually just gets "blown" out.

I thought I read in another thread that TOW has them with prouder threads.

According to David at the Gun Works here in Springfield, Oregon, the AMPCO nipples (by TRESO) aren't as "Sloppy" as the others and fit tighter.

https://www.jedediah-starr.com/closeup.asp?cid=76&pid=863
Good Luck!

Walt
 
That's odd. I'm used to nipples on drums leaking (a flat surface seated on a round) but not on a bolster or snail. I've used 1/4" Teflon Tape but not on my Crockett. The nipple comes right out but can be a booger to clean off even with a wire brush. Any kind of grease usually just gets "blown" out.

I thought I read in another thread that TOW has them with prouder threads.

According to David at the Gun Works here in Springfield, Oregon, the AMPCO nipples (by TRESO) aren't as "Sloppy" as the others and fit tighter.

https://www.jedediah-starr.com/closeup.asp?cid=76&pid=863
Good Luck!

Walt
Thanks. You said it well when you stated "sloppy threads". The nipple does tighten down well, but I have noticed where the base of the nipple seats appears to be dished out as well. And, of course, the threads are deep and in good condition, but are sloppy loose.
 
I recently went through the issue of a nipple being loose in the nipple seat. A 1/4-28 nipple was blown out. A replacement nipple would not tighten. Thanks for safety glasses. The fix I chose was the 7mm-1.00 nipple sold by Track of the Wolf. The new nipple works fine.
Yes sir, as I have stated, TOTW does, in fact, sell a 7-1 repair type nipple for European ML. And, as I have previously stated, at this point I'm not sure what to do. Wait for a while until the situation becomes worse, or just order the 7-1 repair nipple and roll the dice. I guess I have it in my mind that the 7-1 might be the last chance to rectify this issue. And if something goes wrong there, then I might be screwed.

Was it difficult to retap the threads on your ML?
 
Agree, at least drill and tap to a larger size.
It appears on the TOTW site that drilling might not be necessary for this procedure. They mention using some sort of compound they also sell.

I sure would like to know for sure before I jump into this.
 
Sounds like a bad tap setup on the production line. I would not consider any fix that involves tape or some kind of sealer. Just retread for a 1/4 28 nipple. That would also take care of your loose caps. Make sure the new thread cleans up good. If it doesn't get a new drum. Traditions and CVA used to be the same company and I suspect they still use the same manufacturer so the probelms would be similar.
No drum on the Crockett rifle. So this gives me pause.
 
It appears on the TOTW site that drilling might not be necessary for this procedure. They mention using some sort of compound they also sell.

I sure would like to know for sure before I jump into this.
I’d be leery of re-tapping existing threads. From a strength standpoint it’s better to tap into new steel. But their method may work, I’m just not familiar with it.
 
Yes sir, as I have stated, TOTW does, in fact, sell a 7-1 repair type nipple for European ML. And, as I have previously stated, at this point I'm not sure what to do. Wait for a while until the situation becomes worse, or just order the 7-1 repair nipple and roll the dice. I guess I have it in my mind that the 7-1 might be the last chance to rectify this issue. And if something goes wrong there, then I might be screwed.

Was it difficult to retap the threads on your ML?
It was not difficult to tap new threads in my muzzleloader. You start by drilling the tap diameter hole. The tap is installed in the tap handle and tap cutting lubricant is placed on the tap. The lead of the tap is tapered to align the tap with the hole. Cut a half turn then back up to clear the cuttings from the tap and make another turn with the handle. In the drum you may need two taps. First the tapered tap to start cutting the threads and a blunt plug tap to complete threading the nipple seat. Clear the cuttings from the nipple seat and install the new nipple.

Forcing in the series of oversized nipples to cut lager threads is mentioned in the Dixie catalog and in the Track Catalog. The oversized nipples are in the 28 thread pitch that does not match the metric threads in the CVA/Traditions nipples. In my experience this will compromise the threads and is not the best repair for stripped or loose threads.
 
It was not difficult to tap new threads in my muzzleloader. You start by drilling the tap diameter hole. The tap is installed in the tap handle and tap cutting lubricant is placed on the tap. The lead of the tap is tapered to align the tap with the hole. Cut a half turn then back up to clear the cuttings from the tap and make another turn with the handle. In the drum you may need two taps. First the tapered tap to start cutting the threads and a blunt plug tap to complete threading the nipple seat. Clear the cuttings from the nipple seat and install the new nipple.

Forcing in the series of oversized nipples to cut lager threads is mentioned in the Dixie catalog and in the Track Catalog. The oversized nipples are in the 28 thread pitch that does not match the metric threads in the CVA/Traditions nipples. In my experience this will compromise the threads and is not the best repair for stripped or loose threads.

Thanks. I have drilled and tapped a fair amount, but never for a ML nipple hole. The 28 thread pitch that might not be compatible concerns me. So far, I am not sure if there's enough difference between a 6-1 and a 7-1 nipple to make me want to try to drill first. But there may be. Forcing a repair tap into the hole may work okay, but it gives me pause.
 
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