How often do you replace the nipple ?

[kyron4]

Picked up a three pack of CVA Ol' Reliable nipples the other day at my local shop. It was only $10 for the 3 pack, and got me thinking how often do these things wear out that they sell them in 3 packs ? I'm still kind of new to all this, and very curious by nature. So with proper care and cleaning , what would be the expected life of a cap lock nipple ? -Thanks

 

[FishDFly]

Without sounding flippant, it purely depends on how much you shoot.

The more you shoot the sooner it has to be replaced.
Another factor is how much powder you shoot per load. The more powder you shoot the more blow back thru the nipple there will be, thus more erosion in it and the sooner it has to be replaced.

Three (3) nipples for $10 are going to need to be replaced sooner than a Treso $10 nipple. Treso nipples are made from extremely hard material.

The 1/4 X 28 nipples in my pistols which shoot 20 grains are going to last a lot longer then the 1/4 X 28 nipples in my light bench rifle which shoots 120 grains.

When the hammer starts blow back after firing, it is time to replace it

 

[dave951]

I shoot.... a lot..... and I replace the nipple on the guns I shoot most usually 2-3 times per year. The nipple is a wear item and every time you pull the trigger, it wears a bit more from the ignition of the charge. By the time the hammer is rebounding, that nipple is long gone. The key to accuracy is consistency. A worn nipple doesn't help. If you think 2-3 times per year is a bunch, look at the guys shooting Whitworths. The stock nipple that comes with the gun is only good for about 10-15 shots.

 

[Idaho Ron]

It really depends on what powder you are using. TC hotshot nipples are .034 for the flash hole size. Track of the wolf hotshot are .026 platinum nipples from BACO are .024 or .026, I can't remember off hand.
If you are using black powder the .024 is the right size. If you are shooting pyrodex, the right size for reliable firing is .034 it is shot out at .038 to .039
How often depends on quantity of shooting and the size of projectiles. My 458 gr bullets burn nipples pretty fast.

 

[hanshi]

I don't think I ever replaced a nipple due to any damage. But my memory ain't what it used to be.

 

[Omahkapi'si]

I use those little beryllium ones. Been using same one for a year shooting at least once a week. Seems like they last.

 

[Ames]

Never have.

 

[Acorn Mush]

Ampco nipples have given excellent service in my ROA and my CVA SxS 12-gauge shotgun. Many hundreds of 24-grain rounds through the ROA and nearly 1000 rounds out of the shotgun. Haven't needed to replace a nipple as of yet. I don't know if they were made of beryllium or bronze however.

I just checked Track of the Wolf website and sadly they now only show a touch hole liner, and one size of nipple - 1/4-32 thread to fit a Numrich rifle.

If those CVA Ol' Reliable nipples are anything like they were way back when, you are going to need all three and maybe more if you plan on doing much shooting. As I recall, they were pretty soft and would mushroom fairly quickly. Chucking one in an electric drill and re-contouring with a small file to remove the mushroomed metal allowed them to be used more before needing replacement.

 

[rafterob]

The tops mushroom, the fire hole will burn out larger and sometimes you will get thread (burn) cutting. So yes you will replace them fairly regularly. How often will depend on the composition of the nipple and how much you shoot. The Old Reliable are a little soft and wear out fairly quick. Hot Shot are great.

 

[Mark Herman]

Don't wait for the hammer to start blowing back, nipples wear out before that. Watch your groups and when all else is working but they start opening up or getting ragged then implement is probably at fault.

 

[Mark Herman]

above should have read " then the nipple is probably at fault".

 

[Sparkitoff]

What are you using them on? My English rifle and antique shotgun have blow out vents. most gas blowback exits through those. The nipples can last a very long time if there are gas blowout vent(s).

 

[springfield art]

I don't think I ever replaced a nipple due to any damage. But my memory ain't what it used to be.

We do it every time we sterilize the baby's bottle for the next feeding. (Joking!)

 

[FishDFly]

Had a friend who replaced the nipples on all his guns on New Year's Day.

 

[cynthialee]

Every time I get a second hand gun (or a new gun I will replace those also as factory nipples on most makers guns stink) just as a matter of course.

If one has the money then the platinum lined ones are the way to go as they will outlast other nipples by a lot.

After that I just keep an eye on things and when I see any indication the nipple is wearing out I get new ones.

I don't shoot much any more so I think I won't need any new ones any time soon. I of course keep the old nipples just in case.

Have needed to chuck them in a drill and grind a bit on some sand paper to reduce mushrooming on some older ones while waiting for delivery of new ones.

Now the nipples that are so wide open they drive the hammer back to half or full cock go into the trash, and I try and get rid of them long before that issue comes up.

 

[stikshooter]

Picked up a three pack of CVA Ol' Reliable nipples the other day at my local shop. It was only $10 for the 3 pack, and got me thinking how often do these things wear out that they sell them in 3 packs ? I'm still kind of new to all this, and very curious by nature. So with proper care and cleaning , what would be the expected life of a cap lock nipple ? -Thanks

Target quality according to Dave @ BACO is as little as 25-30 shots with regular caps ,he sells a platinum I think cap @ $60.00 per for my Renegade and he has one that shooting competition has a 1000 ++ shots with no wear yet ! Shoot regular and who knows when the shot counts was that 15 or 25 ? Like Dirty Harry says Feel lucky?

 

[Artificer]

I shoot.... a lot..... and I replace the nipple on the guns I shoot most usually 2-3 times per year. The nipple is a wear item and every time you pull the trigger, it wears a bit more from the ignition of the charge. By the time the hammer is rebounding, that nipple is long gone. The key to accuracy is consistency. A worn nipple doesn't help. If you think 2-3 times per year is a bunch, look at the guys shooting Whitworths. The stock nipple that comes with the gun is only good for about 10-15 shots.

I learned this at my very first NSSA Spring Nationals in 1974 from my mentor on doing trigger jobs and his side business of selling parts and nipples at the old/now moved "Navy Arms" Sutler's booth (cabin).

I noticed the BEST shooters always bought at least two or three nipples at a time. The worst shooters brought us their muskets to have the worn out/rusted in place nipples removed.

One of the FIRST things I did after being named the Team Armourer to the U.S. International Muzzle Loading Team in 1995 was to suggest ALL shooters of percussion arms put a new nipple in their guns shortly before going to the competitions and only firing a few shots to ensure the new nipple didn't change their group size nor group placement on the target.

Now, our best Female Shot (and long time personal friend of mine) didn't do that. She went into a panic at the 1996 World Championships when her Gold Medal winning rifle's accuracy went down the drain, though fortunately it was only during practice and I had a NEW/GOOD to replace the worn out nipple.

Gus

 

[hanshi]

We do it every time we sterilize the baby's bottle for the next feeding. (Joking!)

I've found baby bottle nipples to be too soft for reliable ignition.

But all seriousness aside, I just don't shoot percussion very often; I "mainline" with flint.

 

[waksupi]

This applies to both cap and flintlocks. If accuracy starts failing, the nipple or vent have worn too large, giving uneven pressures. Nipples only need removed once a year for inspection and re-lubing. Some remove them every time, thinking they can clean a breech better. Think about a hose. How is more pressure created, with or without a nozzle? High pressure cleans better. All that removing them every time to clean does is to wear the threads.

 

[flntlokr]

I usually pump

This applies to both cap and flintlocks. If accuracy starts failing, the nipple or vent have worn too large, giving uneven pressures. Nipples only need removed once a year for inspection and re-lubing. Some remove them every time, thinking they can clean a breech better. Think about a hose. How is more pressure created, with or without a nozzle? High pressure cleans better. All that removing them every time to clean does is to wear the threads.

water/soap throught the nipple a few times so the high pressure will clean it as you say. Then I pull the nipple so I can flush/pump lots of solution through the breech at high velocity so all the corners around the breech plug and the bottom of the barrel get thoroughly flushed out. I usually only take 8-10" strokes with the jag to make sure the area just above the breech gets wiped clean of any baked-on fouling that may have occurred. I use only water-based lube on my patches, so there is seldom if any, fouling build-up). The upper part of the barrel usually only needs a couple of swipes. In my 30+ years of bp shooting, I have never seen a nipple or liner thread worn out from cleaning procedures; only from repeated cross-threading or loose threads that allowed gas blow-by that eroded the threads.