Identifying which cap I need

[Marfi621]

I'm BRAND new to cap and ball, so please bear with my ignorance. I am reading as much as I can, but I feel experienced people are the way to go.
I recently acquired an 1851 Navy, .36 cal revolver; I have poured over all the proof mark, maker mark literature & videos I can find; I broke it down to pieces, save the action trying to ID the maker, but mo no avail. No biggie, but there were no accessories with it, like a nipple wrench, so i tried to use my caliper to determine whether it uses #10 or #11 caps; not so easy when the nipple is still in the cylinder. Any suggestions to figure it out, would be appreciated. I have read the threads about creating a wrench using a 1/4" socket, a 3/16" socket, etc., but is there a decent set out there that comes with both that I could buy? Thanks

 

[Old Hawkeye]

Measure the width of the flats on the nipple that the wrench will go on & get the appropriate wrench. TOTW techs can probably help you if you call or email them. Some of the older Euro-made revolvers had an odd size nipple, so you need to determine what you have by seeing how a #11 & a #10 fit. Proper fit is very important on a C&B revolver. When in doubt dump the nipples & get some stainless steel replacements that are made for a specific cap size & save yourself some headaches. Good luck!

 

[Marfi621]

Measure the width of the flats on the nipple that the wrench will go on & get the appropriate wrench. TOTW techs can probably help you if you call or email them. Some of the older Euro-made revolvers had an odd size nipple, so you need to determine what you have by seeing how a #11 & a #10 fit. Proper fit is very important on a C&B revolver. When in doubt dump the nipples & get some stainless steel replacements that are made for a specific cap size & save yourself some headaches. Good luck!

Thank you very much! I think I'll take your 2nd suggestion, and just flat out replace them.

 

[Crow-Feather]

When you see the cowboy in the movies pointing his 1851 Navy toward the sky when he cocks it for the next shot, he is actually allowing his cap to fall to the ground instead of into the pistol action should it come loose after firing. Best of luck. I have a 51 Navy also.

 

[Grenadier1758]

For revolver nipples, the #10 and #11 nipple wrench are the same size across the flats. If I am making from a nut driver for a revolver nipple, I prefer a 3/16" or 5 mm as the outside diameter of the nut driver is smaller and fits better in the cylinder recess for the nipple.

 

[bakerjw]

I have an ASM Colt Walker and the nipples sucked. I purchased some aftermarket ones that were much better and the supplier advised what they were.

 

[Zonie]

I'm BRAND new to cap and ball, so please bear with my ignorance. I am reading as much as I can, but I feel experienced people are the way to go.
I recently acquired an 1851 Navy, .36 cal revolver; I have poured over all the proof mark, maker mark literature & videos I can find; I broke it down to pieces, save the action trying to ID the maker, but mo no avail. No biggie, but there were no accessories with it, like a nipple wrench, so i tried to use my caliper to determine whether it uses #10 or #11 caps; not so easy when the nipple is still in the cylinder. Any suggestions to figure it out, would be appreciated. I have read the threads about creating a wrench using a 1/4" socket, a 3/16" socket, etc., but is there a decent set out there that comes with both that I could buy? Thanks

Most likely, your pistol will use #10 size caps. They should fit very snugly down over the nipple cone.

The thread size for the nipples is another matter. If the gun has a "Made in Italy" marked on it or it has Italian proof marks it would use nipples with a M6-.75mm thread size. Nipples for cap & ball pistols are shorter than nipples made for a percussion rifle or single shot pistol.
Track of the Wolf's nipple # PIR-LS might be a good guess. (Follow this link)
https://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Item.aspx/807/2
Almost all of the nipples used on percussion rifles, pistols and cap & ball pistols use a wrench for nipples that have a 1/4" (.250") distance across the flats.
If I were you, I would buy a nipple wrench that is made for use on a cap and ball pistol.
Such a wrench would be Track of the Wolf's # NW-130 or NW-140 in this link.
https://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Item.aspx/65/1
Notice, the end that engages the nipple is fairly small so it can reach down into the cavity where the nipple sits.

Track of the Wolf is an excellent company and can be fully trusted to order from.