If your not running competition do you really need the shields? The rake I get just for convenience but the shield? If you get one I would say get them both, but as a casual plinker like me I don’t see it.
DL
That's a good question. Part of the reason I got into black powder was to learn a new type of weaponry. I'm a firm believer in developing enough proficiency with any weapon I have that I can be able to use it in a defensive situation. I also like to set them up for that purpose. I have plenty of unmentionables, but I still think of my black powder weapons as fighting pieces if push ever comes to shove.
Keeping cap fragments out of the action is part of having them ready.
The reason for foregoing the cap rake is that I don't particularly like the idea of drilling into the frame, even if the hole is really small. Only the hammer, a readily replaceable component requires any cutting and drilling, something with which I'm more comfortable.
Accounting for all of that and what you just said, I might end up discovering that the SlixPrings nipples will address the problem on their own, obviating any need for the other upgrades. I'll see how things go in upcoming range trips.
By the way, this revolver is pretty tight on tolerances. When I pulled the wedge to take it apart for ots first cleaning, I had to really pull to get the barrel off of the arbor, and I had to apply some pressure to get it back together. Looking at the base of the arbor hole, there was some wear that looks like actual contact from the arbor, and the two pins and holes where the lug seats at the bottom of the frame were very tight. Honestly, the whole thing, except for the change from case coloring to bluing, looks to have been fashioned from one solid billet of steel. There's almost no cylinder gap, something with which I'm just fine because that always opens up a bit with time.
