Looking To Upgrade Factory Nipple...

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Dispatch

40 Cal.
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Richmond rifle 2.jpeg

On a Pedersoli Richmond Rifle, I am looking to upgrade the factory nipple to one of those 'hot fire' types to maximize the muskets discharge.

Can anyone suggest the best option/brand for doing this?

Any help is greatly appreciated...
 
I've been shooting Springfields for 37 years and my wife has been for about 30 years and we have never seen a need for anything except regular nipples. Although there may be a few who use them I don't know of anyone in the N-SSA that uses them. They do not have any advantage over standard or everyone in a very competitive association would be using them. If you feel you need them go for it and please let us know of your results.
 
I don't know if they make a hot shot nipple for musket caps but you probably switch to a #11 if you wanted to.
Don't see any gain by doing it but that's your choice.
 
View attachment 159366
On a Pedersoli Richmond Rifle, I am looking to upgrade the factory nipple to one of those 'hot fire' types to maximize the muskets discharge.

Can anyone suggest the best option/brand for doing this?

Any help is greatly appreciated...
Correction, it's made by Chiappa Firearms not Pedersoli.

Does anyone know the nipples thread size?
 
Following. I am brand new to this forum, and don't even shoot percussion rifles, but I was helping a friend who was a national champion, and we invented a nipple design that performs better. Hotter and more reliable ignition for his paper patch rifle. Unfortunately, he passed away before we ever brought it to market, but I am trying to resurrect the project and have a lot of learning to do about nipples.

The ones he and I made had 1/4-28 threads, he also asked me for 1/4 +0.005 and 1/4 +0.010 for older guns that had worn threads. Metric is M6 x 1mm. Made a few that were 1/4-1mm, which would be M6 +0.015. Oddball size - never ran into anyone who needed it. :)
Flash holes were all 0.025", as he shot high pressure out to 1,200 yards.
 
Correction, it's made by Chiappa Firearms not Pedersoli.

Does anyone know the nipples thread size?

It will be either 5/16-24 or 8X1.25mm. Stop by the hardware store and buy one each of those bolts. Try them in your gun using only your fingers and not a wrench. If neither one screws in easily stop and inspect the threads in the barrel and on the bolts too. Put the bolts on your toolbox for the next gun.


https://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Item.aspx/807/1
 
Ive allways had very good luck, and usage from Tresso nipples, in my Muskets.
These are the brass colored nipples, made from what I think they call ampco.
I don't think you would gain anything by changing to a nipple that fires # 10, or #11 caps. you would be fumbling to cap it more likley, than not.
As mentioned, stay away from CCI Musket Caps.

Dave
 
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Is there a difference between musket caps and percussion caps? What is wrong with CCI? Size?
 
Musket caps are much larger than #s 10 & 11 and have 'wings". They are much easier to handle and the wings tell you by feel which end goes on the nipple. Since they were designed for military applications they are somewhat hotter than the smaller caps and the size and wings were to make it easy and faster for recapping. CCI musket caps are not as hot as RWS and Schutzen brand caps and give far less reliable ignition. You have a musket, stick with musket caps and enjoy the Civil War experience (provided you can find musket caps). If you are ordering nipples it might not be a bad idea to buy one for #11s and set it aside for shortages. Actually your factory nipple is more than adequate for informal shooting and I wouldn't worry about changing it out unless you were getting real serious.
 
That makes sense - I'm doing high speed photography of flashes to document nipple performance, and can tell the CCI #11 is not as hot as the Dynamit Nobel caps I have.
 
A local gunsmith told me due to the small diameter airway on a factory nipple, just like the stem on a briar smoking pipe, better opening of the airway, like installing an aftermarket nipple, promotes better, hotter powder igniting. :dunno:
 
Yes, it does, but it is a 2-way street. Bigger diameter flash hole also allows more of the chamber pressure to flow backwards through the nipple, lifting the hammer more and more violently, even to the point of snapping the hammer off. Further, the flow of hot gasses from the chamber through the nipple will flame-erode the flash hole, so the back-flow issue gets progressively worse.
 
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