Nipple Size for Original 1853 Enfield

[Rokon]

What is the correct nipple size for an original 1853 Enfield musket?

What is the company name for the leading muzzleloading supply house in England?

Thanks!

 

[bisleyjohn]

Henry Krank & Co

5/16 x 18 BSW on my Parker Hale repro.

 

[barracudadave67]

TOW, and Tresso, make nipples in 5/16x18 thread.

Dave

 

[Whitworth]

Peter Dyson.

 

[TFoley]

Henry Krank & Co

5/16 x 18 BSW on my Parker Hale repro.

Kranks are falling down badly in MY books. Last time I ordered something from them it took TWO whole days to get to me. Something seriously amiss here, Folks.

Actually, as BisleyJohn notes, they are THE go-to BP-related gun store in UK, in fact, the ONLY one of its kind. There are positively NO places like TOW, Rifle Shoppe, Gun Works - nuttn'. Talk to Mark about BP - he is the man - and tell him I sent you.

Reason for the lack of BP specialists here is all the pioneering, adventuring, discovery and opening-up associated with the North American Continent took place here around 7-8 thousand years back, not 200 years.

 

[springfield art]

What is the correct nipple size for an original 1853 Enfield musket?

What is the company name for the leading muzzleloading supply house in England?

Thanks!

Many Enfields were mfg. by different companies in the 19th Century, without standardization of parts uniformity. Each has to be evaluated on it's merits. Craig Barry's book on the Civil War muskets has lots of good information about mfg. methods of the period, and explores lots of myths and mis-conceptions about the Enfield musket.

 

[TFoley]

I've just ordered THREE replacement nipples from Peter Dyson here in UK. Here is their illustration and details of the thread - note that these are for ENGLISH-made rifles, genuine and Parker-Hale, NOT Italian replications which have a metric thread.
Peter Dyson | NIPPLES, TOUCH HOLES & FIRING PINS | NIPPLES |

Nipple Enfield (ML2)
Ref: NP1480
Price: £6.00


Steel nipples for Enfield. for top hat cap. 5/16" x 20 tpi. REVERSE CONE Suitable for PH reproduction Enfield rifles The price is EACH

It's a good idea to put a thin copper spacing washer under it - you might be able to find such a thing but I can't be bothered to look that hard. Mine have been in use for well over forty years now.

For what it's worth, this so-called standard Enfield thread nipple fits on three Parker-Hale, two original Enfield rifles and a Pritchett Volunteer rifle - so there was at least SOME measure of standardisation in an item as basic and necessary as a nipple.