To Use or Not To Use a Flash Cup

[grant]

I was just wondering if you guys think flash cups are necessary or are they one of those things that's just for show?

 

[harryo]

I was just wondering if you guys think flash cups are necessary or are they one of those things that's just for show?

They aren't necessary but they keep the breech end of the barrel and the lock much cleaner and therefore, make clean up easier. I have one on all my percussion rifles.

 

It got in the way when capping so I tossed mine. Since so many originals have wood burnt away ahead of the drum, they probably weren't used much. Put a small piece of tape over the wood in front of the drum.

 

[shmrck1]

Same here as far as capping is concerned so I
ditched mine also....
snake-eyes :hmm:

 

[grant]

The breech end of my gun does stay pretty clean. I tried a different nipple today and I noticed that it was ever so slightly taller than my original nipple. So with the flash cup under the nipple it made it slightly more taller. The end result was that the hammer was not getting a clean strike on the cap(sometimes the cap would not go off). Without the flash cup the hammer got a clean strike.

 

[jtmattison]

They do keep the breech end cleaner but I ditched mine because the cap fragments were flying up in my face. I tried different types but they all did the same thing.

HD

 

[ss1]

They are great ! May have to reduce height of flash cup to make capping easer.

 

[Lone Carabiner]

don't have one on my CVA .50, I've seen 'em on some guns but never could figger what advantage they would be, seemed useless to me.

 

[renovato]

I use a flash cup on anything I can get it to fit on. It helps keep the gun clean and protect the wood. I've never had an issue capping with an inline capper or my fingers, though you do have a lot less room to work in.

My old double barrel pistol (pics posted in another thread) has the wood badly burned away behind the breech. If flash cups were available back then, I didn't know about them, but I sure wish I had them. The stock is just ruined.

 

[walruskid1]

i like a flash cup. keeps the wood from getting toasted. just my .02

 

[shortjack]

I tried them, but I had the same problem Huntin Dog had cap debris kept flying up in my face. Thank god for shooting glasses.

 

[walruskid1]

don't have that problem with underhammers! NO debris in the face. (it all sticks in your arm) :rotf: :shocked2:

 

[Zonie]

The problem most people have with these things is they just install them with the nipple and expect them to do their job. The resulting cup is leaning back towards the shooter.

The results is the cap fragments blow up and back at the shooter.

What needs to be done is to get out the trusty file or grinder and remove 50-70 percent of the brass cup on the forward side of the gun.
Leave enough on the forward side so it keeps the blast from hitting the stock wood.

This leaves a brass "fence" which is high in the rear and low in the front.
With this modification the remaining brass blocks the fragments from going to the rear but leaves the forward area open so the powder gas and cap fragments are blown upward and forward.

That said, I don't use them on my rifles.

Zonie

 

[musketman]

I was just wondering if you guys think flash cups are necessary or are they one of those things that's just for show?

Most percussion guns have a recessed hammer striking face, in my opinion this acts like a built in flash cup, it directs the cap fragments and priming charge blast down and away from your eye...

 

[sundowner]

I have them on all my cap locks . Keeps that end of the gun clean also I have on problems with caps , I use one of cash's caper's .
Sundowner

 

[4440]

I highly recommend them for those left hand shooters shooting a right hand percussion rifle. Helps keep the hot fragments from the cap from landing in the bend of your right arm.

 

[Coot]

If the flash cup makes it difficult to place the cap on the nipple & you still want to protect the wood stock, you can take a scrap of thin leather, punch a small hole for the nipple & tie it over the stock with a bit of lacing. Unlace to show, clean or store the gun. When I sold my 32 caplock, there was no burning on the wood by the lock. :thumbsup:

 

[Forster]

Though I have never used one, I do apply a coating of bore butter to the lock and wood around the lock area. It makes cleaning the area much easier at the end of the day...Jim