why different cap sizes?

[Poor Private]

My wife asked me a question that I couldn't give an answer to.
Why does some rifles/muskets use pistol sized caps and others use the musket caps?

 

[kevthebassman]

I don't know for sure but I think that the regular #11 caps worked fine for civilians, but something hotter was needed to combat the flash channel fouling that could happen when a soldier fired his rifle over and over again during a battle without cleaning and in less than ideal conditions. Hence the musket cap was born.

I'm sure somebody else here can give you a whole lot better and more in-depth answer than that.

 

[Va.Manuf.06]

The biggest, most important reason was the size of the cap. Yes, they may be a little hotter, but the wings and the overall size were the reason for millitaries all over the world adopting the larger cap. When trying to extract a small cap from the cap pouch and put it on a nipple, it takes a good deal more effort and dexterity with stiff, nervous fingers than you might imagine. The larger cap is just easier to manipulate under stress when firing in ranks, especially when someone is shooting at you.

 

[Poor Private]

Is this documented? Or are you goin by heresay of others?

 

[Va.Manuf.06]

Mostly practical experience and common sense. I do recall reading, years ago, that the choice of the larger cap was based on trials and thoughts by those on the commission that chose the earliest percussion weapons. I'm sure there is, buried somewhere in government documents of the period, a study of this but I am not sure where. I will try to do some searching in my reference materials but can't promise anything.