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I continue to have problems with the fired percussion cap ripping open upon firing, like a peeled banana. No amount of pre-pinching will,of course, hold such a ripped-up cap in place. I switched to TRESO (made from Ampco alloy) aftermarket nipples. They are much better looking, but still, despite the promises, the caps still rip apart, fall off and then drop into the "gubbins", jamming the hammer up and requiring that I get out a sharp pick and retrieve it on the shooting line. What a drag!
This is apparently not unusual, but so many people have told me those aftermarket nipples would fix it. How, pray tell? (And, they did not fix anything!)
I may now have to modify the revolver's frame, by drilling a small hole (0.5 to 0.75mm of so diameter) then placing a suitable rod into that open frame slot. I'd have to then also open up the slot in the hammer to allow it to move over and not hit that new pin. The idea is that a vertical pin in the right place would not allow the spent cap to fall off and then into the firearm's inner workings, jamming it all up!
Anyone hear of this pin mod being done, or have had it done and/or can comment on it's usefulness?
Otherwise, IMHO, these revolvers are, for all intents and purposes, useless as shooters. I cannot imagine Sam Colt having put up with this obvious design failing, but then it turns out he died literally months before the 1862 got out into "commerce" in any numbers.
But also, why have the aftermarket guys not worked this out?
Gawd, what a pain! It's indeed a very pretty revolver, but functionally useless! I mean, can you imagine being in a street fight?
"Hold on, Nabisco Kid!! First I've got to unjam my revolver's hammer for my second shot at you! Oh... you too, huh? Well, take your time!"
Buddy of mine filled in the slot on the hammer of his 1860 army with JB weld as well as learning the tilt and flip while chocking. He can rip through five shots pretty damn quick. I believe he also tried different nipple/cap combos.
I would try different brands of caps first; the caps shouldn't shred in the first place. But cap 'n ball revolvers (especially the cheap italian ones) are crazy-finnicky, almost impossible to tune and often just plain crap out of the box.
RWS caps were always my favorite before I went to flint... I never had a problem with them when I had a BP revolver many moons ago.
The suggested load for a .36cal (.380 lead ball size..) 1862 is (when weighed..) 15 to 20 grains of FFFg, or Pyrodex. P (pistol).
Then you compress it all down with no air between the ball and powder. I have also tried those pre-lubed wads, but some say to leave them out.
I have worked my way on down to 15 - 17 grains of powder, and no matter what load, it always banana-splits those caps, even when they are fitted to those special Treso nipples.
I've also tried both sizes of caps, and am using CCI caps. Those should be of good quality I would imagine.
It's a stumper, for sure!
Oh btw, I have indeed heard of the JB Weld solution, and may try that one, since it can be easily reversed. I'll let y'all know. As well, I have heard that the latest Uberti revolvers have far better QC than they had even 5 years ago. hopefully that's true.
Meantime, I don't really see any obvious fit and finish quality problems, and with those new Treso nipples any operational issues would not really affect the pressure dynamics within the cylinder and nipple combo.
The CCI caps are the problem. I hate using CCI caps in my revolvers. Remington or RWS caps are better for the revolvers (Remington quality control can be spotty so watch the caps as you put them on).
The CCI caps are the problem. I hate using CCI caps in my revolvers. Remington or RWS caps are better for the revolvers (Remington quality control can be spotty so watch the caps as you put them on).
Sadly though arctic, I have indeed tried CCI & Remington, plus some imported Italian off brands. Perhaps it's partially a cap-size issue, but I have also tried both #11s and #10s, even with those aftermarket high end nipples. All with the same result! Splittzo!
You might try looking for old tins (actually mine are in black plastic containers the same size as tins) of CVA brass percussion caps from I think the 1980's. They're thicker metal. Only problem is 20+ year old caps aren't always reliable...
I'm guessing here, but maybe the problem is the hammer is striking too "deep", and it's splitting the caps by driving them too far onto the nipple?
Maybe some JB Weld on the hammer or frame to limit how far the hammer goes forward?
If this is the problem maybe changing the profile of the part of the hammer that hits the cap will help?
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