Dragoon, I replaced the original nipples on my Pietta Remington with ampco nipples from Dixie yesterday. The old ones were becoming battered at the top, the hammer face not bearing squarely on them when it struck. I had been reluctant to try to change the angle on the hammer face due to the loss of the case hardening but after I put the new ones in I decided to go for it and found there WASN'T any case hardening! If there ever had been, it was so thin so as to be worthless. I was getting a few misfires as the old nipples deformed and left an angled anvil under the cap. The new nipples were supposed to be for #11 caps but # 10 Remingtons are a perfect fit. If I get the angle and length correct on the hammer face so it just touches the nipple with no cap on it, do you think the soft hammer will be much of a problem?
Mike, my Uberti Colt replica must be just right. I think the arbor bottoms out like George was talking about. I can put the wedge in with my thumb and stop pushing just as the tip is even on the other side, do the twist test you mentioned and get no play. A piece of paper between the barrel and cylinder can be pulled if it's already in there but you can't put one in. I can push the wedge on through as far as moderate thumb pressure will take it. The rounded tip is then protruding with the sides of the tip just even with the outside of the barrel. The paper will still pull with the same apparent resistance. I don't need anything to get it back out besides thumb pressure on the tip. It doesn't work loose from there when I shoot it. I understand how critical to accuracy the fit is and am really, really happy I lucked out like that. I agree with you, George, that a new gun should be RIGHT but that's often not the case. If the whole market for these things would start returning all the substandard junk that's being put out, maybe we'd see some improvement. I know I'll never buy ANYTHING from Palmetto again and I don't think MPP1423 will either, right, Kevin?
Steve