Beauty and the Beast

[mykeal]

I measured my nipples with a caliper--don't have a micrometer. The bronze one mikes at exactly 0.50 (that's as close as I can read it.) it might be the 11-50-16 -- 0.501" long.

But the factory stock nipple comes in at exactly 0.049! Which Teso would replace a 0.49? (BTW, I'm guessing these nipples are Teso. They are bronze, could they be something else?)

Maybe it's the .31 Cal. Italian Revolver (12-2) nipple 11-50-305 at the possible shop???


The end diameter of the factory nipple is a hair smaller than the Teso, too.

You wouldn't think it would make that much difference, but it does in putting caps on. 10s are real tight, 11s fall off.

Crazy, but could I file the bronze nipples down a smidge?

Actually I think I've mislead you a little. The measurement that really matters is the distance from the tip of the nipple to the thread bearing surface - the flat spot at the top of the threads that rests against the cylinder when the nipple is threaded down into place. I call that the 'tip height'. The overall length numbers above include the thread length, which is of no importance in whether the caps fire on first strike.

Here are the tip height numbers for the three Treso nipples with the proper threads for your gun:
11-50-12: 0.274"
11-50-16: 0.293"
11-50-30: 0.276"

That dimension on the OEM Uberti nipples on my 1862 Pocket Police is 0.268".

All that leads me to believe the best replacement nipple for your Pocket Navy would be the Treso 11-50-30. The 11-50-305 at the Possible Shop is just a set of 5 11-50-30 Treso nipples.

Yes, you can file the nipple down a smidge. I'd do that before buying new ones. Just chuck the nipple up in a drill (tighten the chuck on the ridge at the top of the threads, not the threads themselves) and use it as a lathe to turn the nipple while you hold the file on the tip. Take only a little off at a time and try the caps frequently. You don't want to overdo it.