Caps for my Pietta 1858

M

mrappe

New member
I bought a 1858 Remy from Cabelas about 14 years ago and have always had good luck with Remington #10 caps. They fit well and for years I have been doing my Cowboy Action Shooting with .45 Colt and contemplating switching over to using C & B for my pistols. With all of the hassle of finding primers etc lately I finally broke down And ordered another 58 from Cabelas on sale. I tried it out for the suppled and the spare cylinder that I bought and found that the nipples looked different than the ones that I already own and the Remmington #10 caps are loose fitting on the new nipples. So I am at a loss as to what will be a good fit for the new ones. This is going to make it a pain to have to use more than one size when shooting in a match.

Mike
 
Try CCI caps, if that doesn't work you are going to need new nipples so you can stay with the same percussion caps as you are used to using.
 
Just went through a cap & nipple fight my self, was not going to have to use 2 different size caps.
You may want to get a new set of nipples for the older gun.
What I did was to chuck up the over sized nipples in a drill press (poor man's lathe) and turn them down with a safe-sided file, also used a triangle file. I measured them often and spun a marker on them to keep track of where I was filing.
 
I never had much luck before with CCI caps but I could try them with the new cylinder. Any suggestions as to a good nipple that would work for all my cylinders and with a definite cap would be good.
Mike
 
Amen Hawg...

... amen! This comes up over and over on this forum.

#1) These guns come from Italy.
#2) They could care less how our caps fit the nipples they put on them. (Some BP gunsmiths even say the cap size is metric).
#3) Caps here in the US vary GREATLY even from one tin to another.
#4) Get the Treso's as Hawg suggested.
#5) While you're at it, get them for ALL your BP six-shooters (so everything is the same).
#6) I never "pinch" a cap because it doesn't fit properly. I'm too picky I guess. I enjoy having everything as "perfect" as possible.
#7)The biggest advantage of all... The Treso's have a small flash hole. They "funnel" the flash from the cap into the powder. This focuses all the ignition out the end of the barrel with minimal blow-back and the spent cap will somewhat hold together keeping the cylinder from jamming when you cock the hammer the next time.
#8) I've heard tell in this forum, of nipples that were so worn out from YEARS of shooting, the hammer would cock itself after a round was fired as the flash-hole was horribly over-sized. There was blow-back to the extent it actually would re-cock the hammer! Seriously? Rip those nipples out and throw them away!
#9) Do these things as if your very life depended upon it. At some point it might... I hope not.

OK men, it's your turn to jump in on something I might have forgotten!

:D


Birch
 
Last edited:
caps

Depending on the year make and model
some nipples are 1/4 x 28 ASE
others are 6mm x 75 metric
And yep different brands fit different caps better.
For yours, trial and error is expensive.
So find one that will be the same for all.
Contact the mfg or nipple ask them if cci or remmy fit best
same with #10 or 11.
Personally I prefer #11 on mine.
All none size, little hotter spark.
 
Yep. Find one that fits them all.

And be prepared to be frustrated and angry when the next batch of caps you buy no longer fits, because THEY ARE NOT PRECISION ITEMS.

Matching cap and nipple cones is a crap shoot. Sometimes you get the bear and sometimes the bear gets you. Lower your expectations and learn to live with it - life is too short.
 
Never "pinch" a cap because it doesn't fit properly. Throw the tin away, (or lose your hand or trash your gun)?
Click to expand...

What?

From an old Colt Industries pamphlet:
"Percussion caps are now made in sizes from nine to thirteen. Ten and eleven are the best numbers for the small and medium-sized arms, and twelve for the larger sizes, although, as different-sized nipples are sometimes met in specimens of the same model, no hard and fast rule can be given. It is better to have caps slightly too large than too small, as large caps can be pinched together at the bottom enough so they will stay on the nipples, but small ones must be driven down on the nipple by the blow of the hammer, and this process frequently cushions the blow to the extent of producing a misfire."
 
^^^

Yep I know that. I'm extremely fussy. Anyone can do whatever they want. I only know I personally won't pinch caps because they don't fit correctly. That type of thing drives me nuts!

;)

Birch
 
Caps can drive you nuts, but it comes with the territory. You can have a cap that fits perfectly, then you fire the gun a few times, the nipple gets fouled, and the cap no longer fits.
Pinching works for me.
 
Never "pinch" a cap because it doesn't fit properly. Throw the tin away, (or lose your hand or trash your gun)?
Click to expand...

How pray tell is either one of those going to happen from a pinched cap? And don't you dare say chain fire. In a chain fire the only chamber that has any force is the one in battery. The rest are very weak, Without bore pressure the balls only go a few yards and drop. Your arm might get peppered with cap fragments but they don't normally break the skin.
 
Over the years I have had "multiple discharges" the last one from a nipples that were too long and the cap next to the barrel fired when cap recoiled against the frame and hit a target next to the one the I hit with the barrel launched bullet.
Previous ones, along time ago, were from under size balls cast with brass mold that came with the cased gun.
There is nothing terrifying about having it happen, extra smoke and mess of powder streaks. The balls go down range and no one should be standing in front of you!!!
 
Yep, I'm a pincher ;), as I have yet to buy new Treso nipples. But out of the bazillion (seems like) balls fired, no chain fires, no cap jams, and I still have all my fingers, hands, and my revolver. :D All with pinched CCI #11s and some RWS 1075's. Actually when I pinch them I get a warm and fuzzy feeling, because they fit tighter than a gnats behind. Granted it takes longer to cap the cylinder. I do plan to order new Treso's soon. I'm just not looking forward to it as I have to buy 30 nipples as of now :eek:
 
^^^

Thank you kind sir.

I couldn't take the heat, so I went back and edited that post to reflect better what I was thinking.

:D

Birch
 
I bought two tins of #11's for my Pietta 1858. I have to pinch them to make them stay on. I have nothing else to use them on so I will pinch so I can use them up. I tried not pinching them but they will fall off the nipples during firing otherwise. I will try #10s next.

In competition it is critical that your caps don't fall off.

Steve
 
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