My pocket navy (Uberti) has given me fits ever since I got it. There were few cylinders fired without at least one cap jam, even after I made the modifications recommended in mec's book. http://www.amazon.com/Percussion-Pi...1688961?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1188237721&sr=8-1
I had also replaced the nipples with Ampco nipples. The replacement nipples and mec's modifications both improved on the problem but didn't eliminate it.
I went through all sorts of gyrations when cocking the piece to try to prevent the jam, which in my pistol was caused by the fragmented cap falling down in the hammer cut in front of the hammer where it acted as a hammer block. Often I'd find the cap already down there before I cocked, which could only mean the hammer was being blown away from the nipple enough for the cap to escape. Just about the only place the fragmented cap can go under those circumstances is down.
Recently I placed a pretty thick leather shim between the hammer spring and the front of the grip frame. I had already attempted to increase hammer spring tension by the addition of a second, thin piece of spring made from the mainspring of an old alarm clock. Between the shim and the second spring, I think I finally have the problem fixed. The caps rupture but stay intact on the nipples since the hammer spring tension is strong enough now to hold them on at the moment of firing. They ride around and mostly fall off at the capping cut in the frame. I shot this morning and had not a single malfunction.
I have had other Colt replicas which never showed any tendency to handle fired caps poorly and I can't recall ever having even one cap jam with the Pietta Remington I have. I really liked the little .36 Colt pocket Navy but I got to the point where I rarely shot it due to the frustration factor. That's probably going to change now.
I may be the only person in the world dumb enough to take as long as I did to figure this problem out, and all cap jams sure aren't caused by a weak hammer spring, but if you are having caps fall in front of the hammer on a Colt, look before you cock it to see if the cap is ALREADY missing from the nipple. If it is and you find it in front of the hammer down in the bottom of the hammer cut, more hammer spring tension may fix it.
I had also replaced the nipples with Ampco nipples. The replacement nipples and mec's modifications both improved on the problem but didn't eliminate it.
I went through all sorts of gyrations when cocking the piece to try to prevent the jam, which in my pistol was caused by the fragmented cap falling down in the hammer cut in front of the hammer where it acted as a hammer block. Often I'd find the cap already down there before I cocked, which could only mean the hammer was being blown away from the nipple enough for the cap to escape. Just about the only place the fragmented cap can go under those circumstances is down.
Recently I placed a pretty thick leather shim between the hammer spring and the front of the grip frame. I had already attempted to increase hammer spring tension by the addition of a second, thin piece of spring made from the mainspring of an old alarm clock. Between the shim and the second spring, I think I finally have the problem fixed. The caps rupture but stay intact on the nipples since the hammer spring tension is strong enough now to hold them on at the moment of firing. They ride around and mostly fall off at the capping cut in the frame. I shot this morning and had not a single malfunction.
I have had other Colt replicas which never showed any tendency to handle fired caps poorly and I can't recall ever having even one cap jam with the Pietta Remington I have. I really liked the little .36 Colt pocket Navy but I got to the point where I rarely shot it due to the frustration factor. That's probably going to change now.
I may be the only person in the world dumb enough to take as long as I did to figure this problem out, and all cap jams sure aren't caused by a weak hammer spring, but if you are having caps fall in front of the hammer on a Colt, look before you cock it to see if the cap is ALREADY missing from the nipple. If it is and you find it in front of the hammer down in the bottom of the hammer cut, more hammer spring tension may fix it.