I've crossed to the dark side (blackpowder)

T

twobit

New member
:eek: Well after over 45 years of shooting, I have just bought my first BP firearm. It should arrive in about a week and a half courtesy of a GB seller. It is a Pietta 1860 Hartford model .44 (not brass framed) It is not brand new, but probably never fired. I need to know what size precussion caps to get. To be more exact for the question... What size will best fit this particular revolver? (Rem. #10, CCI #11, ....)

Thanks,
 
No one here can legitimately give you the correct answer as they haven't shot it. The answer will depend upon the nipples you have on that firearm. I would order a mix of #10's and #11's from a couple of companies and see which are the best fit.
 
Trust me....people ask that question all the time around here. It is very common. I probably asked the question myself the first time. Unfortunately, some people are quick to give you a response when in fact they really don't know. Or, they will tell you what works on their revolvers which isn't the answer to the question you asked. ;)
 
A suggestion that might help you out.
Are you anywhere near another BP shooter?
If you are you could "borrow" a few of his caps to see if they work do get that size & brand. If they don't get the opposite size.:D
Seriously it's a bit hit & miss getting set up I went through the same thing. Even the ball sizes vary between manufacturers in the same nominal caliber.:eek:
 
I just bought a newly made Pietta JH Dance revolver. It took #10 CCI caps which are fairly small. I swapped out the nipples and installed another set of Pietta factory nipples from an older revolver and they take the Remington #10s like everything else I own. So, even the same factory will crank out different sized nipples requiring different sized caps.

Half of my 16 guns will take the CCI#11s and the other half will take the RWS#11 (size 1075) but ALL will take the Remington#10s or else I replace the nipples with some that will.
 
Never had one that took 10's and 11's unless the 11's were pinch fit. The ones of mine that take 11 won't work with 10's. The 1075 on the RWS isn't really a size. It's more of a part number.
 
The OP probably doesn't realize that #10's from one manufacturer aren't necessarily the same as #10's from another. They can even be different in size from one production run to the next from the same manufacturer. That's why it's a good idea to just buy a couple of different sizes from a couple of manufacturers and work from there. Also, looking into Treso bronze nipples for consistency is something to do.
 
OP HERE........Thanks for all the comments. I did realize that the same numbers from different manufactures will not be the same. I did not know that a Pietta gun with original nipples will not be consistent with all other Pietta guns that still have original nipples. So now I know not to count on consistency from either the caps or the nipples.

Someone is sending me a few different cap sizes to try, and some .451 & .457 balls to try. I had already ordered a box of .454 balls. Hope those fit, but I will see if the .451 or .457 are better for the next order.

No one local that I know shoots BP revolvers. The LGS only carries FF for a few folks around that have some in-line hunting guns (rifles). They also have a few rifle sabots and bullets but no round balls in revolver calibers. They do not have any other customers asking for supplies for BP revolvers. They do not carry any caps at all. His supplier will not sell him any quantities of caps smaller than a case lot and he would never sell an entire case in a couple of years. He said what is strange is that his supplier will deliver primer orders as small as 1000 primers (one brick). This LGS has a good supply of reloading goods as long as it is smokeless. I buy all my smokeless powder and primers there.

I will be buying all my FFF and caps in San Antonio at the Powder Horn, which is 80 miles east of here. I've got the Dixie Gun Works catalog and have read up on the vast amount of info that it offers in the articles. I have also been reading everything on this forum about BP. It has helped a lot. I've been reloading smokeless for years so the concepts are not completely new to me.

Looking forward to picking your expert brains in the future.
Twobit
 
The CCI caps are less forgiving of nipple size. They are fairly rigid and the copper cup is thicker so there is less "give" as they are seated. The Remington caps are thinner cups and somewhat pre split and will flare more readily for a nice, snug fit without needing as hard of a push as the CCI or RWS caps. I always use a push stick for a full seating.
 
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