Thanks, you guys, for all the help. I'm getting ready to spend a day in the shop working on my pocket navy. I just hope I can maintain the finish around the dovetail. I usually get one or two uh-ohs on anything I do, seems like.
I read about the modifications in your most excellent book, mec, about improving fired cap handling in the Colt replicas. I intend to follow them and thanks for the tip down on cocking tip. With my Remington, it seems to work better to tip it upward. I probably exacerbated the problem with the pocket navy by my Remington habits. By the way, I tried your Wild Bill 75 yard one handed shot yesterday and only got 4 hits out of 6 on the silhouette, 3 in the body and one in the head, using the Remington .44. Then I backed up about 5 more yards to where I had an upright post to rest my left wrist against and, two-handed, hit it all six times, center mass. The 30 grain charge of fffg seems to have quite a bit of drop, I was aiming at the neck to get center mass hits. I think this black powder revolver stuff is the most fun you can have while vertical!
Kid, I find the Remington # 10 caps work well for the first couple of cylinders with the 1858 Remington, then I begin to have misfires as the nipples foul up. It always fires the second time around on those. I can use # 11s till the cows come home without having that happen. I do like the way the 10s fit tightly without having to pinch them so I have been using both. I've not shot the pocket navy enough to decide for certain but mine seems to like the 10s just fine.
Steve