Replacement nipples
- Thread starter KeithR41
- Start date
There's many outfits. Thunder Ridge offers nipples in Stainless Steel or Ampco, a harder alloy which is highly rated.
http://www.thunder-ridge-muzzleloading.com/nip_x_ref.htm
Bloomquist is a very helpful & reputable outfit that makes custom nipples and offers them in "revolver nipple kits". They also have a toll free phone number: 1-800-337-1243
http://blomquistpercussionworks.com/products.html
http://www.thunder-ridge-muzzleloading.com/nip_x_ref.htm
Bloomquist is a very helpful & reputable outfit that makes custom nipples and offers them in "revolver nipple kits". They also have a toll free phone number: 1-800-337-1243
http://blomquistpercussionworks.com/products.html
If all else fails, http://www.vtigunparts.com/ sells original factory gun parts, including nipples. You'd need to know who manufactured your 1851 Navy. Then you should be able to find it on the VTI site and buy the exact original replacements for it.
Unfortunately, if replacement brands have advantages over the originals you won't get those advantages this way. Also, VTI seems kind of pricey for nipples. But the originals on my own revolvers seem to work well and last, so perhaps this isn't so much of a problem.
Wouldn't hurt to phone the companies Arcticap suggested, tell them what brand you have, and see what they have to say.
I've only browsed catalogs so far, but it looks to me that it's likely several different sizes or brands of nipples might work for your revolver-- those nipples having been designed for different advantages. There will be the original style direct replacements such as you'd get from VTI. I've seen some that say they're set up for a #11 cap-- my original Piettas seem to work best with a #10 Remington cap, but the local store doesn't carry them, so a different set of nipples for a different sized cap would be logical. Then there are different designs. One I saw touting their smaller flash holes, which are supposed to reduce the backward flash after the cap fires, thus reducing problems with split or shattered caps and perhaps reducing the chance of chainfires. Then there are stainless steel or...
Sorry. I did have a point. Which is that aside from there just being different companies each offering replacement nipples, there are also different designs of nipple, and all designed to fit the same gun. So it is possible the two different sizes you saw listed really were both for your gun.
On the other hand, I have also seen nipples offered for original Colt 1851s, and I gather the thread size on those puppies is different from what the modern Italian replicas use. So you have to be sure the part is designed for your particular gun.
Stupid side story: Many years ago I bought a matched serial number set of Ubertis. One was an 1849 Pocket Model replica, .31, the other a Second Model Dragoon. I bought them from Cabela's, with their "starter kits."
Among other things, the starter kits each included a nipple wrench and six spare nipples. In spite of the fact that the .31 was a five-shooter. These nipples would not have fitted the guns they came with. The .31 used a much smaller nipple, and the nipple for the Dragoon was a little bigger.
I had bad luck with those revolvers. I think mainly because I hadn't read this forum-- indeed, this was so far back into the dark ages that we got our information from baked clay tablets written in the Babylonian alphabet. The tablets were circular, and a store of information would be a stack of these clay discs. Every so often you'd knock them off the table, and that was the first hard disc crash.
Um.. point.. ah, my point was this forum probably didn't exist back then. So I didn't know how to use the revolvers properly. Had problems with them and sold them. I kept the "starter kits" and the nipples though.
More recently I called Cabela's and ordered their pocket .31 Remington, and then the .44 New Model Army Remington, both manufactured by Pietta. The .31 Pocket uses a smaller, shorter nipple of its own design. But the .44's look like an exact match for the old nipples from those Cabela's starter kits.
I think I have enough spare nipples to keep that .44 going for a long, LONG time.
Unfortunately, if replacement brands have advantages over the originals you won't get those advantages this way. Also, VTI seems kind of pricey for nipples. But the originals on my own revolvers seem to work well and last, so perhaps this isn't so much of a problem.
Wouldn't hurt to phone the companies Arcticap suggested, tell them what brand you have, and see what they have to say.
I've only browsed catalogs so far, but it looks to me that it's likely several different sizes or brands of nipples might work for your revolver-- those nipples having been designed for different advantages. There will be the original style direct replacements such as you'd get from VTI. I've seen some that say they're set up for a #11 cap-- my original Piettas seem to work best with a #10 Remington cap, but the local store doesn't carry them, so a different set of nipples for a different sized cap would be logical. Then there are different designs. One I saw touting their smaller flash holes, which are supposed to reduce the backward flash after the cap fires, thus reducing problems with split or shattered caps and perhaps reducing the chance of chainfires. Then there are stainless steel or...
Sorry. I did have a point. Which is that aside from there just being different companies each offering replacement nipples, there are also different designs of nipple, and all designed to fit the same gun. So it is possible the two different sizes you saw listed really were both for your gun.
On the other hand, I have also seen nipples offered for original Colt 1851s, and I gather the thread size on those puppies is different from what the modern Italian replicas use. So you have to be sure the part is designed for your particular gun.
Stupid side story: Many years ago I bought a matched serial number set of Ubertis. One was an 1849 Pocket Model replica, .31, the other a Second Model Dragoon. I bought them from Cabela's, with their "starter kits."
Among other things, the starter kits each included a nipple wrench and six spare nipples. In spite of the fact that the .31 was a five-shooter. These nipples would not have fitted the guns they came with. The .31 used a much smaller nipple, and the nipple for the Dragoon was a little bigger.
I had bad luck with those revolvers. I think mainly because I hadn't read this forum-- indeed, this was so far back into the dark ages that we got our information from baked clay tablets written in the Babylonian alphabet. The tablets were circular, and a store of information would be a stack of these clay discs. Every so often you'd knock them off the table, and that was the first hard disc crash.
Um.. point.. ah, my point was this forum probably didn't exist back then. So I didn't know how to use the revolvers properly. Had problems with them and sold them. I kept the "starter kits" and the nipples though.
More recently I called Cabela's and ordered their pocket .31 Remington, and then the .44 New Model Army Remington, both manufactured by Pietta. The .31 Pocket uses a smaller, shorter nipple of its own design. But the .44's look like an exact match for the old nipples from those Cabela's starter kits.
I think I have enough spare nipples to keep that .44 going for a long, LONG time.
Replacement Nipples
Nipples are designated numerically by the thread designation, length and then cap size. The most common are:
Metric thread designations -
M5.5 X .9 (5.5mm or 0.216" major thread diameter by 0.9 mm thread pitch or approx 28.2 threads/inch)
M6 X 1 (6mm or 0.236" major thread diameter by 1 mm thread pitch or approx 25.4 threads/inch, ISO coarse thread spec)
M6 X 0.75 (6mm or 0.236" major thread diameter by 0.75 mm thread pitch or approx 33.9 threads/inch, ISO fine thread spec)
M8 X 1 (8mm or 0.315" major thread diameter by 1 mm thread pitch or approx. 25.4 threads/inch, ISO fine thread spec)
M8 X 1.25 (8mm or 0.315" major thread diameter by 1.25 mm thread pitch or approx 20.32 threads/inch, ISO coarse thread spec)
SAE thread designations -
1/4 X 28 (0.25" or 6.35mm major thread diameter by 28 threads/inch or 0.907mm pitch, UNF thread spec)
12 X 28 (0.216" or 5.486mm major thread diameter by 28 threads/inch or 0.907mm pitch, UNF thread spec)
1/4 X 32 (0.25" or 6.35mm major thread diameter by 32 threads/inch or 0.794mm thread pitch, UNEF thread spec)
5/16 X 24 (0.312" or 7.94mm major thread diameter by 24 threads/inch or 1.058mm thread pitch, UNF thread spec)
5/16 X 18 (0.312" or 7.94mm major thread diameter by 18 threads/inch or 1.411mm thread pitch, UNC thread spec)
1/4, #12 and M6 are rifle and pistol nipple sizes; 5/16 and M8 are musket nipple sizes (in general, but sometimes...)
Length is specified in inches or mm, depending on the thread spec, and cap sizes are generally #10, #11 and musket.
The 12X28 and M5.5X0.9 specs are pretty close to each other and can be mistaken if just casually observed. 5/16X24 and M8X1 are also. You really need both SAE and metric thread and bolt size gauges, and they need to be in good condition to be absolutely accurate on what size nipples you need. If you can't borrow one from a local mechanic or machinist they are not too expensive, but get both SAE and metric gages.
All that being said, Track of the Wolf has the best selection of sizes that I've come across, Thunder Ridge is also very good and has a superb cross reference chart. I'd start with those guys.
Nipples are designated numerically by the thread designation, length and then cap size. The most common are:
Metric thread designations -
M5.5 X .9 (5.5mm or 0.216" major thread diameter by 0.9 mm thread pitch or approx 28.2 threads/inch)
M6 X 1 (6mm or 0.236" major thread diameter by 1 mm thread pitch or approx 25.4 threads/inch, ISO coarse thread spec)
M6 X 0.75 (6mm or 0.236" major thread diameter by 0.75 mm thread pitch or approx 33.9 threads/inch, ISO fine thread spec)
M8 X 1 (8mm or 0.315" major thread diameter by 1 mm thread pitch or approx. 25.4 threads/inch, ISO fine thread spec)
M8 X 1.25 (8mm or 0.315" major thread diameter by 1.25 mm thread pitch or approx 20.32 threads/inch, ISO coarse thread spec)
SAE thread designations -
1/4 X 28 (0.25" or 6.35mm major thread diameter by 28 threads/inch or 0.907mm pitch, UNF thread spec)
12 X 28 (0.216" or 5.486mm major thread diameter by 28 threads/inch or 0.907mm pitch, UNF thread spec)
1/4 X 32 (0.25" or 6.35mm major thread diameter by 32 threads/inch or 0.794mm thread pitch, UNEF thread spec)
5/16 X 24 (0.312" or 7.94mm major thread diameter by 24 threads/inch or 1.058mm thread pitch, UNF thread spec)
5/16 X 18 (0.312" or 7.94mm major thread diameter by 18 threads/inch or 1.411mm thread pitch, UNC thread spec)
1/4, #12 and M6 are rifle and pistol nipple sizes; 5/16 and M8 are musket nipple sizes (in general, but sometimes...)
Length is specified in inches or mm, depending on the thread spec, and cap sizes are generally #10, #11 and musket.
The 12X28 and M5.5X0.9 specs are pretty close to each other and can be mistaken if just casually observed. 5/16X24 and M8X1 are also. You really need both SAE and metric thread and bolt size gauges, and they need to be in good condition to be absolutely accurate on what size nipples you need. If you can't borrow one from a local mechanic or machinist they are not too expensive, but get both SAE and metric gages.
All that being said, Track of the Wolf has the best selection of sizes that I've come across, Thunder Ridge is also very good and has a superb cross reference chart. I'd start with those guys.
Last edited:
Johnywinslow
New member
#11 niples.
I noticed all the cap and ball revolver except for ruger use #10 caps , can u buy # 11 cap niple replacements? Seems a lodgical step in upgrading any cap and ball pistol ! IM new to cap and ball shooting so if this is a dumb question i apologyze lolol
I noticed all the cap and ball revolver except for ruger use #10 caps , can u buy # 11 cap niple replacements? Seems a lodgical step in upgrading any cap and ball pistol ! IM new to cap and ball shooting so if this is a dumb question i apologyze lolol