Success! a/k/a "the nipple wrench frustration"...
- Thread starter Tanker6
- Start date
Andy Griffith
New member
That was a joke. 
I tighten them until she hollers.
I was hoping someone would have asked if metric or standard. 
I tighten them until she hollers.
I was hoping someone would have asked if metric or standard.
Sorry to drag up an old thread, but I've been busy.....
Cuz I was supposed to be in mediation on 3/30. Of course, it was cancelled/rescheduled shortly before and I couldn't get the "logistics" in place on the short notice I had. We really wanted to be there, but.....
Shot my '58 Remmies at our local shoot last weekend. The new nipples peformed well. Not one dropped cap. In fact, I shot my first clean match.....which since I was shooting BP wasn't necessarily "clean," but I managed to hit all of the targets.
I still have some issues with fouling in my rifle, but I think I have a line on how to fix that.
So, my follow-up question is this -- What do you guys recommend as lubricant for the cylinder pin? I've tried two things already and I'm not really happy with either one. I'm only getting 2-3 stages before I see binding and have to clean and relube.
T6 a/k/a Chickahominy Charlie
Fingers McGee said:
Cuz I was supposed to be in mediation on 3/30. Of course, it was cancelled/rescheduled shortly before and I couldn't get the "logistics" in place on the short notice I had. We really wanted to be there, but.....
Shot my '58 Remmies at our local shoot last weekend. The new nipples peformed well. Not one dropped cap. In fact, I shot my first clean match.....which since I was shooting BP wasn't necessarily "clean," but I managed to hit all of the targets.
I still have some issues with fouling in my rifle, but I think I have a line on how to fix that.
So, my follow-up question is this -- What do you guys recommend as lubricant for the cylinder pin? I've tried two things already and I'm not really happy with either one. I'm only getting 2-3 stages before I see binding and have to clean and relube.
T6 a/k/a Chickahominy Charlie
Tanker,
What I do for my Uberti Remingtons is to keep a small plastic squeeze bottle in my shooting box and between stages, after charging & greasing all loaded chambers I put a single drop of oil (I use olive but others like Ballistol) right at the juncture of the cylinder front and the frame. I then jiggle or twirl the cylinder a few times (holding the barrel up) to work it onto the cylinder pin. This 10 second procedure gets me through another stage or two without beginning to bind. If I'm shooting full loads (30grs powder) I do it each stage if shooting light loads (20grs) it's done every 2-3 stages. No need to pull the cylinder and get all messy. Save that til the final after match cleaning.
What I do for my Uberti Remingtons is to keep a small plastic squeeze bottle in my shooting box and between stages, after charging & greasing all loaded chambers I put a single drop of oil (I use olive but others like Ballistol) right at the juncture of the cylinder front and the frame. I then jiggle or twirl the cylinder a few times (holding the barrel up) to work it onto the cylinder pin. This 10 second procedure gets me through another stage or two without beginning to bind. If I'm shooting full loads (30grs powder) I do it each stage if shooting light loads (20grs) it's done every 2-3 stages. No need to pull the cylinder and get all messy. Save that til the final after match cleaning.
I would like to try the breech plug grease that I use on my nipples because the mineral oil that I use now dissipates pretty rapidly. The breech plug grease does contain some graphite which some folks can simply mix into the grease manually if theirs doesn't contain any.
I don't know if Vaseline would be any better than mineral oil since it contains the same basic mineral oil ingredient but in a different form, but it does melt at a relatively low temperature.
I think that some folks may use heavier synthetic greases, lithium grease or maybe even consider trying an anti-seize. But whichever product is chosen it would make sense to test each one out first to see how it works.
I also recall that some folks reportedly use Pam cooking spray (with olive or vegetable oil but not flavored) or its generic equivalent.
Sometimes competitive shooting requires trying out new products that a person may not normally try if only plinking because they have more time to wipe and lube between loading cylinders.
What have you tried that doesn't seem to last long enough?
I don't know if Vaseline would be any better than mineral oil since it contains the same basic mineral oil ingredient but in a different form, but it does melt at a relatively low temperature.
I think that some folks may use heavier synthetic greases, lithium grease or maybe even consider trying an anti-seize. But whichever product is chosen it would make sense to test each one out first to see how it works.
I also recall that some folks reportedly use Pam cooking spray (with olive or vegetable oil but not flavored) or its generic equivalent.
Sometimes competitive shooting requires trying out new products that a person may not normally try if only plinking because they have more time to wipe and lube between loading cylinders.
What have you tried that doesn't seem to last long enough?
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Well, I hate to be the wet blanket here, but I've got a TDC ratcheting nipple wrench and I was able to bend that little sucker out of shape. I had a friend from here on the forum make me a new one out of a 3/16"nut driver - I bent that one out of shape. I'd surely like to find one that would hold its own with my C&B guns. 
The obvious answer is to not let the nipples get stuck in the first place. I ALWAYS use an anti-seize material.
But if the gun came to you with stuck nipples then good luck. I have an ASM 1860 that I was determined to get the nipples out of it and wound up ruining the cylinder. I tried heat-cold-brake fluid-WD40-laquer thinner-and all of the various rust removing or rust loosening solutions over a period of weeks and one simply would not come out. I used every type of nipple wrench I could find and made a few from sockets and broke or bent them all. I finally broke the nipple off at the threads. I then tried to drill it out and the drill walked over into the body of the cylinder and ruined the threads.
The cylinder sets in a box to remind me to put the anti seize on the threads every time.
The remnants of the nipple are still stuck in the demolished cylinder.
A note: Even with the anti seize material on the threads I do not tighten the nipples. I snug them up until they stop turning and quit there. I guess you could call them finger tight but no more than that.
But if the gun came to you with stuck nipples then good luck. I have an ASM 1860 that I was determined to get the nipples out of it and wound up ruining the cylinder. I tried heat-cold-brake fluid-WD40-laquer thinner-and all of the various rust removing or rust loosening solutions over a period of weeks and one simply would not come out. I used every type of nipple wrench I could find and made a few from sockets and broke or bent them all. I finally broke the nipple off at the threads. I then tried to drill it out and the drill walked over into the body of the cylinder and ruined the threads.
The cylinder sets in a box to remind me to put the anti seize on the threads every time.
The remnants of the nipple are still stuck in the demolished cylinder.
A note: Even with the anti seize material on the threads I do not tighten the nipples. I snug them up until they stop turning and quit there. I guess you could call them finger tight but no more than that.
arcticap said:
So far I've tried regular gun oil (Hoppe's) and Ballistol. The Ballistol works well for 2-3 stages (2-3 cylinders), but it starts gumming up after that. The Hoppe's is a 1 stage only.
I've heard others talk about a grease of some sort, and that's what I was wondering about.
So, if you're using a particular type of grease on your cap and ball which allows you to shoot, say, 6-8 cylinders without binding on the cylinder pin area, I'd love to hear what you're using.
Thanks,
T6 a/k/a Chickahominy Charlie
sandman_nv
New member
i'm guessin the makers hire gorillas to tighten down them nipples
