Cap size for Remington 1895

[manxteddy]

Just bought a repro 1895 by Pietta made in 1998. Stainless Steel.
It is 36 calibre.
In trying out the pistol I found the caps very tight to fit and then when fired they can be very difficult to remove without a screwdriver to prize off !.
Can't ask previous owner as he has passed away.
No idea what cap size I have perhaps they are 10.
Therefore should I get some size 11 ?
Any help appreciated.

[loiner1965]

Just bought a repro 1895 by Pietta made in 1998. Stainless Steel.
It is 36 calibre.
In trying out the pistol I found the caps very tight to fit and then when fired they can be very difficult to remove without a screwdriver to prize off !.
Can't ask previous owner as he has passed away.
No idea what cap size I have perhaps they are 10.
Therefore should I get some size 11 ?
Any help appreciated.

You can do what I did.....place nipple in cordless drill and remove metal by fine wet and dry until cap fits nicely, after a while the nipple mushrooms at the ends

[tacfoley]

You can do what I did.....place nipple in cordless drill and remove metal by fine wet and dry until cap fits nicely, after a while the nipple mushrooms at the ends

Some #10 are the same size as #11 and vice versa. Fact of life. Buy some of each.

tac

[manxteddy]

Thanks for the info as I am new to this.
The nipples do look under a glass to be slightly flared due to hammer impact.
Graham

[loiner1965]

Thanks for the info as I am new to this.
The nipples do look under a glass to be slightly flared due to hammer impact.
Graham

They do mushroom due to use but newbies tend to dry fire the pistol too.
Make sure the cap is firmly and a snug fit as they can pop off when you fire the pistol which tends to jam the action.
Old timers tell you to squeeze the cap before fitting to ensure a snug fit but I don't.
They say chain fires happen from the front due to loose fitting caps.
I can see this as they is a lot of sparks when fired and they bounce about and can enter the next cylinder via a loose cap.......this is very rare but can happen.
Nice pistol as I have one too.
Only issue I had in 12 years is the hammer not holding on full cock which just needed the sears re cutting

[tacfoley]

They do mushroom due to use but newbies tend to dry fire the pistol too.
Make sure the cap is firmly and a snug fit as they can pop off when you fire the pistol which tends to jam the action.
Old timers tell you to squeeze the cap before fitting to ensure a snug fit but I don't.
They say chain fires happen from the front due to loose fitting caps.
I can see this as they is a lot of sparks when fired and they bounce about and can enter the next cylinder via a loose cap.......this is very rare but can happen.
Nice pistol as I have one too.
Only issue I had in 12 years is the hammer not holding on full cock which just needed the sears re cutting

You mean that chainfires happen from the BACK. Carry-over flash from one worn nipple to the next one seems to be the principal cause of chain fires, according to muzzleloadingforum.com, where a few folks have actually experienced it for this very reason. The remainder of your comment is valid.

So keep the nipples fresh and don't dry-fire any percussion firearm.

Never had one, me, in over 45 years shooting percussion revolvers of all kinds.

tac

[tacfoley]

Thanks for the info as I am new to this.
The nipples do look under a glass to be slightly flared due to hammer impact.
Graham

Buy a new set to replace them. Cap fragments also fly everywhere off worn nipples - there's a couple in the back of my right hand from an adjacent shooter a couple of years ago. Tight-fitting caps obviate this particularly nasty problem.

tac

[loiner1965]

Totally agree tac
Chain fires happen from the back from loose / worn nipples
That's why I don't squeeze the caps to make a tighter fit as it leaves a small gap
Fun guns to shoot as long as you keep your wits about you like everything else
Loose caps can drop off under recoil and they always jam the action up on the 1858

[manxteddy]

Having cleaned up the nipples I visited a local RFD and after trying various types decided that CCI size 11 were the best fit .
So far initial testing has also suggested same.
New nipples will eventually be fitted when I find some stainless to fit.
Thanks again for helpful suggestions.
Graham

[tacfoley]

Did I mention that you should always wear eye protection when shooting, or even standing near somebody else shooting a percussion firearm?

If not, then always wear eye protection when shooting, or even standing near somebody else shooting a percussion firearm.

These days they can make really good [and working] rubber hands. However, they have yet to perfect the working rubber eyeball.

Just sayin'.

tac

[loiner1965]

As above.

[weebeestie]

I found the caps very tight to fit and then when fired they can be very difficult to remove without a screwdriver to prize off !

Eeemm, how'sat.
My firing caps are blown to bits.
A nice tight fit then Bang, nearly flattened.
To much back pressure ?

[tacfoley]

Eeemm, how'sat.
My firing caps are blown to bits.
A nice tight fit then Bang, nearly flattened.
To much back pressure ?

Worn-out nipples.

tac

[Seanus]

Have a 1862 pocket police and CCI no.10's are too tight and need to be struck twice by the hammer but Remington no.10's are just right. Try a different brand.

[manxteddy]

Well I did try some different brands but CCI #11 were the best fit.
I am finding the BP shooting quite a different experience from centrefire especialy having owned centrefire pistols both semi auto and revolvers once upon a time.
It's so good to know that having given them up, crimes involving pistols are no longer a problem.........thanks Blair !!!!!