Dry firing cap and ball revolvers OK?

[TimRB]

I have been indiscriminately dry-firing my revolver, and noticed flat spots on the nipples. Is dry-firing verboten? I suppose I've ruined the nipples and need to replace them--oh, well.

Tim

[Old Dragoon]

You can dry fire a C & B gun...BUT you need to put some vynl or black pvc(drip lines for trees and such. Cut to lenght so they just clear the frame. fitted over the nipples. This keeps you from destroying the nipples.
Dryfiring a C & b with out something to keep the hammer off the nipples is a NO-NO.

[Musketeer]

Definate no-no without nipple protection! I have an old .36 Spiller and Burr replica that I bought second hand at a BP meet in AR a decade ago that had the nipples destroyed by me... STUPID!!!! (It was my first BP though).

By chance does anyone know where to get replacements?

[Hobie]

Dixie Gun Works and Track of the Wolf among others.

[mykeal]

Thunder Ridge: http://thunder-ridge-muzzleloading.c...ts_nipples.htm
Track of the Wolf: http://www.trackofthewolf.com/(S(qtw...71&styleID=785
Bloomquist: http://blomquistpercussionworks.com/products.html
The Possible Shop: http://www.possibleshop.com/nipples-cb.htm

and many others.

I ordered some from Track of the Wolf back around the end of May; they shipped part of the order, backordered the rest with no statement about when I would get them and I've heard nothing since. At the same time I ordered some others from Thunder Ridge. They acknowledged the order (on May 28th) and that's the last I've heard from them - no nipples, no shipping notice, no credit card charge and no response to 3 email requests for information. Needless to say I'm in the market for a new nipple supplier (and other parts as well). This is just plain terrible service.

[sundance44s]

If you`ve done alot of dryfire , might ought to take a look at the face of the hammer .....I bought a display gun that had been dryfired alot and the hammer and nipples were in ruin .

[Old Dragoon]

Tresco's nipple machine broke down a couple months ago so they'll be hard to get for a while.

[ED21]

Not without a pocket full of new nipples. Might need a new hammer after a while.

[James K]

Those guns should be set up so the hammer does not touch the nipple, but stops on the frame. However, that is rare, especially with repros, whose makers don't seem to even know that is the way it should be. So I concur on using some protection for the nipples.

Jim

[Dave Haven]

Those guns should be set up so the hammer does not touch the nipple, but stops on the frame.

The Ruger Old Army is set up that way. Ruger even recommends dry-firing it to familiarize oneself with the gun. No protection needed with the Old Army.

[Old Dragoon]

The small black Drip line for watering trees and such makes wonderful snap caps.

Cut to length to clear the frame when mounted on the nipples. Provides an evening of fun dry firing at all those bad guys on the tv westerns. Next night reverse ends and have another go. and so on until ragged. Usually get a weeks worth of DF, then throw them away and cut new ones.

[sundance44s]

Dry fireing reminds me of slamming the door on a car (we all know what that will do for it )....my dad chewed me butt for that a few times when I was younger ...So I just resist the urge to dry fire any wepon . ( hard to resist on these single action pistols ) .

[DuncanSA]

If you want to dry fire, why not simply take the nipples out?

[w_houle]

It depends, ss and steel frames can handle it but brass ones cannot

[Maser]

I used to have the .44 caliber 1858 Army model. Mine was the one with the 12" bbl. Very accurate. I dry fired it almost everyday and I never noticed any damage to the nipples.

[bennnn]

Dry firing a cap and ball pistol that lets the hammer stirke the nipple, with out some type of buffer,,, will most certianly mushroom the nipples.

Regardless of what the frame is made out of.



Were you leaving the spent caps on in between shooting sessions Maser?