Cap Questions

[kflach]

I see people talking about liking specific caps. All the online tips I’ve found say to try them out and see which one works best for me/my gun (.44 Pietta 1858 NMA). I bought a set of 100 Remington 10s and 100 Remington 11s to try out, but I’m completely new to this so…

What am I looking for to determine “which one works best?” I’ve tested and found that both sizes fit my on nipples (sheesh - I never imagined I’d say something like that). Am I looking to see which one fires properly the most often? Do they somehow affect accuracy? Does one make a bigger bang than the other?

Also, after I fire the caps is there a tool to remove them (one of them was tighter on my nipples than the other)?

[Noz]

You are looking for the one that ignites the powder charge most regularly, does not fall off prior to firing and does not fall into the works after firing. I'll bet the the #10 Remingtons work the best. Seems to be the concensus.

[mykeal]

There is no such thing as a consensus on 'which caps work best'. It depends entirely on the nipples. You use the one that fits best.

Caps are NOT interchangeable. CCI NO. 10's are NOT the same size as Remington No. 10's. CCI No. 11's are NOT the same size as Remington No. 11's. And RWS No. 1075's are not the same size as any of the other 4.

Saying that one particular brand and size is 'the best' says that brand and size fits all the nipples there are, and that's simply not true. Nipples vary in size from gun to gun; you may get a run of the same size nipples on several examples of a given brand and model, but even two examples of the same brand and model may very well have different nipples if they're made a few years apart. Add to that the variety of aftermarket nipples available, and the fact that there is no standard (other than thread size) for nipple and cap design and the result is essentially chaos.

Buy some, try them, if they don't fit, buy some other ones.

Averages of at least 20 samples of each brand and size:

[arcticap]

Also, after I fire the caps is there a tool to remove them (one of them was tighter on my nipples than the other)?

There are cap removal tools but since they are usually sized for use with single shot percussion rifles, there may not be enough room for one to fit over a revolver nipple while it's installed on the cylinder. These tools have a notch that fits on to the tapered nipple nozzle, and which is employed in a sliding motion to scrap off the spent cap. The one that I have is made from brass.
The forward edge of the tool is too wide but it could be filed and narrowed so that it will fit into the confined nipple space of a revolver.
It's just a flat edge with a notch that is "U" shaped to fit onto the nozzle. Another brand is shaped as a 2 pronged fork.
But in practice, any sharp edge of a flat piece of plastic can be used to scrap off the cap such as a credit card or driver's license. I've also used the flat edge of a piece of dowel, craft stick or twig, and many folks simply use the edge of a knife blade which I wouldn't recommend using since that's made from steel.
I suggest to find a piece of hard plastic around the house and see if it has an edge sharp enough to be useful. Even the flat plastic tab that seals plastic bread loaf bags might work, although that's not ideal either.

[AdmiralB]

even two examples of the same brand and model may very well have different nipples if they're made a few years apart.

What he said, and more.

I own six Ubertis, all made in 2008 with the exception of a 2007 Walker.

I also have three spare cylinders - one 1858, one 1860 fluted, and one for a Leech & Rigdon/Griswold & Gunnison (essentially an 1851 without rollmarking). I *think* the first two are recent - bought from Taylor's. The Leech I found at DGW - it's older, is all I can say (they don't make them anymore).

I recently replaced them all with Tresos. It's the best improvement I've made. The stock nipples were horribly inconsistent in about every possible way, from thread tolerance to cone height to cone diameter to cone taper. They don't even look like they were made by the same company (and I think Mykeal has suggested in the past that they might be farmed out).

I can say that each gun or cylinder had fairly matching nipples, but they were not necessarily much like those on any of the other guns.

My Walker's nipples were so small that CCI 10s were the only caps I could find that wouldn't fall off - even with pinching. OTOH, the Walker was the only one that I could even get CCI 10s on in the first place - they're much too small for all the others.

Now I have guns that fit Remington 10s perfectly. RWS 1075s work well too, although they're far more self-destructive.

$25 for a set of Tresos is one of the best investments a fellow could make, IMO.

[Fingers McGee]

What everyone else said about caps. Tresos &#10 Remingtons work best for all my C&Bs

Also, after I fire the caps is there a tool to remove them (one of them was tighter on my nipples than the other)?

I generally use a fingernail to clear the nipples - if that doesn't work I use a Redwing screwknife.

FM

[mykeal]

a Redwing screwknife

I gotta get new glasses.

The first time I read that I thought it said "a Redwing schedule", and I was momentarily stunned to think someone else had used one.

You know, the little plastic wallet sized card with their schedules printed on them that are handed out by advertisers...I have one for Detroit Redwing hockey and it has occasionally pried a dead cap off a nipple.

Like I said: gotta get new glasses.

[kflach]

I've seen a number of posts where people praise those Tresos nipples. I'm putting them on my "don't need this to shoot the first time but these would be good to get in the not too distant future" shopping list.

Thanks!