really stuck nipple

I recently purchased a nice underhammer rifle. The nipple is so stuck I think it has never been removed. I have bent all the nipple wrenches I own and cannot get it to turn loose. Who makes the best nipple wrench? I don't want to use heat because the wood forearm is so close to the nipple. There is also the brass nipple flash deflector to deal with. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Is it an H&A type rifle? If so the forearm comes off with one screw. However, using heat should be done very carefully. Drilling out and trying a Eze-Out might work. When replacing be sure to use the proper nipple. The H&As use their own nipples.
BTW hotoSmile:

Use a wrench. You most likely can get a non-adjustable wrench in there.

Blackpowder Billy said:

Use a wrench. You most likely can get a non-adjustable wrench in there.

Click to expand...

Removal might require sacrificing the flash deflector. Those are (usually) held on by the nipple. If the deflector can be grasped with pliers and turned it should turn the nipple.

I have one and they are great rifles.
I'd remove the forearm, mine has two brass pins.
Barrels are stress relieved at 1000-1200 degrees F.in a reduction environment so they won't scale.
You can heat the area up with a propane hand torch and will never be able to get that much mass up to a heat level that will harm it in any way.
Heat is the way to get them loose with the least harm to the barrel and nipple.
Another alternative is to fill the area with some liquid wrench and stand it in a corner or a week or so. That may break the bond as well unless it has been loc-tited in place because it was loose threaded.


This is my offhand target rifle in .45 cal and it is a very good gun. Mike D.

Make a 50/50 mix of acetone and automatic transmission fluid. Plug the nipple with a toothpick, stand the rifle with the muzzle pointing up and fill the barrel with the acetone/ATF mix. Allow it to stand for a few days and then pour out the mix and try loosening the nipple again. The acetone/ATF mix is much thinner than most penetrating oils and is a good deal better at seeping into the threads and lubricating them so that the nipple will break loose.

First step is to find some PB Blaster. Auto Zone and Tractor Supply carry it. Plug the nipple and put enough down the barrel to allow it to cover the whole nipple area. Give it a day or two to work.

Traditions makes a cheap nipple wrench that Gander Mountain carry. It comes in a bubble pack. They are hardened and I have loaned mine to a bunch of fellow shooters and it still looks like new.

This after going thru a bunch that the wings broke off of. Good luck! Geo. T.

I agree with Rifleman1776 the flash deflector has to go. The may nipple my have scaled to the drum. That would require a new drum and nipple. Good luck! :thumbsup:

Blackpowder Billy said:

I agree with Rifleman1776 the flash deflector has to go. The may nipple my have scaled to the drum. That would require a new drum and nipple. Good luck! :thumbsup:

Click to expand...

I didn't mean the flash deflector had to go. Just that it might have to be sacrficed to remove the nipple. The nipple might be an incorrect one that was forced in to hold.

If it were me, I would plug the nipple and pour alcohol down the bore, stand the rifle up, but down and let it soak over night. Next day I would try to loosen the nipple with a wrench. If that didn't work I would do the same thing with a good penetrating oil. Sometimes you can loosen a nipple by trying to turn it in both directions, working it back and forth. If it is stuck because of a buildup of black powder residue, the alcohol may help dissolve it. Some black powder substitutes are highly corrosive and will cause rust if every speck of burnt powder residue is not cleaned out. This is where a good penetrating oil may help. Anyway, good luck with it and please keep us posted.

First of all, apply Patience! Consider this a medium term project. Apply a good penetrating oil outside, and inside by plugging nipple with a toothpick and running a spoonfull down the barrel. Let it sit for a week or so then try the wrench. If no go, heat area with a hair dryer, apply a little ore oil, let sit again, warming once a day. For my money, Kroil is the best penetrating oil made.

White Fox

After you've given the nipple a good soaking like the others suggested when you install the nipple wrench (a good one) first, tighten the nipple.

Yes, turn the wrench in the direction that would tighten the nipple.

You don't really want to tighten it but doing this will often cause a stuck thread to break loose.

As soon as it does break loose, then you will be able to unscrew it quite easily.

This "tighten before you loosen" technique has been used by plumbers for years.
I don't know why it works, but it does.

Acetone/ATF mix is the best penetrating oil according to machinist magazine. They tested the top ones like wd-40, kroil and pb blast. Just like the other fellows advised, soak a good while, tighten a little then loosen. I ran into one once that was bonded in somehow, it even ruined my high dollar wrench. I ended up putting locking pliers on it and having it so tight I had to lock it with another set of pliers. I think they had put jb weld in it or something similar. Ended up having to drill and tap after it came out. Assuming they stripped the threads and jb weld was the solution instead of drilling and tapping to a bigger size. My last resort was going to be to weld a wrench on it if the locking pliers didn't work. I had tried heat and ice and all the little tricks and nothing was working. Just took shear force.

Kroil gets my vote.

I agree with the patience comment above. A good soaking with thread penetrant, the "Tightening" move, and adding a tiny bit of impact. Tap the end of your nipple wrench with a light weight hammer as you apply loosening pressure to the wrench (nipple). Sometimes the "jarring" effect of these hammer blows will aid in loosening corroded fasteners. It is a technique I used often in 30+ years of Industrial Pipe Fitting.

Go slow, and good luck.

IBNID

Update please.
Is it out?

Anyone try PB blaster- some auto mechanics swear by the stuff.

I remove the nipple everytime I clean the rifle and put breech plug grease on the threads before I put it back in. Never had a stuck nipple.

I just had this issue with a rifle that just arrived from a Gunbroker auction.

I tried penetrating oil for an hour or so but didn't have the patience to wait a week... So I pulled out a very small butane torch I have (it's about 5" tall), adjusted the flame to be very small/tight, and aimed it directly at the nipple. It only took a few seconds for it to work its magic.

Happened to me on a used rifle. sprayed wd40 into a cut up water bottle and put the breach into the bottle. let it soak for a day.Took it out and lit the nipple on fire and heated up around it. then used a pair needle nose vise grips and it came out.