Well i got my Traditions Woodsman today...

rafterob said:

Traditions had a problem with nipples about ten years ago but thought they had alleviated that. They were hard stainless steel and would chip and splinter. Mine splintered into about 3 pieces. Have not had a problem with any replacement nipples ever since. Frontier's post about the hammer and nipple alignment being off is another common issue with Traditions or CVA guns. That can be easily remedied however.

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Got my new nipples today, here is how they line up. It certainly looks to me like i need to adjust my drum so it hits the nipple straight. This alignment seems absolutely unacceptable to me, but hey what do i know. Thankfully my new nipples seem MUCH tougher, and ive got a spare, so if this nipple gets messed up today, i guess i can't shoot this gun

It looks pretty close to me. I would try a cap and if it goes off leave it at that. It looks closer than most traditions i've seen.

The picture shows the hammer a bit to the left of the nipple but the fore/aft location isn't too bad. Do not try to turn the drum to make the nipple move forward.

As for the left/right thing, try removing the lock and then reinstalling it while holding the nose of the hammer centered with the nipple. Tighten the lock screw snuggly but do not over-tighten it.

I think your gun will work just fine after you do this so, rather than fussing with it, go out and make some smoke.

As long as it reliably sets off the cap, who cares?

Time to shoot it. Have seen ‘worst’ that go off as reliably as any gun.

Left to right is absolutely fine, its front back tilt that doesnt look good. Everything worked fine today, shot 15 shots. Its obviously just hitting the front edge of the caps, but they are setting off fine, and i suppose if it doesnt damage the nipple, oh well.

Rifle shot well today, I'm not a marksmen by any means, but i got several waterjugs at 20 yards to start with, then moved my steel gong out to 40, and finished up at 60.

Shot 50 grains of 2f all day, seemed to perform well, accuracy was better than i can shoot, and 50 grains of 2f behind a .49 ball with a .015 patch barely has any recoil at all.

One thing i noticed that really stands out, is the effectiveness of spit patches. I use ballistol when I'm cleaning all my firearms, and i have pre-lubed patches i use for loading, dry patches for cleaning and whatnot. But the most effective thing i found today when i was swabbing, was a dry patch soaked in my mouth for a bit. I didnt swab between each shot, just occasionally to keep ahead of any buildup. A spit patch went down slick every time and got a LOT of gunk out with it. A ballistol patch was comparatively much harder to force down and came out with less gunk on it.

Had to clean up in a hurry when i was done shooting, so i started by soaking about 5 dry patches in my mouth, and by the time i was to the 5th it was coming out basically clean. Did a dry patch after that just to clean my spit out of it, then i sprayed some ballistol around the nipple and muzzle, and a little around the mouth of the bore, wiped all the soot off the outside and dry patched the bore until it stopped coming out oily. I didnt take the nipple off or cleanout screw out and get in there yet, later I'll probably take a look and if i need to use a little water and finish with some ballistol to protect from humidity in my 99% humidity state.

Another interesting thing i didnt expect, get a little blackpowder residue on your hands and then touch the bright shiny fresh brass, and that brass changes colors quick! My range rod and nose cap darkened quite a bit.

Ballistol isnt as great as its made to sound imo. I tried it and wasnt pleased with it. Better things out there.

longcruise said:

Apparently shooters who remove the nipple during the cleaning process are not competent to remove and reinstall a clean out screw.

FWIW, I agree that if a clean out screw cannot be easily removed then just as well to leave it alone. Surprised that a screw in a new rifle cannot be removed!

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In about 40 years and a multitude of rifles, I've never had a problem with any cleanout screws. Of course, I also service & repair vintage pocket watches and have never had a problem with the screws smaller than a grain of rice, either.

Third shot. Traditions Woodsman.

I’ve got an untold number of shots through some hardened nipples on a Pedersoli shotgun. Had to change percussion caps which didn’t fit existing and proven nipples very well, so I replaced them with Hotshot nipples I had. Hotshots didn’t last half a dozen shots, though they just deformed and didn’t split. Have been meaning to start a thread on it, but haven’t taken the time. With a ‘better’ nipple wouldn’t expect you to have this issue, but who knows, I am just speculating.

told you to get aftermarket nipple. Stainless steel. Nipples - Track of the Wolf

Same thing happened to mine. Replaced it in 2016 and haven't had an issue since.

Yep both of you had nipples split just like mine did on my first shot from the factory.

My replacement nipples have worked just fine with no sign of wear at all so far. Ive shot probably 40 shots now, not a single issue since thankfully!