Cleaning after firing CAPS only ?

Ok, stupid question.

What are the repercussions of firing CAPS ONLY in my Cap & Ball Revolver ?

Will it need it be cleaned afterwards ?

I don't want to shoot my New Uberti 1858 Remington yet, but I sure would like to toss a few caps in it just for fun.

Im not an expert but I would clean at least the cylinder and nipples. Might get away with just running an oil patch down the bore but those nipples gonna need cleaned and IMHO so will the cylinder

Allot of if not all cap are corrosive. You wouldn't have to do a major cleaning but it still would need cleaned or you will get corrosion followed by rust.

Yes!... clean it....
It does not necessarily need to be cleaned as if you fired BP though it but it at the very least needs to be re-oiled.

wherever there is a flame you can have corrosion.

Yup, like clyde said,, gotta clean it.
The junk left from the caps sucks water from the air and becomes corrosive. It'll plug the nipple holes too.
You gotta take them nipples out, wash them and wipe/clean all around where they left burn stuff on the gun and inside the cylinder.

You know, I wonder if all my old CAP GUNS suffered the same fate - Nasty Corrosion.

No kid ever thinks to wash their Cap Gun - but they probably really NEEDED it !

According to the manufacturers, all modern caps are non corrosive same as primers. (Oops)

That is true! They are no more corrosive then a ,22 cartridge.
The only fouling will be the oil blown out of the nipples buy the cap fulminate.
What causes the corrosion is fouling that gets blasted out of an incompletely cleaned, patent breech or bolster drum,into the bore.

M.D. said:

That is true! They are no more corrosive then a ,22 cartridge.
The only fouling will be the oil blown out of the nipples buy the cap fulminate.
What causes the corrosion is fouling that gets blasted out of an incompletely cleaned, patent breech or bolster drum,into the bore.

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That almost makes me think that firing a Cap helps
to clean the firearm !

I do take a day about once a month and wipe down my guns inside and out.

That is the reason for firing a cap on a cleaned and oiled gun before loading after they have set for a while since the last use.
Also, if possible that is also a good reason to hang your pistols from the trigger guard in the safe and the long guns stored muzzle down. Gravity tends to help keep the firing ports drained and clear when stored muzzle down.

Makes sense.

Yup, says so right there on the tin of CCI caps.

tac

I’d definitely clean it just for peace of mind! If any of mine goes “Pop” they’ll get a going over!

I suppose the only way to tell, is to actually do it.

Fire a few caps, run a patch thru the Bore, Q-Tips / Pipe Cleaners thru the Nipples.

If I get nothing but clean, I won't clean again after just caps.

CaseHardened said:

I suppose the only way to tell, is to actually do it.

Fire a few caps, run a patch thru the Bore, Q-Tips / Pipe Cleaners thru the Nipples.

If I get nothing but clean, I won't clean again after just caps.

Click to expand...

Well I think you will get "something" dirty on the cleaning patches, it is combustion afterall, but not corrosive in and of itself.

When I first got my Remington I fired some caps, didn't clean it, no rust, just like my modern stuff.