Track of the Wolf has 77 listings for "nipples",, 4 pages.
The smaller the vent, the hotter and more concentrated the spark is. This shows why it is important to also know this. Some go willy nilly drilling out the vent on the assumption they will get better ignition. No, more likely causing yourself problems.
There are limits to smaller is hotter just as there are limits to bigger is better. Diminishing returns in either direction. Without going "willy nilly" many have increased the vent size and found good improvement. Usually to no more than .035. If someone made a nipple vent at .014 I din't think it would sell too well. I read every thread I could on this subject and found that the extremes were both correct-about their own rifles. They were talking past each other. I haven't bored out any nipples. I just found the vent size that works best in three different rifles. Two of them like a larger vent and are a PIA with .028 vents. There is a reason for quite a few different vent sizes coming from the factory. Rifles can be different. Glad you sorted out your rifles. SW
I've read some accounts of dummies drilling them out to match the inside diameter of the tube!
Now that is "willy nilly " ! Keep your fingers [whole body?] away from that hammer when that rifle goes off ! Just wondering Waksupi-Do you think particulate size in the different cap propellants might be smaller and larger in various types of caps and that could play a role as well ? All I have are cci#11s and they are asking for .034 in the TC rifles. Maybe the Traditions has a better channel to the charge. It's fine at .028. When I bought my TC Hawken it had a metric nipple wobbling around in it. .034 vent. It would snug up, but felt wrong. I fired it a few times and then ordered some Knight Red Hots. They are at .034 and work well. And fit correctly. I did try the Hot Shot vented nipples and they were a a complete bust in the TCs. I think between the vent and the .028 hole nothing was getting inside. I am using t-7 2f so that could play a part in the fussiness. It's what I can get. SW
The triple sevens are easier for me to get also, and I'm not so pure that I have to have holy black for anything besides my Flintlock. With that being said the percussions rifles I have did not work well with triple seven and the nipple hole measuring .028 as that's what most Factory nipples seem to be. The magic size for what I own is .031. Now I realize that it's not very far to go to where it might start resetting the hammer but I'm not a quantity shooter so it's going to take some time. I did buy a used 45 caliber that had only fired a a few times and then was left dirty with a broken off ramrod in the barrel. Another friend helped this fellow get it out of the barrel, and then some 15 years later I purchased the gun. Whether it was from corrosion or was originally a pretty big nipple hole, but it would reset the hammer to half cock with just a medium sized load. I Measured it at .037. I would bet any amount of nickels and dimes that the fellow never bored it out, he was a Black Shooter and this all happened back in about 1975. Generally when I order a nipple there's two in a bag and that's just about right.
Thanks Squint. Exactly what I have found in a pretty short period of time. But you have years of experience to back this up. People like you have helped me know what to look for. Nobody I have read that can be taken seriously has gone beyond .035. My best loads of t-7 are at 70 grains. Not hot, but definitely not high end. Seems like a magic # in 50s for t-7. SW
