Stophel
75 Cal.
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2005
- Messages
- 5,949
- Reaction score
- 857
Finished the cap rake for my Pietta 1860. This one modification should virtually eliminate "cap sucking" and caps falling back into the action, and make the gun much more reliable, and less frustrating! Cap sucking didn't seem to be a big problem 120 years ago, because the caps available then were twice as thick as what we can get today! Our caps are thinner than paper, and they tend to mash themselves into the safety notch in the hammer face, then get pulled off the cone, and can fall back into the action, which ain't fun. People have been doing cap rakes for several years now, and it's pretty much S.O.P. for cowboy action shooters and others that want a more reliable pistol
The rake itself is made from a 6-32 bolt threaded into a hole drilled into the frame. I locked the threads in with JB Weld epoxy. It ain't comin' out. The excess bolt length is cut off and it is filed down to fit into the notch in the hammer (which was deepened front-to-back to accomodate the rake). Lots of filing and fitting. Took me a few hours. You basically end up with a little tab or fin sticking up behind the nipple, with the hammer going around it.
Hopefully you can see it.
I just ran a cylinder full of caps (no loads. It's gettin' dark!). CCI #10 caps on the original nipples (the caps "fit"...more or less. I have good nipples coming). 6 pops, fast as I could work the hammer and trigger. Not a hitch. No caps pulled back, none stuck anywhere. Them suckers flung right out the right side, just like they're supposed to! We'll see how it does with powder and balls, hopefully tomorrow.
The rake itself is made from a 6-32 bolt threaded into a hole drilled into the frame. I locked the threads in with JB Weld epoxy. It ain't comin' out. The excess bolt length is cut off and it is filed down to fit into the notch in the hammer (which was deepened front-to-back to accomodate the rake). Lots of filing and fitting. Took me a few hours. You basically end up with a little tab or fin sticking up behind the nipple, with the hammer going around it.
Hopefully you can see it.
I just ran a cylinder full of caps (no loads. It's gettin' dark!). CCI #10 caps on the original nipples (the caps "fit"...more or less. I have good nipples coming). 6 pops, fast as I could work the hammer and trigger. Not a hitch. No caps pulled back, none stuck anywhere. Them suckers flung right out the right side, just like they're supposed to! We'll see how it does with powder and balls, hopefully tomorrow.