Best Percussion Nipple

[jimeckersley]

For the last few years I've been using Red Hot nipples with my Green Mountain .40 barrel. The flash holes are getting a bit worn and it's time to buy a few more. No complaints with the Red Hots, I'm just wondering if others may be better?

I'm sure there are as many opinions as there are forum members, but let me know about some of your experiences with other brands. Have you done side by side comparisons? I'm considering more Red Hots but I'm looking at the CVA Stainless Perfect Nipple too.

 

[Rebel]

I like the Hot Shot nipples myself.

 

[Gordon Horn]

I've had good luck with Spitfire Magnums.

 

[sprucefly]

I like the red hots.

 

[jimeckersley]

For anyone interested, since I posted above, I have had several discussions with Ron Blomquist,[url] http://blomquistpercussionworks.com/products.html[/url] He really knows the percussion business. I switched to his #11 nipples and won't go back to stainless. He makes an extremely hard steel nipple that will last longer than stainless and provides more uniform spark to the powder. Ron noted that most serious target shooters will discard the nipples after no more than about 200 shots.

Stainless nipples are softer than his and become mishapen with repeated hammer blows. All nipple flash holes erode with use.

My groups tightened up after switching to his nipples. He can also custom make odd diameter and lengths.

 

[lanedh]

I have used nipples made from Ampco, a kind of berylium alloy and found them to be longer lasting than ordinary steel nipples. How do the Blomquist products stack up (if you have experience with both)?

Brgds, Bluejacket

 

I like the Ampco nipples myself. I find them in my experience anyway to last longer than the stainless steel nipples.

 

[jimeckersley]

I have used amco (Tresso) nipples. It probably doesn't hurt anything but they corrode very quickly, almost like copper or brass. They have a smaller flash hole, as does Blomquists.'

You may be interested in a conversation that I had with Ron Blomquist while I was looking into a better nipple. I posed several questions to him. I'm giving an excerpt of some of his answers below:
______________

My nipples have a straight flash channel. In the 15th century a man named Bernoulli proved that a straight hole is the same as a tapered one, it all depends on the smallest diameter of the hole. What you do in front or behind that hole does not affect the flow of the gas, smart guy, drank a lot. When you see a taper, or a hole in the side of the cone, it is designed to sell the nipple. The last thing I would want is a hole bleeding gas away from the breech... So having a taper doesn't really matter, the ignition source is the same and once it goes you cannot add to it. I make my nipples with .028 holes on #11 nipples. I believe that Treso uses the same size holes. I also try and balance length of a flash hole with an eye toward wear and how far away it is form the source of ignition. In other words I could make the flash hole really long and they would last forever but it would also be more difficult for ignition to reach the breech. The shortest path with decent wear, about 200 shots is what I go for.

Regarding smaller flash holes:
I have rarely seen a smaller flash hole that caused a rifle to be less accurate against a larger one. In that regards I have a T.C. Renegade .54 that I use a musket cap on with a small flash hole that out shoots a #11 by half. In that case you tell me? Your guess is as good as mine but your inclination to go with what works is the best one, try stuff, find out, move on, that is the joy of black powder.


Regarding a mainspring that was too strong, nipples were being cut:
As I said before some small amounts of grinding on side of spring will lesson weight of spring, the first thing guys do to revolvers, to improve accuracy. It doesn't need to slam nipple just break cap. If you reduce spring go slowly as it can change quickly after it seems like nothing is happening, I know this , guess how I found out? If you can get it to stop cutting the caps, I would quit. The other issue I have found with [some rifles] that the shroud on hammer is contacting barrel before face of hammer is hitting nipple which makes spring seem under powered, you might check that. Also nipples can vary in length just enough to make you mental, another, no sh_ _, moment. Now to recap: Treso makes an excellent nipple, I don't like their softness, excellent wear on flash hole though. CVA and Spitfires work mostly gimmick...

 

[Swampman]

http://www.tcarms.com/TC_HTML/access_repl_hotshotnpl.htm

These seem to work well. I like most nipples. :winking:

 

I use Uncle Mike's Hot Shot Nipples with real good results. I also use the RWS caps and this combo is a perfect fit. No more vacuum problems and no more hammers being blown back with these. I have used brand new nipples by other manufacturers in the past that allowed the hammer to be blown back to half cock. No more with Hot Shots. I have been using this combination for about 25 yrs. now. Any new nipples out since then I can not comment on.
Don

 

[bighole]

I use Uncle Mike's Hot Shot Nipples with real good results. I also use the RWS caps and this combo is a perfect fit. No more vacuum problems...

What are vacuum problems?

 

Air trapped between the powder charge and the cap not allowing the flash to get to the charge. Maybe vacuum isn't the right word for it. :hmm:

 

[CoyoteJoe]

With a properly designed breech the powder charge should reach the bottom of the nipple, no air in between except what is in the nipple itself.
As to the hole, I agree that a hole is a hole and it matters not if it is at the top, bottom or middle of the nipple, if it is tapered, reverse tapered or venturi shaped it still restricts the fire from the cap. A large hole lets more cap fire to reach the powder but also allows more blow back. That is the function of the vent holes in the side of some nipples, to allow the blowback to vent without lifting the hammer.
Actually, replacing a nipple every 200 shots is not a great expense.

 

On my chunk and buffalo guns I change over from standard #11 nipples to 1/4 X 28 musket nipples. I have also put them in my underhammers. Lots more spark gives better ignition. :hmm:
Mark

 

[robinghewitt]

In the 15th century a man named Bernoulli proved that a straight hole is the same as a tapered one

Daniel Bernoulli lived 1700-1782 :thumbsup:

 

[jimeckersley]

Too bad he didn't live long enough to see everything that the Bernoulli principle has been applied to. Just about anything that has to do with the movement of gasses and fluids. Ballistics, aviation, rocketry, and much more.

 

[paulvallandigham]

WADR,PaPa, have you ever fired a standard #11 primer off in your gun at night and watched how long a flame comes out the muzzle of the gun, no matter how long the barrel is? I cannot imagine any need for more flame from a percussion cap than we get today from caps made by several manufacturers. I do know that slug gun shooters use a device that allows them to fire modern pistol primers to set off large amounts of black powder in their bench guns, but I can't think of any off-hand shoulder gun that would require a musket cap to ignite. That musket caps are used is okay, since they are period correct for some guns in some matches, but I don't think they are really necessary to get excellent ignition.