Caps falling into mechanism

[John V.]

Having owned a Pietta 1860 Army I (like many others here)have had the experience of the spent percussion cap falling into the action on a Colt 1860 during shooting and thus jamming up the action. This so frustrated me that I sold my B/P revolvers about a year and a half ago. However, no matter how hard I tried I was just drawn back to these beautiful and historic pieces I just could not stay away from them. So as many of you have probably read in my other thread (1860 Army VS Ruger Old Army). I decided to go in "whole hog" this time and get a Colt 2nd generation 1860. I am now determined to make this work and not get frustrated. So at this time I am asking. What is the secret to avoiding these spend caps from falling into the action on a 1860 and jamming it up? Or maybe there is no secret and it is just all part of the experience? I welcome any and all input. Because bottom line I just love shooting these revolvers.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Step one: Use the proper fitting cap on the nipple. You want a thicker skirt on the cap to help hold it together.

Step two: After firing, point the muzzle straight up before cocking. This will help the cap debris to fall away from the mechanism.

Caps are going to fragment. The mechanism is open. Develop a cocking technique to direct the fragments away from the internal mechanism.

 

[Kansas Jake]

One thing I do is when I cock the pistol (1860 Colt replica) is tilt the pistol a little to the right as I cock it. Maybe 30 degrees. If the spent cap falls loose as many of them do it is less likely to drop down into the action. There have been several other threads here giving other modifications people do to the Colts especially to help prevent the problem. You may not want to do that to a 2nd generation as most folks were modifying replicas.

 

[azmntman]

whole nother thread on goonsgunworks.com.......he apparently will rework yer revolver making it un recognizable and I'm betting making sure the cap issue is a bygone?

 

[nkbj]

New nipples with little bitty holes is a good thing.

 

[John V.]

New nipples with little bitty holes is a good thing.

Are you referring to Slix-Shot or Hot Shot nipples?

 

[Flash Pan Dan]

I am dealing with the same issues. So far I replaced the cones with Tresco cones, which I had on hand, that helped but did not rid me of the problem completely. I watched a video by Duelist 1954 and what he did was to deburr the hammer face. I found that you just can’t polish the burrs away, you have to make sure every corner or edge on the hammer face is rounded off aggressively. This prevents the caps from finding anything to wrap around. So far the changing of the cones and the rework of the hammer face has been working with modest loads. The jury is still out on my regular “Warthog” loads I use the most. Tests will continue.

 

[sprucefly]

I had the same problem with a 1st generation original Colt and an Uberti reproduction 1860. I then went to a Pietta 1858 Remington and have not had a problem at all. The Remington seems to be a much easier gun to operate (more user friendly??)although I love the looks of the 1860 Colt.

 

[Zonie]

The Remington and Whitney and several others are closed top or closed frame pistols and have a rather narrow slot thru the rear of the recoil shield. The hammer nose passes thru this slot in order to hit the caps on the cylinder nipples.

Because the slot is only slightly wider than the nose on the hammer, it is very difficult for any cap fragments to pass thru it while the hammer is in the fired position.

If a cap or cap fragment tried to follow the hammer as it is cocked for the next shot there is a good likelihood that it would be scraped off of the hammer nose/face by the edges of the slot, falling harmlessly on the cylinder side of the recoil shield.

IMO, this is the reason the closed frame guns don't have this "cap fouling" problem.

From an aesthetic standpoint, I still prefer the Colts open top.
Somehow, their more primitive looks seem to fit the image I have of the mid 1850's.

As for reducing the cap fouling incidents with the Colts, as has been mentioned, many shooters point the pistols muzzle at the sky when they cock it so the fragments fall harmlessly out of the way.

People watching the old Western movies made back in the early 1900's will notice that most if not all of the cowboys did this "point it at the sky" method making it look like they were "throwing" their next shot at the good/bad guy.

It hasn't been proven but many, including me have mentioned that this "point it at the sky" method was a carry over from the days the Cap & Ball pistol was used and was taught to the actors by some of the old timers.
Like I say, there isn't any proof but it makes a good story.

 

[Ray-Vigo]

I did what you describe on my '51 Navy - totally go over the hammer with a small file. It did help.

Switching to Track of the Wolf nipples also helped.

If you're shooting more than a couple cylinders, clean the hammer face of soot - cap fragments can stick to that as well.

To top it off, I cock the hammer while giving a flick/tilt to the side. Most caps stay on the nipples, and those that do come loose are flicked free. You can do this all while pointing the gun downrange still - just a tilt.

Beware that once you get handy with these you'll go through a lot of caps. Stock up.

 

[Tom Compton]

The Remington and Whitney and several others are closed top or closed frame pistols and have a rather narrow slot thru the rear of the recoil shield. The hammer nose passes thru this slot in order to hit the caps on the cylinder nipples.

Because the slot is only slightly wider than the nose on the hammer, it is very difficult for any cap fragments to pass thru it while the hammer is in the fired position.

If a cap or cap fragment tried to follow the hammer as it is cocked for the next shot there is a good likelihood that it would be scraped off of the hammer nose/face by the edges of the slot, falling harmlessly on the cylinder side of the recoil shield.

IMO, this is the reason the closed frame guns don't have this "cap fouling" problem.

From an aesthetic standpoint, I still prefer the Colts open top.
Somehow, their more primitive looks seem to fit the image I have of the mid 1850's.

As for reducing the cap fouling incidents with the Colts, as has been mentioned, many shooters point the pistols muzzle at the sky when they cock it so the fragments fall harmlessly out of the way.

People watching the old Western movies made back in the early 1900's will notice that most if not all of the cowboys did this "point it at the sky" method making it look like they were "throwing" their next shot at the good/bad guy.

It hasn't been proven but many, including me have mentioned that this "point it at the sky" method was a carry over from the days the Cap & Ball pistol was used and was taught to the actors by some of the old timers.
Like I say, there isn't any proof but it makes a good story.

:thumbsup: Exactamundo there Zonie!!!

 

[Mean Gene]

I used to have the same problem with my 1860 pietta, before I saw Duelist1954's video on filing
The hammer face I went with his recommendation of replacing the nipples with Slixshot nipples.
Just doing that made a noticeable difference in caps falling into the guns works, so I always recommend them when asked.

 

[John V.]

I used to have the same problem with my 1860 pietta, before I saw Duelist1954's video on filing
The hammer face I went with his recommendation of replacing the nipples with Slixshot nipples.
Just doing that made a noticeable difference in caps falling into the guns works, so I always recommend them when asked.

Does anyone have any idea what the correct thread size on a Colt 2nd gen 1860 would be? I see these Slixshot nipples on Track, Dixie and October Country, but I am unsure of correct thread size and I have no tools to tell me? Anyone??

 

[Grumpa]

Supposedly, Colt used Uberti parts to assemble and hand fit the Second Generation Colts. Uberti nipples should work in them. Also, the nipples are the same size for both the 1851 Navy and the 1860 Army.

.225x32 thread on the originals. Supposedly (again) Uberti used the same size, (maybe expressed in millimeters when you order replacements from vendors). Also, you may have to file (slightly) the tops of the cones/nipples for proper clearance between the hammer and nipple. A thin sheet of paper should just pull through without binding.

Disclaimer: My information came from the Colt Forum - second generation 1851 Navy.

In addition to the good advice offered by other members above, the use of number 10 caps should help alleviate the clogging problem.


Hope this helps.

Richard/Grumpa

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

Slix-Shots nipples will cure every problem you are experiencing. Change them out and look forward to what might as well be a brand new gun.

 

[John V.]

Slix-Shots nipples will cure every problem you are experiencing. Change them out and look forward to what might as well be a brand new gun.

Update: I have ordered some SlixShot nipples for my Colt 2nd gen from the company Long- Hunter (got this from someone here on this site) Nice folks I called and talked to them about said nipples and the gentleman informed me that these nipples will not solve ALL of my problems but will help immensely. Once I get them I will do a range visit and see how things work. I will of course retain the original nipples that came with the Colt. Looking forward to trying these as I have heard a lot of good about them.

 

[Micah Clark]

I have heard that filing the safety slot cut in the hammer with JB Weld can help with "cap sucking" problems. . .I have not tried that, but I may depending upon the feedback here.

Also -- Where is the cheapest place to get 6 slix shot nipples for a Pietta 1860?

 

[hawkeye2]

Smoothing the face of the hammer and filling the slot will help a lot but you will have to replace the JB Weld from time to time.

 

[John V.]

I have heard that filing the safety slot cut in the hammer with JB Weld can help with "cap sucking" problems. . .I have not tried that, but I may depending upon the feedback here.

Also -- Where is the cheapest place to get 6 slix shot nipples for a Pietta 1860?

I priced the Slix-Shots different places and they all ran about $36.00 for 6 before shipping. I ordered mine from LongHunter out of Texas. Got them in about 3 days. When you order there is a drop down where you tell them if you have a Uberti, Pietta or whatever. In my instance the Ubertis nipples fit my Colt 2nd gen.

 

[Flash Pan Dan]

Update, I just finished testing my Pietta 1860 army with the hammer face having all edges rounded off and polished mirror bright. I fired 48 rounds using loads from 30 to 38 grains of 2fg powder without one single cap jamming. All the fired caps stayed on the nipples until they were rotated off the hammer channel. I am one happy pistolero.