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New SS Nipple of Navy Arms Zouave Question

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Trep44

32 Cal
Joined
Jan 24, 2019
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Location
Laguna Woods, CA
Just received new SS Musket Cap nipple for my Navy Arms Remington Zoli. The flash hole is extremely small. I doubt that I could pass a straight pin through?
 
Sorry. I did not clarify my question correctly. The flash hole in the barrel is just fine. The flash hole that is in the SS nipple is very small. I have another new steel nipple also and the flash hole in that nipple is much larger. I am concerned as to whether the SS nipple small hole will product enough flame?
 
Sorry. I did not clarify my question correctly. The flash hole in the barrel is just fine. The flash hole that is in the SS nipple is very small. I have another new steel nipple also and the flash hole in that nipple is much larger. I am concerned as to whether the SS nipple small hole will product enough flame?


I THINK it should be fine, although if your worried, and I suggest it, take it to a gunsmith or gun club and ask respective questions. Don't hold me accountable:)

SD
 
I've heard it argued that the smaller nipple hole causes the cap flame to be longer and easier to reach the powder charge.
As a teen i used a cutting torch tip file set to open the hole in the nipple.
I never considered what would happen if the hole was too big.
The hammer blew back to half clock, powder gas and soot blackened my face.
Not a good day.
 
The typical hole thru a nipple is about .028" or, twenty eight thousandths of an inch.

A typical sewing straight pin is about .030" so yes, a straight pin is larger than the hole thru the nipple. That's the way it is supposed to be.
 
Trep, I worked on a lot of UnCivil War Period originals and repro firearms at the Spring and Fall National Championships for over half the years between 1974 and 2005, when the Marine Corps did not have me stationed too far away to attend. Of course I listened intently to some of their best shooters over the years on everything that was needed for the best accuracy.

I also shot in the Spring and Fall Nationals at Friendship in the late 1970's, though I was never good enough at that time to get into the winners circles.

I was also the Team Armorer for the U.S. International Muzzle Loading Team, including two World Championships in the late 1990's, until I retired from the Marine Corps and could no longer afford to attend.

Probably THE most important thing I learned from my own experience and the experience of shooters far better than I about nipples, was just how important it was/is to use the SAME kind of nipples with the SAME kind of flash holes through them, for the best and most consistent accuracy.

When I began shooting percussion rifles in 1972, I had no idea of these things.

I do remember from my first trip to the Spring National Championships of the North South Skirmish Association in 1974, how the BEST shooters so carefully inspected and chose their replacement nipples. Some had found the nipples with smaller holes gave them better groups and some found their guns preferred nipples with the larger holes. There was no way to tell ahead of time which would be better and it required shooting their guns with different nipples to see which gave the best groups.

Of course, what the BEST shooters warned about was making sure they stuck to the same kind of nipples with the same kind of flash holes and didn't inadvertently mix a different nipple when it was time to replace the nipple. This because when they changed to a different nipple and especially different size flash hole, it negatively affected their groups. Naturally, as the flash holes naturally "burn" larger from use, the accuracy will fall off remarkably at some point.

I made a point to have these things published as a reminder to our percussion shooters, when I was the Team Armorer of the U.S.I.M.L.T. and before we went to the World Championships in 1996. I most strongly suggested before we left for England, they put a NEW nipple in their guns that were the same as their old nipples and actually shoot a group of two to ensure the group sizes or the group impact points didn't change. That way they should not run into any problems from the nipple in their guns. Now most of the percussion shooters who shot well in International Shooting already knew and did that, but all agreed it was a good idea to publish it, especially for our New Shooters.

Well, not everyone listens to their Armorer and sure enough, on the first day of practice at the World Championships when I returned from the "necessary," one of our very best Women Shooters was in a panic because the accuracy of her original Underhammer Target Rifle had gone to Heck in a Hand Basket. I kept many original and reproduction nipple wrenches laid out on my bench and had informed the Team if I was not available, they were welcome to use any wrench or tool they needed. Upon my return, I found many of those nipple wrenches thrown all over the bench and her frantically attempting to pull the nipple with the wrong size wrench. I spoke to her calmly and took the rifle from her and told her we would get her problem fixed.

I found the right size nipple wrench, removed the nipple and found the hole was badly burned out and that nipple should have been replaced much earlier. Fortunately because it was an original rifle, another Team Member had already re-tapped it for a modern size 1/4 x 28 tpi Nipple. Fortunate again because I had personally inspected and chosen a number of replacement nipples and brought them with me, so I installed a good replacement. While she was waiting, she also put the vials of pre-weighed gunpowder charges up on the board that supported the fly over the picnic table I used for the Armorer's Bench. She did that to count the number of charges she had left. Fortunate again because the angle of the sun shining through the fly, showed variations in her powder charges in those vials. So I informed her she needed to re-weigh or at least use a measure to check each powder charge. Then I informed her that should have taken care of any problems, but kept her around to settle down a bit before her return to the firing line. Then I escorted her back to the firing line and waited around for her to shoot a few rounds, until she confirmed the rifle was again shooting just like it should.

About an hour later, another very experienced Team Member stopped by to ask what was wrong with her rifle. I explained to him how nervous I was about replacing the nipple as it was an original gun and I only had modern thread nipples, but was extremely relieved when I found it had been re-tapped to a modern size. He shook his head and informed me he had re-tapped the rifle two years before and informed her she needed a new nipple then, because he only had a used modern nipple to put in the rifle at the time. I snorted, chuckled and because both she and he had been at the meeting where I brought up putting new nipples in Team Guns; I asked him if I had been unclear about changing nipples? He chuckled and said, no, I had been crystal clear. I just shook my head and because I knew both him and her so well, I said, "Buy them books, send them to school and all they want to do is eat the Teacher...." He burst out laughing at that and I joined in as well.

I had also informed her I wanted to see her at the end of the day when she was done shooting, even if the rifle was shooting OK. She did come over for that and confirmed everything was now good with her rifle. That's when I calmly asked her, "Do you remember me talking about putting a new nipple in your gun before coming over here?" She said she did, but since she had been shooting the rifle for a year and a half that way with no problems, she didn't believe she needed to replace the nipple. Of course she hadn't actually shot that rifle that much in that time, or the problem would have surfaced sooner. So I looked at her, grinned and said, "Miss Nancy, do you need a reminder about listening to your Armorer?" She smiled and playfully slapped my arm and said, she guessed she did not."

Bottom line, once you find the style of nipple with the kind of flash hole that shoots best in your gun and if you compete, I always recommend changing to a new nipple at the beginning of each shooting season. That is cheap insurance you won't have a nipple problem for that shooting year. I also recommend hunters replace their nipples if they can't remember or don't know when the nipple had last been changed, BEFORE the hunting season begins and you have time to shoot a group or two to ensure the group size and point of impact didn't change with the new nipple.

Gus
 
My opinion is slightly different.
I think the lawyers are now involved in that they dont want some one to claim for injury from debris etc.
If it make your firearm unreliable is of little importance to them.
Looking at older nipples they have larger holes including zoli originals.
My rule of thumb for good ignition and safety from debris is .038"-.040".
Drilling stainless is a pain!
B.
 
Like Zonie said, most nipple outlet holes are less than 0.03". Forget the pin, get a set of Torch tip cleaners...
upload_2019-5-16_8-43-47.png

You can get them at any hardware store.
 
My opinion is slightly different.
I think the lawyers are now involved in that they dont want some one to claim for injury from debris etc.
If it make your firearm unreliable is of little importance to them.
Looking at older nipples they have larger holes including zoli originals.
My rule of thumb for good ignition and safety from debris is .038"-.040".
Drilling stainless is a pain!
B.

The only drawback to large nipple holes is if your mainspring isn't strong enough to keep the hammer on the cap after firing.

The springs on my William Moore are Incredibly strong.
 
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