Praise for a Pietta and Slix-Shot Nipples

[Enfield58]

I got a Pietta 1851 Navy last week and decided to install the Slix-Shot nipples.

After the first shots, the clouds parted, the sun shined, the heavens opened and I heard angels singing!

There were absolutely ZERO cap jams! I only had trouble with putting one cap on the nipple. That was because the cap was deformed.

There were a few misfires when the cap did not detonate. That's cause it was not seated completely. That was my fault. I was seating the caps with finger pressure.

That problem was fixed when I used a nylon rod in my tool box to push the caps on the nipple.

I used both Remington #10 and RWS #1075 caps. When I seated the caps on the nipples it almost felt like a little "snap" in position. I couldn't hear the "snap" but felt it.

If any busted percussion caps remained on the nipple, they were easily swept away with a flick of the finger nail. Otherwise, they fell of the nipple when the gun was cocked for the next shot.

A total of 120 rounds were fired yesterday without cleaning of the revolver. I use white lithium grease on the arbor and to cover the balls after loading. The grease has never failed me.

The revolver shot a little high. All Colts shoot high anyway. I was also using 18 grains of FFFG of pre-measured charges. I'm going to reduce those to 15 grains and see what happens.

The Slix-Shot nipples were installed on my other Colt revolvers and will be going on the LeMat and Remington.

 

[Juice Jaws]

I got a Pietta 1851 Navy last week and decided to install the Slix-Shot nipples.

After the first shots, the clouds parted, the sun shined, the heavens opened and I heard angels singing!

There were absolutely ZERO cap jams! I only had trouble with putting one cap on the nipple. That was because the cap was deformed.

There were a few misfires when the cap did not detonate. That's cause it was not seated completely. That was my fault. I was seating the caps with finger pressure.

That problem was fixed when I used a nylon rod in my tool box to push the caps on the nipple.

I used both Remington #10 and RWS #1075 caps. When I seated the caps on the nipples it almost felt like a little "snap" in position. I couldn't hear the "snap" but felt it.

If any busted percussion caps remained on the nipple, they were easily swept away with a flick of the finger nail. Otherwise, they fell of the nipple when the gun was cocked for the next shot.

A total of 120 rounds were fired yesterday without cleaning of the revolver. I use white lithium grease on the arbor and to cover the balls after loading. The grease has never failed me.

The revolver shot a little high. All Colts shoot high anyway. I was also using 18 grains of FFFG of pre-measured charges. I'm going to reduce those to 15 grains and see what happens.

The Slix-Shot nipples were installed on my other Colt revolvers and will be going on the LeMat and Remington.

Been thinking of doing this for my Colt Police Model, but how do you figure out the thread size for the slix-shot nipple??

 

[Pukka Bundook]

I too was wondering what thread, as I have an old Tranter that may need new nipples soon.
Got a set of nipples from Dixie for another Tranter years ago, and they fit no cap known to man. Those nipples I had to tin with solder, and flick off the excess so a cap would hold. They worked very well afterwards, but looked shiny with the tinning.

 

[Enfield58]

Juice; if your Colt Police Model is one of the Colt Signature series pistols; what I refer to as the Colt-Colt. Then the Uberti nipples should fit. The reason that I say this is that I always heard that Uberti made the parts for the Colt revolvers then sent them to Connecticut. Then the Colt factory assembled the parts along with all the period correct markings.

So I ordered the Uberti nipples for my Colt-Colt 1860 Army and the 3rd Model Dragon. All of the Slix-Shot Uberti nipples fit without a problem with one exception.

I had trouble with one nipple starting into the threads on the 3rd Model Dragoon. The regular nipple fit just fine.

So I got a 1/4 X 28 tap and started it in the hole about 1/8 of a turn to dress the thread up. Problem solved with the Slix-Shot nipple. It went in without a problem.

On a parenthetical note I will say that I have a low opinion of the Colt-Colt revolvers. I bought the 1860 Army in 1981 and had nothing but trouble with it. The front sight fell out along with the loading lever latch. Not having the tools or proper equipment back then, I had to take it to a gunsmith for repair. If memory serves me correctly, I had to get some decent replacement nipples before I got the Slix-Shot versions.

I had sporadic detonation of the percussion caps on the 3rd Model Dragoon which I purchased, used, in the 1990s. I had to get longer nipples for it as well.

Back to the subject. I have an 1862 Colt Police as well. It was made by ASM. I read online that it takes Pietta nipples. That's what I ordered and that's what fit.

Now here is where the fun starts. I have a '58 Remington that I bought in 1979. It's a Navy Arms Remington. So, I thought that it would take the Slix-Shot nipples for the Uberti. WRONG. The Pietta nipples fit. The Uberti's don't.

My first order for Slix-Shot nipples were for only a few of my revolvers. I wanted to see if they worked before I went completely Bohemian. While I was waiting for the Slix-Shot nipples I wondered what my Navy Arms LeMat would take. So I contacted Slix-Shot and asked them. Here's the reply:

"Memory suggests they are Uberti pitch, BUT I suggest: Remove one nipple. If it looks like a coarse thread = Uberti SAE U. S. Thread. if fine thread = Pietta Metric

Best option: Take the nipple to ACE, Lowes, or Home Depot. The hardware dept will have a Thread Dia. and Pitch gauge on the wall.

screw the nipple into the test holes and yes one should fit."

I didn't get the chance to do as he suggested because the Slix-Shots got to me the next day. So I tried the nipples to see which version would fit and it was the Uberti. To reemphasize this; my LeMat is the Navy Arms version. So the Pietta's probably take the Pietta version but I could be wrong. I was wrong about my 40 year old Navy Arms '58 Remington.

Below are the links for the manufacturer and Badman Bullets. That's who I bought the nipples from. I would also highly recommend the nipple wrench that Slix-Shot makes. I have a small collection of nipple wrenches an this one is great. The original designed wrench for the 3rd Model Dragoon was good for removing the regular nipple. I used the Slix-Shot wrench for installing the Slix-Shot nipples.

Pukka; I'm not sure what to tell you about the Tranter other than taking the original nipple to Lowes and check it with the thread gauge as suggested.

Hope this helps.

http://www.slixprings.com/cap-&-ball-nipples.html

https://www.badmanbullets.com/OnlineStore/products.php?cat=SliXprings+Gun+Parts+and+Accessories

 

[Juice Jaws]

[QUOTE=""Memory suggests they are Uberti pitch, BUT I suggest: Remove one nipple. If it looks like a coarse thread = Uberti SAE U. S. Thread. if fine thread = Pietta Metric

Best option: Take the nipple to ACE, Lowes, or Home Depot. The hardware dept will have a Thread Dia. and Pitch gauge on the wall.

screw the nipple into the test holes and yes one should fit."
[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the help. Also the tip on the nipple wrench. My police is a Uberti,

 

[Enfield58]

I went to the range to shoot my 1860 Army and 3rd Model Dragoon. First the good news: The nipples were great. They worked just like they did on the Pietta '51 Navy.

Now the bad news: The cylinder stop on my 3rd Model Dragoon broke and I have to order another one.

It's been a while since I shot the 1860 Army but I noticed that the trigger pull was pretty light. Maybe I never noticed it much before but after shooting the other Cap and Ball revolvers I thought this one was way too light. It came to about 1-lb 10-oz!

After replacing the trigger & cylinder stop spring it was still to light. So, I will just order another hammer and trigger along with the aforementioned cylinder stop.

Back to the subject of the Slix-Shot nipples... I tried using the paper cartridges and wasn't getting good ignition. That's not the nipple's fault. It's probably the poor quality of my paper charges.

I suspect that the paper isn't bursting open enough when the loading lever seats the bullet. I didn't have much trouble with the ignition of my loads for the Remington cause I was using a 30 grain charge. The 1860 Army was loaded with the 25 grain charges. So with less powder, the paper probably doesn't burst open enough for the powder to ignite properly.

I also suspect the same problem with the 3rd Model Dragoon. I was using 40 grain charges when that revolver could probably do fine with 45-50 grains.

Anyway, the cylinder stop broke on the 3rd Model Dragoon before I could try any loose powder. I was able to try several loads of loose powder with the 1860 Army and the Slix-Shot nipples were flawless.

Did I mention that I was never impressed with the so-called-pure-Colt revolvers? Today is just another reason why. My el-cheapo-Pietta '51 Navy worked so well the other day, I felt like I could trust my life to it.

 

[William P Sepessy]

Been thinking of doing this for my Colt Police Model, but how do you figure out the thread size for the slix-shot nipple??

Uberti uses the same nipple for the 51, 61, & 60(but not Walker & Dragoon) as the Pocket Models. Their nipples just barely fit in the nipple well of the Pockets. The Slix-Shot nipples have a slightly larger diameter shoulder than stock Uberti nipples--don't remember the exact dimensions. The Slix will NOT fit the nipple well of the Pocket cylinders without modification. I had to turn down the Slix shoulder several thousands before they would fit. As this was about 4 years ago again, sorry I didn't record the specifics. I have been told--but can't verify--that Tresso nipples will fit the Pocket cylinders without modification. Better do a little research before ordering.

 

[Juice Jaws]

Uberti uses the same nipple for the 51, 61, & 60(but not Walker & Dragoon) as the Pocket Models. Their nipples just barely fit in the nipple well of the Pockets. The Slix-Shot nipples have a slightly larger diameter shoulder than stock Uberti nipples--don't remember the exact dimensions. The Slix will NOT fit the nipple well of the Pocket cylinders without modification. I had to turn down the Slix shoulder several thousands before they would fit. As this was about 4 years ago again, sorry I didn't record the specifics. I have been told--but can't verify--that Tresso nipples will fit the Pocket cylinders without modification. Better do a little research before ordering.

Hey William thanks for the update, was just about to order some, will check out Tresso and do more research, thanks again.

 

[William P Sepessy]

Juice Jaws, also you will need a nipple wrench specifically for the Pocket Models. The standard pistol size won't fit, again due to the tighter clearances of the nipple well. I got a couple nice ones from The Possible Shop.

 

[BillinOregon]

Have a set of Slix-shot nipples to install on my Pietta Remington. Hope they work as advertised.

 

[Swandog]

I need to get a set for my 1861. Ive heard nothing but good things about them.

 

[Badgerfarm]

Where are some good sources for Slix Shot and Treso nipples?

 

[Enfield58]

Where are some good sources for Slix Shot and Treso nipples?

I don’t know about a source for Treso nipples but here is a dealer for the Slix-Shot brand;

https://www.badmanbullets.com/OnlineStore/products.php?cat=SliXprings+Gun+Parts+and+Accessories

 

[AZbpBurner]

Where are some good sources for Slix Shot and Treso nipples?

http://jedediah-starr.com/ carries a complete inventory of Treso Ampco nipples. They're precision made, tougher than steel, and long-lasting.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

My pietta Remington works fine with Tresso nipples made for No. 11 caps. However, I use real black powder and try to stick to RWS caps. Never had a problem with busted caps in the works or seating them. A few times with brass caps I had to pry the spent caps off. Learned not to use those.