Split Caps

[dlhumphrey]

I hope you all are a patient bunch. I am sure I will have many questions. I try to use the search as much as possible but don’t always find answers.

Now I have a question regarding the caps I got (CCI 10). My dealer uses Remington 10’s but was out. Any way, it is to cold here to go to the range but I was firing some caps to clear the nipples and every one split and fell off. Is this normal? Not a big problem but they do tend to fall in between the frame and cylinder unless you tip the barrel up prior to firing again.

 

[R.M.]

I find Remington caps to be of a softer material, and they tend to stay together better. I also find them to fit the nipple better as they stretch a bit easier.

 

[Pete Gaimari]

It's pretty normal.

 

[t.l.a.r. eng]

You didn't say what you are shooting. I find that when shooting my Colts, they work best when you lay the pistol to the right 90 degrees when cocking to expell the dead caps.

Seems like the only caps available around here are "magnums" and they like to explode into shrapnel when hit.

 

[token tory]

Just "split" is abnormal. Mine are usually blown to smithereens. :rotf: in fact sometimes I'm lucky to find anything except the rear end.

Tipping the pistol is the fix for the problem of bits getting into the clockwork parts. Personally I go to the right side, but up works too, I just don't like to point the muzzle away from the berm as the range I shoot at is really close to a residential area behind the berm.

 

[Norinco]

I use those caps in my Pietta 1851 with no problems. I just either tip the muzzle up when cocking, or just cock the hammer hard to fling the spent cap off.

 

[dlhumphrey]

Thanks that pretty much answers my question. Sounds like what is happening is normal and can be dealt with by tipping the gun up a little and to the right so the spent/split caps fall out of the frame.

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

A fingernail or a knife blade work too for a jammed spent cap fragment, especially on the firing line with live rounds left in the chambers. So I always carry my clip-on knife to the line too :wink: .

Dave

 

[rawhide]

yep vey common problem. even in the war they found it to be a problem. just do as every one has told you you should be fine

 

[Zonie]

Folks who have seen the really old Wild West movies where some of the actors were old timers from the early days often saw the characters raise their guns while they were cocking.
It sort of made it look like they were trying to throw the bullet out of their guns when they brought it back down and fired.

Many people feel that this raising the gun while cocking is actually a carryover from the days of the percussion cap and the need to raise or rotate the gun while cocking to keep the cap fragments out of the works.

 

[CaptainKirk]

Zonie, I have found that with a stiff mainspring, it's actually easier to cock the hammer by raising the gun, then "throwing" the muzzle down on target as I cock the gun.
I guess it's sort of using the weight of the muzzle as leverage in some fashion.