Cap size and cross-fire risk?

[ArmedBear]

I've been pinching #11s since about 1980.

Maybe that's a problem, but neither I nor all the other people who do it seem to know it. I do use grease or wads, properly-sized bullets, and properly-maintained guns.

The others were from accidentally loading some .440 round balls.

How could you not notice? Even .451s feel noticeably looser to me than the .454s I ordinarily use.

 

[madd trapper]

I just bought a Pietta 1858 44 cal with a 5 1/2 barrel from cabelas. Its a nice pistol and shoots very well. But the percusion caps do fall off.I have used # 10 or 11 caps. Whether firing the pistol or just simply tilting it the caps fall off. I have tried pinching the cap and putting a rubber guard on the cap & nipple .The caps stay on. But I'm not satisfied with doing this and it could be some what dangerous pinching a cap on a loaded cylinder.There has to be a company that sells nipples for these guns that will hold a cap .

 

[ArmedBear]

No...

You pinch it slightly FIRST, then you put it on the nipple.

And no, you probably won't find any nipples that never require that, at least in my experience.

 

[madd trapper]

Thanks Armed Bear for the info . I will give that a try.

 

[ArmedBear]

I take it between my thumb and forefinger, pinch it into a slight oval, then slide it on the nipple. Don't overdo the pinch; you just want to do it enough so that it doesn't slide off.

I would not pinch it once it's on the nipple.