Tell me about nipples for pietta 1851 and 1860

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DocCharlie

DocCharlie

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I see lots of talk about replacing factory nipples. Are factory nipples hit or miss or are they really that bad? I am brand new to black powder And have a new piettas 1851 and an 1860.
 
DocCharlie said:
I see lots of talk about replacing factory nipples. Are factory nipples hit or miss or are they really that bad? I am brand new to black powder And have a new piettas 1851 and an 1860.
Click to expand...

I'll be honest ,I've never had any of the issues people talk about. Then again, my revolver is from the 70's.
 
I really haven't had any trouble with factory nipples.
I have filed some down to increase the OD or turned them down to reduce the OD for fitting caps, but never any real problems.
I've even brought severely mushroomed (from dry firing by previous owners) caps back to life that were reliable.

If your caps don't fit you will have problems, get the right caps or fit the nipples to the caps and you are all set.
 
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1KPerDay said:
I roll the revolver to the right when I cock the hammer and the fragments drop out.
Click to expand...

I do the same. I use CCI #11 caps on all of my Piettas (with factory nipples) and while they split badly upon firing, they fire every time and the "roll" is essential. I don't have a cap rake/post nor an action shield as all my Piettas are strictly stock with a bit of internal massaging.

Regards,

Jim
 
expat_alaska said:
I do the same. I use CCI #11 caps on all of my Piettas (with factory nipples) and while they split badly upon firing, they fire every time and the "roll" is essential. I don't have a cap rake/post nor an action shield as all my Piettas are strictly stock with a bit of internal massaging.

Regards,

Jim
Click to expand...
Great thank you guys! I have also heard to raise the revolver to vertical position when pulling back the hammer to help cap fall straight out. I will give both a try if I have any issues.
 
DocCharlie said:
Great thank you guys! I have also heard to raise the revolver to vertical position when pulling back the hammer to help cap fall straight out. I will give both a try if I have any issues.
Click to expand...

If you're a Cowboy Action Shooter, raising your gun is not a good option as you could break the "170" rule. Better to "roll" the gun clockwise to dump spent cap.
 
1KPerDay said:
I haven't replaced mine. I have 6 piettas and they all work perfectly with remington #10 caps, but those are now going the way of the dodo. I roll the revolver to the right when I cock the hammer and the fragments drop out.
Click to expand...
Remington has made no such announcements... do you know something we don’t?
 
gobsauce said:
Caps are like primers, hard to find right now.
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That’s true. Undeniably. But nobody in a position to actually know has said that Remington will not be in the percussion cap business going forward. It’s way too early to say they’re going the way of the dodo bird.
They are now owned by Federal in Anoka, MN and they were purchased with the intention of continuing to manufacture ammo and primers... looking at the current demand for ammunition (and percussion caps) one would suspect that they would continue to manufacture their ammunition line (and caps) which are at least as popular as any other major brand.
 
woodnbow said:
That’s true. Undeniably. But nobody in a position to actually know has said that Remington will not be in the percussion cap business going forward. It’s way too early to say they’re going the way of the dodo bird.
They are now owned by Federal in Anoka, MN and they were purchased with the intention of continuing to manufacture ammo and primers... looking at the current demand for ammunition (and percussion caps) one would suspect that they would continue to manufacture their ammunition line (and caps) which are at least as popular as any other major brand.
Click to expand...
What I meant to clarify is that 1k meant that they're hard to find ,not that they're being put out of production.

Hehe, way of the dodo
 
derek45 said:
My old 1860 Army ( pietta ) wasn't very reliable.

after several years, I heard about SLIXSHOT nipples, and got some.

now the gun is 99% reliable.

View attachment 986062
Click to expand...
Thanks Derek! I will give these stock ones a try before I replace them. I was looking on the slix shot website the other day though and only saw stainless nipples. Is there an option to get blued ones ? Or can you blue the stainless nipples?
 
A few more questions for nipples. I was thinking I would want to remove the nipples for proper cleaning after the range. Most of the nipple wrenches I see say #11 nipple wrench. Will these wrenches work on stock pietta nipples? Can anyone recommend a nipple wrench? And is it a good idea to use anti seize grease on the threads when putting nipples back on?
 
DocCharlie said:
Thanks Derek! I will give these stock ones a try before I replace them. I was looking on the slix shot website the other day though and only saw stainless nipples. Is there an option to get blued ones ? Or can you blue the stainless nipples?
Click to expand...

I too recommend slixshot, but if you want to save a bit of money get some uncle mikes from the gun works. Stock nipples are hit and miss...i have has veru few problems with stock pietta nipples. To be honest the only issues i have had is with fitment of remington 11s and cci 11s....remington 10s fit perfectly but cci 10s are too small and really dont fit anything except for one nipple brand..then rmc oxyoke stainless. I use slixshot and uncle mikes because of fitment issues...they fit remington 10s and 11s, and cci 11s. Plus the aftermarket nipples have the added benefit of performance...slix have vent holes on the cone sides and uncle mikes have a smaller vent hole to prevent blowback...all of these features prevent the gasses from exploding the cap into shrapnel that can jam up your gun. You want the cap to stay in one piece....and either slide off the nipple when the gun is cycled or stay on the nipple loosely until you spin the cylinder to shake them off...no sideways flick of the wrists aftee every shot etc. Some folks dont mind doing this after every shot (especially those that compete) and some want their guns to work just like a cartridge gun with no hiccups. Personally...i prefer aftermarket nipples because i can only get remington 11s and i hate pinching caps or worrying about fitment issues...you want a good tight seal when it comes to nipple to cap fitment and aftermarket nipples guarantee that. But guns are individuals and so are their parts...some guns nipples will give no issues and others wont. And dont worry about the stainless color...they blacken with use. I clean my after every use and they are stained black....unless you soak them in heavy duty cleaner solvents and use a wire brush etc. Welcome to the addiction and have fun!
 
DocCharlie said:
A few more questions for nipples. I was thinking I would want to remove the nipples for proper cleaning after the range. Most of the nipple wrenches I see say #11 nipple wrench. Will these wrenches work on stock pietta nipples? Can anyone recommend a nipple wrench? And is it a good idea to use anti seize grease on the threads when putting nipples back on?
Click to expand...

Mr.doccharlie, rmc makes a good nipple wrench. The problem with a lot of nipple wrenches is that they are made from a very soft steel. As mr.bibbyman showed...you can make your own. I was sent one made by a forum member from a 3/16 socket too...i use it to this day. Works well...but so does the one i got long ago made by rmc oxyoke. Some have fitment issues or are too soft....most can be adjusted to fit and work though. Just as an fyi...since your looking into making your own caps...homemade caps only fit narrow stock nipples and wont fit slixshots or any other larger aftermarket nipples. So keep your stock nipples for homemade caps.
 
TheOutlawKid said:
I too recommend slixshot, but if you want to save a bit of money get some uncle mikes from the gun works. Stock nipples are hit and miss...i have has veru few problems with stock pietta nipples. To be honest the only issues i have had is with fitment of remington 11s and cci 11s....remington 10s fit perfectly but cci 10s are too small and really dont fit anything except for one nipple brand..then rmc oxyoke stainless. I use slixshot and uncle mikes because of fitment issues...they fit remington 10s and 11s, and cci 11s. Plus the aftermarket nipples have the added benefit of performance...slix have vent holes on the cone sides and uncle mikes have a smaller vent hole to prevent blowback...all of these features prevent the gasses from exploding the cap into shrapnel that can jam up your gun. You want the cap to stay in one piece....and either slide off the nipple when the gun is cycled or stay on the nipple loosely until you spin the cylinder to shake them off...no sideways flick of the wrists aftee every shot etc. Some folks dont mind doing this after every shot (especially those that compete) and some want their guns to work just like a cartridge gun with no hiccups. Personally...i prefer aftermarket nipples because i can only get remington 11s and i hate pinching caps or worrying about fitment issues...you want a good tight seal when it comes to nipple to cap fitment and aftermarket nipples guarantee that. But guns are individuals and so are their parts...some guns nipples will give no issues and others wont. And dont worry about the stainless color...they blacken with use. I clean my after every use and they are stained black....unless you soak them in heavy duty cleaner solvents and use a wire brush etc. Welcome to the addiction and have fun!
Click to expand...
Thanks again Outlaw and everyone! Very informative stuff!
 
TheOutlawKid said:
Mr.doccharlie, rmc makes a good nipple wrench. The problem with a lot of nipple wrenches is that they are made from a very soft steel. As mr.bibbyman showed...you can make your own. I was sent one made by a forum member from a 3/16 socket too...i use it to this day. Works well...but so does the one i got long ago made by rmc oxyoke. Some have fitment issues or are too soft....most can be adjusted to fit and work though. Just as an fyi...since your looking into making your own caps...homemade caps only fit narrow stock nipples and wont fit slixshots or any other larger aftermarket nipples. So keep your stock nipples for homemade caps.
Click to expand...
Very good to know! Thank you!
 
DocCharlie said:
A few more questions for nipples. I was thinking I would want to remove the nipples for proper cleaning after the range. Most of the nipple wrenches I see say #11 nipple wrench. Will these wrenches work on stock pietta nipples? Can anyone recommend a nipple wrench? And is it a good idea to use anti seize grease on the threads when putting nipples back on?
Click to expand...

Always use some grease or anti-seize on the threads.
And wrenches need to say revolver wrench on the package.
A pistol wrench and a #11 wrench are not revolver wrenches.
 
I made mine from a deep well 8mm 1/4" drive socket. I couldn't remember what size to use and grabbed a 8mm socket and then had to turn the outside down to fit with my hand drill and a file. I then drilled a small hole through the top so a allen wrench or small screwdriver could be inserted for leverage. The altered sockets make about the strongest nipple wrench you could own.

The is the first I've heard of the slixshot nipple. Who sells them, and the uncle mikes ? If I read correctly, the slixshot allows the #11 cap to be used. Another question. I have aquired over the years about five different sized nipples for revolvers. What I'm talking about is the diameter of the threads, and I'm not even sure what size caps they'd take. I hate ordering something and then finding out it won't work. Would I have to send a nipple to them first just to make sure, or just have the measurements handy when ordering ?
 
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