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Correction on my post above: the Spitfire nipple has a .031 orifice rather than the .039 or so of other nipples, for decreased burnout and blow-back. Testing it against the Hotshot nipple in the two T/C .54 Renegades, I found there was little difference in ignition using the finer grained Pyrodex P, but with the coarser granularity of Pyrodex RS I would get occasional hangfires or misfires with the Hotshot nipple I had previously been using. This worsened with the slightly coarser Pyrodex Select, and such problems were exactly why I did the controlled experiment with the Spitfire nipple: same guns shot by shot, same load, same loader/shooter, same day - the only significant variable being the nipple used. The Spitfire came thru with flying colors using RS and Select Pyrodex, loading as above in yesterday's post, and has been the nipple I use for ALL ML powders ever since.

Yes, I do clean my nipples after shooting, because they are screwed in only moderately tight using readily available teflon thread-wrap like plumbers use. You would be surprised at the crud that can build up in the base of a nipple or in the channel below it, particularly with pistols where there is less pressure to blow this out shot by shot.

The key to good, safe nipple function is to use the correct size for a given gun. Standard "1/4 X 28" nipples should measure .250" D. with 28tpi threads. Even Spitfire nipples may be .245 D. so they fit tighter nipple holes in guns, but if you deal with old guns, it is wise to have a selection from standard (.245) on up to .275 to try out for fit, and use the tightest one that will fairly readily screw in to the gun with two wraps of teflon tape on the threads. Often, one side of an old double takes a different size than the other!

If you do have any nipples that have burned out, measure the diameter with calipers or a mic and then create some diagonal cuts across the threads with a fine triangular file (diamond file is easiest for all purposes) so as to create a tap of sorts, or thread clean-out if you will. You can use such fabricated "taps" to clean out old, corroded nipple holes, and you can also use hard modern nipples of correct size to swage the threads of old guns to a degree since their metal is softer. Just be sure you have the next larger size of nipple (.005" increments) to put in place.

And be SURE you are using the correct thread pitch for the gun in question, whether replacing a nipple or doing the clean-out or swaging above. A number of guns, old or new, will have metric threads, and that's a different ballgame. Always screw in a nipple a couple of turns by hand, to be sure it fits the threads AND that it is not cross-threaded in the hole.

Aloha, Ka'imiloa

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Few pleasures exceed restoring a nice old gun and returning it to shooting and hunting.

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