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What capper for 58 Remington?


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I recently decided to try my hand at the Plainsman side match. Consequently I have borrowed a set of 58 Remingtons, because I like Remingtons and I didn't have a set of cap guns. At the time that I picked up the Remingtons from the parents of the relative who had them I also went to SW and bought a Traditions revolver starter kit. Today I had time to actually load and shoot one of the pistols and it turns out that the capper that came in the kit is essentially worthless. Would someone please recommend a good quality capper that will work with 58 Remingtons and hopefully hold enough caps to last through a Plainsman match?

 

Thanks!

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Polish capper. They sell them on the SASS merchant wire. They work really well. 

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Be sure they will ship it right away with no restrictions on either “side”.....Poland or the USA.

 

My understanding is that there was some question about not shipping them outside of Poland due to the virus thing.  I’d check tat out if you’re expecting to receive it prior to a near-term date.

 

Cat Brules

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I shoot ROAs and have never held a Remington.  I think the Ted Cash snail capper will work fine.  I recall from other wire posts that a fitting will be required (file or dremel your choice).

 

if your just plinking or plainsman only, then put the cap on with your fingers and seat with a small dowel or pencil.  That will get you started at least.

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9 hours ago, Tucker McNeely said:

 

if your just plinking or plainsman only, then put the cap on with your fingers and seat with a small dowel or pencil.  That will get you started at least.

 

Putting caps on with your fingers is an excellent way to end up with a new alias. ( BTW Split Thumb is taken).

 

A picture is worth a thousand words

 

index.php?PHPSESSID=4mrbumqv9lopkqjest5v

 

Here is the story that goes along with the above photo.
 

Quote

 

The Great Capping Controversy
 (how to avoid the whole thing and still enjoy Frontiersman)

Howdy gang!

Back in the May issue of "The Chronicle", Old Scout, SASS Life #34718, wrote about capping our Cap & Ball pistols and the inherant dangers, or lack thereof, involved. Old Scout did a great job of testing and documenting his efforts to find out just how dangerous the chore might or might not be, along with testing for the results of an out of battery discharge. I enjoyed the fact that he covered the various seating methods employed and noted the possible level of danger to the shooter and bystanders. Then along comes the June issue and a letter from Silver Sam, SASS Life #34718 expressing his frustration over the rule that prevents "hammer seating" of percussion caps. And I certainly understand Silver Sams feeling on that matter! Once one gets used to a method of doing something, and it never seems to be a problem, it's difficult to accept that someone else can see a possible danger in that method...human nature at work there!

Well, Old Cuts is going to enter the controversy and tell y'all the answer to the cap seating dilema. The answer is DON'T. It's that simple! You see the whole "seating" thing really isn't needed, and I'll tell you why in a bit here. But first...

Happens that I am one of those pards who Old Scout mentioned as having a cap detonate under "finger pressure". Yes it can happen! The results ain't fun or pretty! For those who want the gory details, it happened in either June or July (I would have to check with the local Sheriffs office to be sure. It was recorded as a "firearms related injury" at the time and the doctor called in the Deputies to record the details) of 1986 in Marion County, Iowa. I was in a farm lane on my in-laws property doing a bit of target practice when a cap that I was "seating" on my 58 Remington detonated under the pressure of my thumb. Now a percussion cap doesn't have much power, not much more than the explosive force of a cap designed for toy cap guns, but the escaping gases coming back through the nipple hole from the ignition of the powder DO HAVE CONSIDERABLE FORCE!. Without the hammer down over that little hole enough hot gas can escape to do a lot of damage to any digit in its path. When it happened I ended up with a thumb that looked kind of like a peeled banana, only black! The nail bed was laid back down over the knuckle of my thumb, a strip was peeled down the inside radius, and the meaty ball was sort of bulged out. This left the bone exposed on the end of my thumb! (OUCH!) After washing and wire brushing away all the charred stuff the Sawbones was able to pull every thing back together and sew it up by running stitches through the thumbnail and the meaty part. But there was a piece missing that he couldn't do anything about. It really didn't hurt though, in fact I've never felt anything in that thumb again! Apparently the nerve bundle on the inside of the thumb was instantly cauterized. Made fer a bit of a hassle to relearn how cock a revolver!

So, Cuts decided to make sure he never had to "seat" a cap again! And it isn't that difficult! My first effort in that direction was to purchase nipples (did you know the old timers called them "tubes"?) that fit my caps properly. In those days the availability of various caps and nipples wasn't all that great. But a little perserverance found a combination that fit properly. The caps would go all the way down on good fitting nipples with only a little pressure from the capping tool. And there was just enough friction to keep them in place during cycling and firing the gun. That's the way it' supposed to work, no pushing them down on with a dowel or yer finger, and no pinching them to make them fit tight enough to stay on. Just press them on with the capping tool and keep going! Simple! Right? Well...no, not exactly. Seems that nipples tend to batter and get out of shape, Which makes it harder to press a cap onto them after a while. And sometimes you just can't find the right combination of caps & nipples to achieve that perfect fit. So what do you do? Use yer finger or a dowel? The answer is neither of those! You make the nipple fit the caps!

If you have access to a lathe this is a pretty simple job. But most folks don't have a machine shop laying around the house. I know, I don't anyway! But there's still a pretty easy way to make those nipples fit yer caps, it's not hard, and it doesn't require expensive tools. All you need is a fine toothed file, some emory cloth, and an electric hand drill! Simply chuck the offending nipple in the drill, closing the jaws on the "shoulder" of the nipple to avoid damaging the threads. Then hold your fine toothed file against the "tube" and pull the trigger on the drill. Use very light pressure to hold the file against the nipple while it spins, stopping frequently to check fit with a cap. (Stop the drill when do this!!!!) When you have removed enough metal so that the cap just slides down onto the nipple with minimal pressure, then polish things up a bit with the emory cloth, not too much because you want to maintain a friction fit...and you're done! You now have a perfect fitting cap & nipple combination that doesn't require placing yoru fingers in danger or the use of a special pushing tool to seat the caps all the way down. All you have to do is place a cap over the nipple with your capping tool and press lightly, then pull the tool straight out. It will save you some time at the loading table, no more concerns about the dangers of hammer seating, and your fingers will thank you for your efforts on their behalf! And from Snakebite, SASS Life #4767, comes the tip to carry an old toothbrush in your kit, to brush away accumilated soot from the nipples at the unloading table. This helps more than you'd imagine!

Now, go shoot that fine old time cap gun, and have fun...safely!

Yer Pard,

Cuts Crooked, SASS #36914

 

 

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9 hours ago, irish ike, SASS #43615 said:

I've used the Ted Cash straight capper for 15 years. No need to relieve the cylinder around the nipples, etc. And they are the cheapest. I have 4 on a leather loop wiht the 1/4" dowel nipple seater and a pick.

 

9 hours ago, Buckshot Dobbs said:

Yep I use the Ted Cash straight capper with my Remington New Model Armies. No cylinder altering necessary.

 

BD

 

That's good news, 'cause they aren't my guns so I don't really want to do any manicuring on them...

 

Thanks!

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