Nipples ?

[A Nimrod]

Hi All Happy new years.
Questand how do you tell if you need a new nipple ? Or should you change them out just for GPs, been using same one for a couple years now.
TIA A nimrod

[carpetman]

Changing nipples very frequently sounds like a heck of a good idea.

[Buckshot]

Hi All Happy new years.
Questand how do you tell if you need a new nipple ? Or should you change them out just for GPs, been using same one for a couple years now.
TIA A nimrod

...........It depends :-). The nipple is actually kind of a valve, as it is a metered direct opening into the breech. The higher the pressure, the faster the nipple wears out. The cap acts as a gasket with the nose of the hammer holding it in place.

If your accuracy begins to sour, (fliers, etc) or you have the cap flying to pieces or the hammer lifting, you know it's past time. Usually the cheaper hardened steel nipples start out with a larger hole. The Aampco beryllium-copper ones I use start out with about a #75 (drill bit) hole, or like .021".

Some cheaper steel ones (especially musket cap nipples) may start out with a #65 or .035" diameter hole. Best thing to do is to get yourself a set of torch nozzle cleaners to use as checkers unless you have a set of numbered drill bits. If the nipple will pass a #14 nozzle checker it's time to get a new one as problems will begin if they haven't started already.

Using the nozzle checker (maybe $3.50 a set) anything from #8 to #14 size pins should be fine. Larger then a #14 is just starting out too large to be worthwhile buying in the first place. You'd be buying them halfway wore out at that size.

.................Buckshot

[shooter575]

Basicly what buckshot said. I shoot a lot of target loads.In a Smith carbine with a 28 gr load of fff they will last a long time 1,000 + rounds. In my rifled musket @ 50 gr ff around 600-700 rounds.My .69 smoothbore with 80 gr of ff I get 300 or so.So if you are using more powder....I keep a few spairs in my box.Using a drill or wire as a gauge. So many people are making cones [nipples] that they all seem to use a diffrent size hole. I have even had to have the flash passage re bushed because of erosion in a Smith and a Gallager carbine. This was after many 1,000 of rounds though. I also like the Aampco beryllium-copper ones when I can find them.