Capping - worth using an in-line capper, or not?

[Bad Hand Dan]

Oh Good Lord! This is really important stuff! I cannot spare my one good hand, so THANK YOU for posting this.

Bad Hand

[Cactus Cris]

I been using TC st. line capper's for 5 yrs. with great results.  I grind off some of the ends that would touch the cylinder.  They work in all my 51's- 60's- 61's- 58's  & ROA's.  I use an antler to seat (curved and end flat to match the end of cap.)  Slight push to seat & they go off everytime. 
   Did try some of the Rem #11's and they ALL flipped over IN the capper.  They are shorter than CCI's.  Pluus they are very thin walled and fragment real bad when fired.  Had pieces in the works after just 1 cylinder.   CCI's very rarely frag enough to get into the hammer slot.  For me anyway.
   I never put caps on by hand alone.  One, can't get my fingers to do it- two, not a good idea.  Don't need a "CUTS" thumb!

[Bushwack Bill]

Having shot C&B revolvers since the early 1970's I will have to agree with Cuts Crooked on the use of a capper.  Wether you use a straight in line or the larger Snail capper from Ted Cash, Available from Dixie Gun Works, the choice is yours.  The inlines will work better with the Remington clones while the Snail will work on the Colt copies.  The possible excecptinon would be the Colt pocket models where the inline capper will work better.

Another thought is that you get what you pay for.  Make sure, if at all posible, that the capper will fit your cylinder cutouts for the nipples/cones.

Keep your powder dry and your knife sharp.

[Mason Stillwell]

I use a Ted Cash in line capper. File off the little tips on the very end allowing the cap to go strait on to the nipp,.This allows the capper to go a tad more into the cylinder and puts the cap directly in line with the nipp.
If I can get my camera to work tonight I'll post a photo of this process.

Faster than greased lighting !!!1

Then use a deer antler seater that Cactus Cris made for me.

Works first time every time.

Hope this helps
Mason

[Lars]

Anyone know why those Remington NMAs replica cylinders have such narrow slots adjacent to nipples? First one I got I immediately took file to it to widen those absurdly narrow slots. After reading this thread, I am surprized that only a few seem to be doing this.

I also fit nipples to a specific size of caps, normally RWS/Dynamite Nobel 1075s, so that only slight seating pressure with in-line capper is needed. Also surprised that this is not SOP for more shooters.

Lars

[Capt. Augustus]

After seeing the picture of the split thumb in the Cowboy Chronicle, and hearing that people were using the hammer to seat caps, I reviewed what I was doing to seat caps.  The solution I came up with is to put the cap on with the capper and then use the eraser end of a new lead pencil to seat the cap.  I cut the pencil in half and it does a excellent job.  The eraser is a lot softer than the back of the capper that I had used for years, without incident.

[Arcey]

Bein' a rookie to shootin' a Remington probably helps, picked one up last month, my first.  Ya see, I don't know no better.  Ennyways, the only capper the gunshop had that I thought would work was an in-line Knight.  The only problem I'm havin' with it is I'm too stubborn to put on my prescription shooting glasses on when I cap it.  Can't see sumthin' that close with the sunglasses I walk 'round in 'til I'm ready ta shoot.

I do know the next time I fill the capper I'll have the prescription glasses on.  Put 11s in the thing instead of 10s before the fifth stage last shoot.  Cost me four misses on what was otherwise a clean shoot.  Ain't got no 11s in the cart no more neither.....

[Smokin Gun]

Anyone know why those Remington NMAs replica cylinders have such narrow slots adjacent to nipples? First one I got I immediately took file to it to widen those absurdly narrow slots. After reading this thread, I am surprized that only a few seem to be doing this.

I also fit nipples to a specific size of caps, normally RWS/Dynamite Nobel 1075s, so that only slight seating pressure with in-line capper is needed. Also surprised that this is not SOP for more shooters.

Lars

The narrow slots around the cones were meant to prevent chainfires from occuring which primarily happen from a cap falling off while shooting. The adjacent cap goes off when fired and a tiny spark or even the extremely hot gases produced from the chamber's ignition hit the cone where the cap fell off and baboom chainfire. Colts can be more succeptable to these type of chainfires...I have never heard of one occuring with a stock Remmington cylinder. All I did was trim my inline capper with a file and a stone, didn't have to modify my Rem cylinders.

SG

[Paladin UK]

Got me reeeel dumpy/arthritic fingers, Sooooooo I had mighty big problems when it came ta loading my Remmie, the answer wus ta mill out the end of the cylinders like on the Rodgers and Spencer, so`s I could get me a snail capper in thar!! Works a treat fer me



Paladin (What dont want fingers like Cuts neither ) UK

[Paladin UK]

Fer Rusty...........


Jest Had ta be said pard

Paladin (Whats on the floor laughin!! ) UK

[hellgate]

I've got 5 cappers of various makes & designs and even the Ted Cash capper wasn't that great til I modified it. Now 4 of 5 will fit the Remingtons. Here's what I did:
On the cheapo cappers from McGees that go for about $4 (single spring) I ground off the lip of the spring to where it just held the cap flush with the spring and no overhang beyond the cap. I also ground back the corner of the brass housing on the opposite side to shorten it and put a taper in it so that the brass only just supported the cap but didn't stick out beyond it. For the Ted Cash capper, I just ground off the lips of the springs as before so the capper could be inserted deeper and it works fine. The TC capper is a weaker design and the brass backer bends easily so I actually prefer the generic cappers that have a 90 degree brass support of the cap and will not bend during a fit of anxiety while capping on the clock. The cheap cappers hold the cap like on a piece of angle iron where the TC is like on flat band iron. I've even considered epoxing a small nail or something to strengthen the TC's tip but figured I'll just take it easy with it. You need a grinder or a stone and some extra time to fix the cappers for Remingtons.
For the Colts just about any in-line capper will do. But the "Remington modification" makes them faster.
As for the teardrop cappers, I keep dropping caps out of them and losing caps in the gravel at the range. When they work, they work well for Colts only.
I keep an in-line capper and a nipple pick on a cord through my vest button hole for on the clock "reloads".

[rickk]

Here is the solution to capping an 1858 without modifying the cylinder:



using this capper :   




Unfortunatly, I don't believe that capper is made any more. I think it was maybe made by Uncle Mike's or CVA 25 or so years ago. If anyone knows where I can get a few like this, or even who used to make it, lemme know. In case you are wondering, there is a narrow slit about an inch long on the back side as well, which allows the forward-most part of the tube to be pinched down. That holds the front cap in the tube.


Since I don't know where to get more of them, I stared at a Tedd Cash capper awhile and came up with this idea :



using this modified Tedd Cash capper :   



It still needs a bit of tweeking, and the best bet would be for "someone" to make the nosepiece from scratch designed especially for this purpose. (Scott from Cash Mfg. Co ... hint hint    .

The tang on the original design would go away. A proper nose piece would be necked down as soon as it clears the tube on all four sides to form four separate fingers. The 4 springy fingers might want to each be curved to form a circle to better hold and guide the cap.. The fingers would flare outward slightly at the forward most position. This would allow the capper to be loaded by simply pressing the capper over the top of a bucnh of  business-end-down caps.

Rick

[hellgate]

Interesting modification. Are you able to fully seat the caps all in one motion or do you have to go back over them with a push stick to seat them fully? If it were me using your capper, I could see myself shoving 2 or 3 out at a time and bending the edges of the cap cups fumbling in a hurry to cram them on. For loading table use I think your design is a good one. For on the clock reloads I can see me making a mess of things.

[rickk]

Hold the botton and push both it and the capper forward at the same time.

Withdraw the capper a bit while pusing the button. The next capper will advance.

Loosen pressure on button, remove capper, go to next cylinder.

It sounds way more harder than it is. The original capper I got along time ago worked the same way. I probably capped 2000 caps with it, mostly in rifles, but some in revolvers as well. When I picked it up after 25 years it was almost second nature to use it.

Depending on your particular cap/nipple fit you may have to go back and push with a stick. I like a tight fit so they don't fall off, so I keel a cheap Bic pen in my pocket and push with the top end of the pen.

By the way, the Tedd Cash mod was done with a bench grinder in about 5 minutes. Go slow, cool it with a damp rag often, stop before the inside bend so that the fingers still curve out a bit. That allows you to funnel caps into the capper when loading it. I bent the fingers inward slightly with needlenose pliers, and they bent out at a bigger angle than I thought was necessary.

[Will Ketchum]

My Pard Montana Slim uses that same capper.  It is the only one I have ever seen.   

Tedd Cash is a good friend of mine.  I use to work for him and I know Scotty well.  Have you shown your modification to him?   Tedd designed the inline capper himself.  The boat style he copied an original that he had in his possession.  I showed it to a tool & die maker \friend and he made the original tooling for it.

I will be seeing Tedd next week and I'll mention the modification to him although he no longer owns the company.

Will Ketchum

[rickk]

Hi Will,

I have had a couple of brief e-mail exchanges with Scotty so far, and sent him a link to this thread.

If you can run into Scotty and re-itnerate the point I am making with him - that the need is real - that would be awesome.

I just recieved a capper from Taylor's yesterday. It was an Italian made sid-by-side capper similar to the Cash capper but with only one finger instead of two. It doesn't even fit the cylinder that I attacked with a dremel tool. I have seen others selling cappers that :will fit the remington" that are one of these two styles. Apparently they only sell them and don't actually use them.

I e-mailed Dixied gun works and asked them if they had antying that would fit. They were the only one that responded with a note saying that no one makes a capper that would fit the Remington.

Ironically, the discontinued tubular capper that I bought years ago fits anything and appears to be a really simple design to make.

[St8LineLeatherSmith]

I know this is an old post but I thought I would interject my method of capping the Beals cylinder.
I load my Remington  cylinders with a press then cap the cylinder with it still out of the frame and seat the caps on the nips with a pencil eraser easiest way I have found thus far.

[Will Ketchum]

Some ranges frown on capping the cylinder out of the gun.  If it is dropped and lands on a cap, a discharge is very likely. Where the ball goes is anybody's guess.  Not a good thing.  I know of one instances where this happened and the ball passed right between the shooter's knees.    He knows he was really lucky and no longer caps cylinders that are not in the gun.

Will Ketchum