Practice with a C&B pistol

[Grizzly Smith]

Now, first off let me say this: I know you are NOT supposed to dry fire a C&B pistol.


With that said, my brother got the first Evil Roy DVD's and there is a lot of dry firing practice that makes sense.

Is there a way to dry fire a C&B pistol without destroying it? Would a set of nipples just for that purpose be okay? Or would you also mess up the hammer?


Any thoughts?

Grizz

[Noz]

With Colts(51s, 60s, 61s etc) I place a heavy piece of leather(1/4" thick,1/4" wide and 1/2 to 3/4" long) in the hammer slot so that it catches the hammer and does not allow it to strike the frame or the nipples.

Give me a call at 417 498 6638 if you need more help.

[Dick Dastardly]

I practice with my 1860 open tops by installing the Kirst Konverter cylinders.  These can be dry fired without damage.  Also, properly loaded ammo with EPP-UG bullets and C45 Spl. brass lets you do a lot of shooting without fussing with C&B loading.  This ammo allows you to enjoy C&B emulation without having to go thru C&B loading.  I highly recommend the Kirst Konverter cylinder(s) for your C&B practice needs.  FWIW, my last match was shot clean with those same 60s and Kirst Konverter cylinders.  It's an accurate rig.

DD-DLoS

[Black Powder]

With Colts(51s, 60s, 61s etc) I place a heavy piece of leather(1/4" thick,1/4" wide and 1/2 to 3/4" long) in the hammer slot so that it catches the hammer and does not allow it to strike the frame or the nipples.

Darn good question and answer.  Thank you.

BP

[Howdy Doody]

Yup, you do not want to hit the nipples with the hammer. Good suggestions. I hope that practice makes folks shoot faster and I am sure it helps, but there is nothing better than live shooting for this pard to sharpen up. Not only is that practice, but a lot of fun to boot. Plus you get out of doors and if you go to a public range you really raise the interest of the good old days in others because of the glorious smake you are making while you have a practice session.
So that might not be in the cards for a lot of folks, but some of us can pull it off. Since I cast my own, it is really just cost of powder and caps.
By the way Dick Dastardly, you might like to hear that this past weekend five senior frontiersman got wood and Fearless Fred, Billy Bob, Toulemne Tweed and myself shot with El Paso Petes and just maybe the fifth cowboy did too, but I don't know him. I  think he may be from Arizona. Now, that is a trend right there that really has caught on. In regular frontiersman, White Lightning, Filthy Lucre and Curley Scott shoot them too and probably others, I don't know. EPP-Ugs have arrived on the left coast, and I like to think Rowdy Yates and myself were first on the block. It puts a smile on my face.
I was talking to one pard in particular and he like me does not clean guns at big multi day matches. We both shoot Goex. Chambers in ROAs get crusty, second day chambers do tend to get crusty a bit, but I still have not issues, but I do have to check closely that my caps are seated well on fouled nipples. His trick was in the final 6 stages to put the EPP-UG in upside down and that works for him and now gives me something to think about and experiment with.
So, Kirst Converters, remove nipples, block hammer fall all work, but there is nothing more fun than live shooting from my own view.

[Grizzly Smith]

Thanks Nozzle and Dick. Will give ya a jingle Nozzle when we get closer to purchasing.

Howdy, I agree I would rather be practicing at the range, but when the weather or time aren't working out some dry practice on draws, transitions and such is better than none at all.

I'm not planning on a win at EOT, but I don't want to look like I'm dueling on the English Moors either.

[swordboy]

what about using these in a cartridge converter



I think they are designed for dry fire exercises    aren't they

[Black Powder]

what about using these in a cartridge converter

I think they are designed for dry fire exercises    aren't they

I'd say so, based on their appearance.  I know that SnapCaps are designed expressly for practice, dry-fire, loading and for checking out the mechanics of a firearm that's been fiddled with.  Since I had very limited experience with any cartridge guns when I bought my first one, I also bought a pack of these just to log some time with safely and cheaply.  Also to break the new gun in.  Brownell's & Buffalo Arms carry them.

My second revolver is my C&B and even though I'm most familiar with it functionally, I never shot with it fast until now.  Who am I kidding?  I still don't.     It doesn't have the same action at all vs. my Colt replica and I'm going to use that leather strip technique to develop faster handling.

Howdy, Howdy - you bet, nothin' like goin' out and firin' a bunch off.  But here in suburbia, the neighbors'd take exception to me shootin' at leaves from my deck.  Nearest outdoor range is an hour.  But no amount of target acquisition of stuff on the bookshelves in my office is gonna really improve my accuracy compared to shooting live.  Say, shouldn't there be a handicapping system for us suburban cowboys competin' against you folks lucky enough to have open spaces and fresh air to develop all the necessary skills naturally?     Maybe it'll get redistributed.

I thought I was retiring in 12 years, but certain actions from my friends in DC have changed that.  Sure hope there's open spaces and the right to bear and practice then.

BP

[Dalton Masterson]

I bought those snap caps way back. They held up for about a month of practice dry firing. The aluminum ones are much better.

For dry firing cap and ball, if you want a little noise, take the kids cap gun caps and put them on your nipples. (the guns', silly). These are the round plastic caps. I just smash it on the nipple, and tear it off, making a little red cap. Works well, and no damage to mine so far.
Cheaper than caps, and scares the bejeebies out of your cat if your careful.
DM

You can also work with a shooting timer this way if you have the sensitivity turned up.
DM

[oam]

Is there a way to dry fire a C&B pistol without destroying it?

you have this way:


that i find on http://www.avancarga.com/accesorios/nuevapres/index2.htm  when you follow "Otros accesorios"

[Black Powder]

I bought those snap caps way back. They held up for about a month of practice dry firing. The aluminum ones are much better.

For dry firing cap and ball, if you want a little noise, take the kids ...round plastic caps.

That's a great idea!  Thanks.

BP

[swordboy]

toy store caps   I burnt up a couple packs of brass caps  

[Mako]

you have this way:


that i find on http://www.avancarga.com/accesorios/nuevapres/index2.htm  when you follow "Otros accesorios"

I use something similar to this except I remove my nipples when they are installed. I turned some Delrin (a polymer similar to Nylon) rod to the diameter of the shoulder then turned a stepped section about  Ø.200 which is undersized for a 12-28 thread. I put a generous lead in chamfer on the end of the Ø.200 section.  I cut flats on both sides to fit a nipple wrench, then I parted off the part the same height as a nipple from the seating shoulder to the top of the nipple plus .05". Then I basically "cut" the threads by using the nipple wrench to screw it into the cylinder.

The area that the hammer hits peens a bit and I had to put a chamfer on the top edge to allow the nipple wrench to fit back over it after use.  I actually think you could just turn the step section down to the minor diameter which is approximately a #16 DRILL BIT (Ø.173") and dispense with the threads which would make it a bit simpler, but I haven't made more than two sets plus a couple of spares.

Those sleeves on the Spanish site look pretty easy, they appear to be a protrude lot more than my "snap caps."  As long as they don't fall off they should work pretty well.  I am not at my shop, but I'm thinking there may be a timing issue if they are a bit tall, but you could easily fix that with even some judicious filing.

Thank you for sharing that with us OAM.

Regards,
Mako

[hellgate]

I have pondered dry firing my C&Bs over the years. If you put too much padding between the hammer & the frame the hammer will not fall far enough to reset the bolt and the gun will freeze up.  If you put in a  Kirst converter the hammer face MAY get battered against the firing pin and later on be deformed enough to not fire the caps as the hammer is merely case hardened rather than being hard all the way through. My advice is to take out the nipples for dry fire. You still might get the hammer to deform along any contact points in the frame cutout but the face of the hammer will be spared. I've thought of gluing a rubber band into the hammer cutout so the hammer has a padded fall but never bothered to do it. It may well work. Dry firing a brass framed revolver may bend the frame or loosen the grip screws. I never have dry fired my guns except by accident when a cap falls off.

[Dalton Masterson]

Hellgate, I second what you say about battering the hammers with the R&D conversions. My Pietta 51 is bad off now, and the firing pin fits the hole in the hammer face perfectly. Wasnt from dry firing tho. Thinking about welding it back up, instead of replacing the hammer. DM

[Mako]

If you put too much padding between the hammer & the frame the hammer will not fall far enough to reset the bolt and the gun will freeze up.

Hellgate,
You are correct sir, it's what I was speaking of when I talked about the Spanish inserts appearing to be too tall.  If they are too tall the timing is off and the bolt arm (I slip up and  call them cylinder stops from too many years of S&W smithing) will not make it over the cam on the side of the hammer. If anyone tries to duplicate what I use you need to make sure it is really no taller than a nipple with a cap in place.  If it locks up you have to pull the barrel and cylinder to reset the bolt.

~Mako

[swordboy]

maybe we are over thinking the matter just a bit ..... what about some cut wooden dowels cut to match the size off the nipples so the hammer doesn't hit steel just wood nipples

[Mako]

maybe we are over thinking the matter just a bit ..... what about some cut wooden dowels cut to match the size off the nipples so the hammer doesn't hit steel just wood nipples

Tried wood...it doesn't last.  But if you don't care and consider them consumables, go for it.

Sigh...There isn't enough elegance in the world anymore.

~Mako

[swordboy]

yeah I didn't think  they would last long and pretty much expendable but I kinda like the idea of useing kiddy caps sounds like fun

[Dalton Masterson]

They may even light powder, but havent tried. Thats on my list for next time out. Doubt it will be overly reliable using the kiddy caps, but....
DM