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Author Topic: Blown nipple  (Read 1003 times)

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Offline RevGeo

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Blown nipple
« on: December 11, 2012, 04:45:36 AM »
I recently got a Traditions St. Louis Hawken .50 kit as part of a trade. The kit was partially done and I finished it. I loaded it with 75gr of FFF, touched her off and hit what I was aiming at - which is the good part.
The bad part was that the nipple blew apart on the first shot. It blew the top 2/3 of the nipple right off the threaded part. Luckily I was able to get what was left of the nipple out of the drum.
I haven't had a muzzle loader since the mid 70s and am just getting back into them.
Any ideas what could have caused this nipple to shatter? The previous owner said he'd never shot the gun, so corrosion seems unlikely. I saw on Track Of The Wolf that nipples for this gun are available and pretty cheap. I'm hoping maybe Cabelas or somebody local carries them. I'm thinking of buying two, just in case.
Anybody had this happen before? BTW the load was 75gr of Goex FFF under a patched round ball and using a CCI #10 cap.
Thanks for any help.


George
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Offline Semisane

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Re: Blown nipple
« Reply #1 on: December 11, 2012, 05:07:32 AM »
It had to be a defective nipple RevGeo. That mild load of GOEX and a patched ball could not possibly blow an un-flawed nipple apart. The nipple likely had an incipient crack that was completed by the strike of the hammer. Even though the gun was "unfired", the previous owner may have dry fired it quite a bit, creating a crack.
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Offline RevGeo

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Re: Blown nipple
« Reply #2 on: December 12, 2012, 03:18:23 AM »
Thanks, Semisane. Thats probably it. I'm still buying two nipples, just in case...
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Offline BE Wild Willy

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Re: Blown nipple
« Reply #3 on: December 12, 2012, 09:47:32 AM »
Just make sure that you get the proper thread size, should be metric. Confirm this through TOTW prior to purchasing at the local shop. Might consider ordering through them anyways because what you'd get from them would be a true #11 size. The Traditions nipples that you'll find at the local store will be a crap shoot on what size cap will fit.
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Offline Bugflipper

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Re: Blown nipple
« Reply #4 on: December 12, 2012, 10:06:59 AM »
Should take a 6x1 nipple. They are pretty common so the local places should have them. I know I have one somewhere and would mail it to you but can't find it. I think it is blued anyway and would recommend a stainless one over that to help fight corrosion a little more. Nobody likes rusty nipples.  :o
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Molon labe

Offline flintlock

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Re: Blown nipple
« Reply #5 on: December 12, 2012, 10:12:27 AM »
Another good reason to stick with flintlocks.....  8)
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Offline RevGeo

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Re: Blown nipple
« Reply #6 on: December 13, 2012, 05:03:18 AM »
Thanks for all the advice, guys. I like flinters myself, but the trade I got on this one was too good to turn down. TOTW listed a 6X1 nipple and they are cheap enough. I'll probably just take the barrel with me to the local shops and see what fits. Thanks again.


George
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Offline necchi

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Re: Blown nipple
« Reply #7 on: December 13, 2012, 12:37:18 PM »
Quote from: RevGeo on December 13, 2012, 05:03:18 AM
. I'll probably just take the barrel with me to the local shops and see what fits.
It's a 6mm x 1mm thread for that firearm.
Don't just, "see what fit's"    get the proper nipple for the rifle.
 
 
 
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Offline clum sum

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Re: Blown nipple
« Reply #8 on: December 13, 2012, 12:47:23 PM »
Darn thought You said brown nipple.
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Offline Bugflipper

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Re: Blown nipple
« Reply #9 on: December 14, 2012, 03:36:47 AM »
I ended up having a ss 6x1 nipple. Just pm me your address and will send one to you.
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Molon labe

Offline RevGeo

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Re: Blown nipple
« Reply #10 on: December 14, 2012, 04:34:47 AM »
Quote from: necchi on December 13, 2012, 12:37:18 PM
Quote from: RevGeo on December 13, 2012, 05:03:18 AM
. I'll probably just take the barrel with me to the local shops and see what fits.
It's a 6mm x 1mm thread for that firearm.
Don't just, "see what fit's"    get the proper nipple for the rifle.


Yes SIR!  ;)
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Offline necchi

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Re: Blown nipple
« Reply #11 on: December 14, 2012, 01:32:40 PM »
Sorry, didn't mean to be gruff,
But I saw Clem take his rifle to the shop one time, and darned if him an Bubba didn't get a 1/4 x 28 nipple to thread in there, Clem said it tightened up real good too.
Clem's had a glass eye now for just under a year, he say's once the socket get's use too the prosthesis they can go back and match the size an color better.
He gave up Muzzle loaders.
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Offline Bubber

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Re: Blown nipple
« Reply #12 on: December 16, 2012, 05:15:51 PM »
I have a traditions trapper pistol, Bought new at sportsmans warhouse when I saw they had it mismarked for $75 cheaper than what it should be. It and it sat around for a couple weeks befor I could shoot it. When I did, the second shot, the front half of the nipple blew off.  Threads and the flats where a nipple wrench ffits were still intact, but the remaining part looked like someone had milled it off.
 
I don't know how many thousands of shots Ive fired through a muzzleloader and never had a problem like that. I now have extra nipples for all my percussion guns. And people ask me why I insist on having left handed rifles insead of just shooting right handed ones.
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Offline RevGeo

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Re: Blown nipple
« Reply #13 on: December 17, 2012, 06:16:12 AM »
Thanks for all the replies, guys. Bubber, thats exactly what the nipple on my rifle looked like.


I'm sorry to hear about your friend, necchi, sounds like the worst kind of accident. I'm glad I had my glasses on when the nipple blew up. I wasn't hit by any fragments, but easily could have.


@Bugflipper - PM sent. Thank you!


Merry Christmas to all! 
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Offline RevGeo

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Re: Blown nipple
« Reply #14 on: December 27, 2012, 05:11:33 AM »
Just one more post -
I would like to make a big, public THANK YOU to forum member Bugflipper. He went to the trouble to find the proper nipple for my rifle amongst his plunder, put it in an envelope and mailed it to me, no charge, no questions asked. A fine example of 'good will among men' during a season that often seems to be nothing more than an excuse to make a lot of money.
It does my heart good to know that people like Bugflipper exist in this world and we should be happy and proud that he is a member of our small yet cool community.


Thank you, man. You made my day on a day when I needed it made.


George Bruner
 
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