What am I missing???

[petertohen]

I just got my 22Mag Companion.  My habit with all Black Powder guns is to test fit caps then fire a cylinder full before actually loading powder and ball.  It occurred to me that since the tolerance is so tight I should try just capping ONE nipple.

I used Remington No. 10 caps.  It slipped on just fine and pressed down snug, just like you'd expect.  Then I put the cylinder back in the frame and did a few test turns.  Everything was fine, so I removed the cylinder and tried to remove the UNFIRED cap.  That's where I ran into the problem.
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Remington-reg-Percussion-Caps/705046.uts
Theres no easy way to get to the cap once its in place.  I tried using a fine drill bit that was tiny enough to slip into the nipple from the rear but I couldn't get it in from the front.  Truth be told I didn't really like the idea, so I gave up after trying it on empty chambers.

I ended up just firing the cap as I had originally planned, which worked fine.  Then I was able to "flick" the fired cap off without an issue BUT not being able to UN-CAP seems like a flaw.

What am I missing???

[Bj]

Isn't it supposed to be #11 caps?

[Warthog]

Yes Bj, the #11 caps do fit best.  They are what I use on my Super Companion.  Have been for a while now and I haven't had any trouble.  The manual says to fire a full cylinder of caps before you load the gun.  I did that once, when I got the thing new.  I don't anymore, hate to waste caps.  Now I simply check to make sure the nipples are not clogged then load, cap and fire.  Firing the caps before I used it the first time didn't seem to make it easier to clean or any other thing so now I just look to make sure things are clear and then load.

[OLD and GRUMPY]

Welcome.  My Companion came with a long T shaped pin to fish the caps out  through the lock up slots.  The fired ones can jam  and removing un fired ones is not easy.   Rem # 11s are the ones NAA says to use.   Spend some time practicing putting the cylinder in and out un caped. You don't want to drop the hammer an a caped one!   You know that C&Bs gum up fast. This can be even worse in mini.  Lube the pin heavy and wipe it down often.  It can get hard to remove.  This gets REAL fun if you need to pull a loaded cylinder !  Your hands are slippery from lube and sweat  and mini is small and  fighting you. Butt pucker time!  Take extra care where your fingers are.

The chambers also gum up faster than a big bore.  I keep a damp .22  bore swab on the bench and swab each chamber every other round. 

[Warthog]

I didn't get the T Shaped pin, I use a straighten out paper clip.  I wonder if they have those and would send me on...

[swolf]

T-shaped pin is simply a "wig pin" used to keep wigs in place on a styrofoam form.  A paperclip with a grip bent in one end would work fine. 

[OLD and GRUMPY]

The pin is nothing special.  Any pin will do.  The T just gives you something to grasp and makes it harder to loose. I painted a wine cork orange and stick the pin and wrench in it so if it falls I can find it.

Kit with improved loader. The cork is under stuff.  I keep Q-tips and dental picks for the nipples and chambers. A little spit on the Q-tip keeps the crud out.

[OLD and GRUMPY]

This has all been posted long ago but it looks like we have a number of new guys learning the ways of  the "little black pain in the ass".

Question--  What to do with the monster shark fin sight that does nothing for a very short range gun but get in the way?

I am not the first but did this.  I used a rough bench stone. The sight was fairly soft. The second pic is mini and her boy friend. I hear noise coming  from the safe. Hope to find pups one day!

[bill_deshivs]

What you're missing is that if you try to remove an unfired percussion cap by sticking a piece of drill rod in it, is that it can blow that piece of drill right into you!

Nice Rem. Mod. 6, Warty!

[Warthog]

Got it, I am good with the paper clip.