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black powder gun safety questions...

steeltoe1978
I was wondering if anyone has ever had a percussion cap spark solely due to the hand-pressure applied while securing it onto the nipple. I don't know how much pressure is required to set one of them off.

Also, how safe is it to carry a loaded cap and ball revolver (with 5 chambers loaded and the hammer resting on the empty 6th) in the field in a western style holster? Since there are exposed caps on the right hand side of the pistol (where the loading gate would be on a cartridge pistol) this question in a way ties into the above about how sensitive the caps are.

Thanks.
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Comments

4 comments

Date Votes
  • Odawgp
    IMO I don't think it is physically possible to detonate a cap simply by pushing it on the the nipple.

    I carry my C&B pistola around with all 6 cylinders loaded and caped during the MZ hunt.

    The caps have a better chance of falling off than they do being directly striked and going off.

    but that is just my .02
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  • swearengine
    Load all 6 chambers of the cylinder and rest the hammer on the safety notch between the chambers.
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  • andersk
    I think it would be somewhere between VERY hard and impossible to set off a PC with hand pressure ... you've got to whack it pretty good with the hammer!
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  • breakerdan
    I saw a percussion cap go off once when it was scraped off
    the nipple with a pocketknife. I guess there was just enough
    friction. Yes, it did ignite the charge of powder but fortunately no one was hurt.

    Generally primers and caps have to have a hard, quick hit
    and hand pressure is not gonna give you that.

    Carry all 6 loaded with the hammer resting BETWEEN chambers.
    I carried my 51 navy like that and it had little ears between
    the chambers that the hammer rested on which prevented the cylinder from turning.
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