caps for 2nd Dragoon

[Ed Clintwood]

Does anyone know which caps will fit a Pietta 2nd Dragoon?  I've tried CCI but they are too big though they fit fine on the Ruger.

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

There are two common cap sizes, #11 and #10.  As you note, Rugers take the #11, which is generally the size used for ML rifles & shotguns.  Most pistols take #10, which are smaller.

There are several choices;
1.  Get some # 10's and try them.  This would be my first option.
2.  "Pinch" your #11's before capping, so they will stick.  This is a temporary expedient to get you making some noise.
3.  Uberti pistols usually take the Ruger nipples.  if you have a Ruger, try it out.

Someone else may chime in, but there might be nipples available that fit Piettas, and take #11 caps.  If someone knows, I would be interested as well.

If you get SHOOT! magazine, look for the article MAKING PERCUSSION REVOLVERS WORK, by Alan Lucky, aka Long Tall Texan, Vol 39, Mar/Apr 2006, page 96

[Ed Clintwood]

I'll try the 10's.  Learn something new every day here

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[bama]

i shoot cci caps but with pyrodex pellets i shoot the magnum versions to make sure i get a good fire. i use #10 for my 36 and#11 mag. for my 44 cal. i took a file and tapered the ends of the nipples so that they come off better after being  fired.but i went to the library and there was a book called blackpowder gunsmithing,i learned alot about these guns. good luck
                                                                            bama

[Ed Clintwood]

I got the 10's and they were still loose (CCI) wound up pinching them a bit and they worked fine.  I think I might think about using a different gun next time, the dragoon got just a little stiff after 15 rounds, the Ruger was just fine.  Boy, loading any C&B on horseback in the middle of a fight in the rain and cold would not have been fun.  As it was, the sun was out, it was warm and the steel plates weren't shooting back too much

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

If you can find RWS caps, try the #55s.  They are a bit tighter, but taller.  They won't work in my in-line capper, but do in the tubular push type.

[Ed Clintwood]

Caps may just be a moot point now, my 5 1/2" 1871 OT's just came in, in .44 Colt.  I'll pair them with my Spencer and NEVER win a match, but the style... .