Blown nipple!

[Roger Fisher]

Don't like to even mention it; but it may prompt some of us to check the nipple seating in our cussin guns....     A gentleman shooting a TVM nipple long rifle was shooting a mild load and his nipple leaped from the rifle, sprayed him enough to get his undivided attention with no further damage.    Upon eyeballing the nipple seat I could see that the threads were gone abt 30% of the seat's circumfernce!   I asked him if he may have cross threaded the nipple and of course he had no idea.....   So it's a good idea to pull the nipple once and again to check the seat's (and nipple's) threads.     

I must say that the hole for the seat was all catawampered worse than oblong; can't say that the shooter did that in fact I doubt if he did...

I have seen this happen twice before yrs ago; but it involved a 'shooter' that would near certainly have crossed threaded the thing...no injury in all cases.. happily!

[SCLoyalist]

I had to go to one of Tracks oversize nipples a few years ago when the nipple threads in the breech became worn.   Fortunately, I discovered the need during cleaning, not shooting.   I did see one nipple popped out during shooting about 20 years ago.  The nipple glanced off the guy's forehead enough to draw a bit of blood.   It was no big deal - as far as we could tell, his skull was so thick even a bullet would likely have done about the same.

[Candle Snuffer]

I've seen this happen once because a guy thought he knew more then anyone else and cross threaded his nipple into the drum.  He would not address the problem of retapping the drum, (even the possibilties of installing a new drum) - but rather claiming, "it's fine,,, the nipple's in tight."

A few shots later he blew his nipple out - never to be found again.  He also took a pretty good spray of gasses.  He also quit shooting muzzle loaders.  (Thank goodness)

To be honest, when he stopped shooting muzzle loaders all of us felt a bit more safe.  He was just one of those folks that knew it all, and the rest of us were dummies, no matter what good advise we offered him.

Why did he cross thread his nipple?  Most likely because he was constantly having misfires and pulling his nipple quite often to put a little powder in the drum to get the rifle to go off.  He seldom cleaned his rifle, and he never (I kid you not) used a lube or spit patch.  99% of the time he pounded the dry patched ball down onto his charge...

He simply refussed to accept his muzzle loader as a muzzle loader with all the requirements and responsibilities that come with shooting these great rifles.  I think the only thing that kept him coming back each month was that he would accidently hit the target every once in awhile.

I hate to say it, but him blowing out his nipple was the best thing that ever happened for our group of ML shooters.  As I said, he never came back to another one of our shoots, and he just would not take any advise whatsoever on how to propperly clean, load, and maintain his rifle.  Good riddens, period!

Some people are just lost to stupidity.  He was one of them.



  

[erdillonjr]

 Roger, this wont happen if you shoot a flintlock. Ed

[Roger Fisher]

I've seen this happen once because a guy thought he knew more then anyone else and cross threaded his nipple into the drum.  He would not address the problem of retapping the drum, (even the possibilties of installing a new drum) - but rather claiming, "it's fine,,, the nipple's in tight."

A few shots later he blew his nipple out - never to be found again.  He also took a pretty good spray of gasses.  He also quit shooting muzzle loaders.  (Thank goodness)

To be honest, when he stopped shooting muzzle loaders all of us felt a bit more safe.  He was just one of those folks that knew it all, and the rest of us were dummies, no matter what good advise we offered him.

Why did he cross thread his nipple?  Most likely because he was constantly having misfires and pulling his nipple quite often to put a little powder in the drum to get the rifle to go off.  He seldom cleaned his rifle, and he never (I kid you not) used a lube or spit patch.  99% of the time he pounded the dry patched ball down onto his charge...

He simply refussed to accept his muzzle loader as a muzzle loader with all the requirements and responsibilities that come with shooting these great rifles.  I think the only thing that kept him coming back each month was that he would accidently hit the target every once in awhile.

I hate to say it, but him blowing out his nipple was the best thing that ever happened for our group of ML shooters.  As I said, he never came back to another one of our shoots, and he just would not take any advise whatsoever on how to propperly clean, load, and maintain his rifle.  Good riddens, period!

Some people are just lost to stupidity.  He was one of them.



  

Snuff:  We had his twin! Further details not needed!

[Pete G.]

I was told by a diehald sparklock shooter years ago that nipples belong on women, not guns.

[Roger Fisher]

I was told by a diehald sparklock shooter years ago that nipples belong on women, not guns.

Very true; but this a way we can have 'em on both.  'Twice' the fun!

[Dphariss]

This is the reason  some folks like flintlock.
Poorly designed breeches abound in the world of MLs and in percussion guns they put too much pressure on the base of the nipple.

Dan

[Daryl]

The larger the size of the object exposed to the expanding gasses of the charge, the greater the pressure is applied to it, is what Dan is saying - somewhat. Without an inner bottoming shoulder for the base of the nipple, the higher the pressure will be on it's base or bottom surface.

Underhammer guns show this in spades, as the nipple base is totally exposed to the expanding gasses.  Same line of thinking goes for flintlock liners. Without an inner shoulder for the base of the liner to bottom against, the larger the  diameter of the liner, the greater the pressure it is exposed to.  A major saving grace for the larger diameter liners, is they are usually only found in larger barrel diameters and thus larger bores. Larger bores develope less pressure to start with, so pressures are probably still OK. 

Deeply coning the exposed surface of the liner probably reduces the actual pressure of shearing on the threads themselves as there isn't a 'wall' for the pressure to work on and the pressure will expert also work from inside the cone outwards against the threads, tending to tighten their hold, so that's good.  A nipple doesn't have this advantage.

 See, fintlocks with liners have another advantage over percussion guns.

[Roger B]

Mike Nesbitt reported his own experience with the same problem in ML Mag this issue in a patent breech.
I wonder if people only put their nipple back in "finger tight" when cleaning & forget to tighten it down because they are in a hurry.  I have.  I always retorque the nipple before before I start shooting & have found them loose. 
Roger B.

[Candle Snuffer]

Perhaps so Roger B?  Then there is of course always going to be a percentage of folks like I and Roger F have come in contact with.

I don't want to degrade the topic here, as it's a good topic.  But has anyone noticed over the years just how lazy most newbee ML shooters have become?  Not all, but some.

Those "some" just simply do not care to read the manual, take advise from seasoned veterans of the sport, and if they ever heard of a cleaning kit (so to speak) I think they think that's an over-night bag you take to the motel when traveling...

Sorry, hate to be negative like that.  There are lots of good honest hard working folks coming into the sport that do take care in the firearm they choose to shoot.

We'll always have the "negletors" who don't care to put forth the effort - unfortunately...

[Daryl]

There have always been those who don't want to muddy their old wives tales with facts, guys - which is why the phoney powders are still sold & guns need barrel replacements so often.

[Dan]

I was told by a diehald sparklock shooter years ago that nipples belong on women, not guns.

That's true.

[George Sutton]

I was told by a diehald sparklock shooter years ago that nipples belong on women, not guns.

I was of the opinion that caps were for kids


Centershot

[Pvt. Lon Grifle]

There is an entire universe of guys like this out here. Some reload, some fish, some use chain saws, some set the scuttle of glowing fireplace ashes on the wood deck out back "because it's cold outside and it will soon go out. "     

We are getting into Darwinism here.  Lon