Author Topic: percussion caps, sparks and shooting glasses  (Read 1820 times)

Offline snapper

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percussion caps, sparks and shooting glasses
« on: April 01, 2018, 02:35:22 AM »
This picture was taken from a video of a buddy shooting his rifle with RWS percussion caps.

Make sure you where your shooting glasses.

Fleener


My taste are simple:  I am easily satisfied with the best.  Winston Churchill

Offline Pukka Bundook

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Re: percussion caps, sparks and shooting glasses
« Reply #1 on: April 01, 2018, 04:24:19 PM »
Snapper,

Good photo!
It seems if the caps are not a good fit on the nipples, or if the side of the hammer nose contacts the cap, we can get a lot more flak than otherwise.
In the above case, I think shooting glasses most wise.  :-)

R.

Offline snapper

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Re: percussion caps, sparks and shooting glasses
« Reply #2 on: April 01, 2018, 04:36:05 PM »
The nipple is a platinum lined one.  The opening of these nipples are fairly small.  I wonder if that is a large contributing factor.

He is shooting at 300 yards for this picture.

fleener
My taste are simple:  I am easily satisfied with the best.  Winston Churchill

Offline Daryl

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Re: percussion caps, sparks and shooting glasses
« Reply #3 on: April 01, 2018, 09:16:49 PM »
Appears to me - perhaps a poor fit of cap on nipple but definitely with a hammer cup that is striking only the back edge of the nipple allowing much or most of the flash to project forwards and UP. .  Because there is no smoke in the flash, that appears to be ALL cap flash - hot cap.

ALWAYS wear glasses when shooting -  preferably some form of safety glasses.
« Last Edit: April 01, 2018, 09:17:39 PM by Daryl »
Daryl

"a gun without hammers is like a spaniel without ears" King George V

Offline hanshi

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Re: percussion caps, sparks and shooting glasses
« Reply #4 on: April 01, 2018, 11:25:51 PM »
Owning both cap and flint, I'll make this observation.  In shooting both types for well over 50 years, I've yet to be "spit on" by a flintlock; had lots of cuts from handling the flints but no spraying.  Caplocks, though, have gotten me a few times - in trillions of shots - and I always wear glasses.
!Jozai Senjo! "always present on the battlefield"
Young guys should hang out with old guys; old guys know stuff.

Offline Daryl

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Re: percussion caps, sparks and shooting glasses
« Reply #5 on: April 02, 2018, 12:57:24 AM »
If the bottom of the frizzen opens to vertical, 90 degrees to the pan, you will get spit at- a bit. Usually this is just a few specks of 'dirt' (fouling & sparks) to the forehead, but the possibility to catch one in your big shiny eyeball is there.
My wife had a little fragment of copper from an RWS percussion cap in her eyelid for perhaps going on 20 years (tuned green) before one day it simply fell out as she scrubbed her face, as normal.  There wasn't even a little cut - one day, she simply said  "It's gone".  This was from her Seneca .36 - back in the mid 70's when she was shooting conicals, loaded for deer. (no I do not recommend that).  The increased pressure used to lift the hammer to 1/2 cock - which was not very high on that lock, but enough to cause cap fragments to fly around. She was not wearing glasses and the frag embedded just above her eye ball.

With round ball loads, she had to pick the spent caps off the nipple.
« Last Edit: April 02, 2018, 12:58:03 AM by Daryl »
Daryl

"a gun without hammers is like a spaniel without ears" King George V

Offline snapper

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Re: percussion caps, sparks and shooting glasses
« Reply #6 on: April 02, 2018, 04:09:52 AM »


take a look at the video that still picture was taken from.  you can not see any sparks, it happens so fast. 

But never the less it happens.

Fleener
My taste are simple:  I am easily satisfied with the best.  Winston Churchill