Black powder revolver nipples

[Daryll]

Yes, to my (admittedly inexperienced) eyes the nipples look to be peened over, possibly by dry-firing... I wouldn't have thouight that they'd get like that from normal use..??
The rest of the revolver has a few scratches, but generally is in good condition.

I'll take a couple of pics of the nipples in the morning...

So what would you consider a good quality key??

[Daryll]

ok, heres a couple of pics...

https://i.ibb.co/yVBQ1wY/IMG-20200810-082523543.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/8mRXHS6/IMG-20200810-082534810.jpg

is that normal wear and tear..?

[redcat]

ok, heres a couple of pics...



is that normal wear and tear..?

Definitely looks like some dry firing use. What's the face of the hammer like?

Redcat

[redcat]

I would first try to borrow a key to see if you can get those nipples out. If they come out easy then you will get away with the key in the kit. Clean the threads in the cylinder before fitting new nipples. Remove and clean the nipples every time you use the pistol and LIGHTLY oil the threads before replacing. Do not torque them down. Over tightened and rusted nipples are what cause damage to the key.

Redcat

[Daryll]

The face of the hammer looks fine....

Thanks Redcat, i'll try to borrow a key from someone..

Back to my original question, is there any advantage to SS nipples over blued, apart from matching the rest of the gun..?

[redcat]

No real advantage except they look a little prettier. I've seen nipples on 140-year old pistols that were still usable.

Redcat

[FredB]

If the gun is set up correctly, then the hammer should not actually touch the nipples on falling. It should have a miniscule amount of clrearance.
OK, so your nipples are peened over---that is, they are now adjusted to pretty much the correct length. Pop them in to a lathe---or an electric drill-- and file them down until your caps just fit.
Fred,

[Daryll]

Ok, thats a good point Fred...

Maybe I'm jumping the gun ( :) ) a bit here, and should try the caps on the nipples before deciding that they need replacing....I've got some Remington #11 caps, so they may benefit from the wider nipples...if the caps won't fit, then I can file them down.

[redcat]

If the gun is set up correctly, then the hammer should not actually touch the nipples on falling. It should have a miniscule amount of clrearance.

Fred,

What stops the hammer from making contact with the nipple?

Redcat

[FredB]

The frame.
Fred