# a bigger nipple?....



## shea900 (Dec 15, 2009)

I have a CVA .50 cal. youth.It uses the little primers. Someone told me that if I had a bigger nipple I could use hotter primers, and could then use the pyrodex pellets. He couldn't give me any details though. Can anybody on here?


----------



## yellowhammer (Dec 15, 2009)

*Cva*

Check the stores for an upgrade kit,to go to musket caps or shotgun primers.They make the kits for a lotta guns.On my old side-hammer,I drilled the hole in the nipple a little larger,which fired better.Careful.I drilled the first one too big,and the hammer would blow back and recock.


----------



## shea900 (Dec 15, 2009)

When I read that the hammer would blow back and recock, I laughed. Never thought of that happening. Didn't hurt you did it?  Thank you I will look in the store for that.


----------



## NCHillbilly (Dec 15, 2009)

A musket nipple will let you use the bigger musket caps, and will screw right in. The loose powder is a lot more effective and faster-burning than the pellets, though, plus you can adjust your charge to what your gun shoots best with instead of 50-grain increments. Don't know why anybody would rather use pellets. Just because they're newer don't mean they're better by a long shot.


----------



## JustUs4All (Dec 15, 2009)

Yep.  Pellets are no improvement over loose powder.


----------



## shea900 (Dec 15, 2009)

A musket nipple. Thanks for the advice . I will do that .


----------



## FrontierGander (Dec 15, 2009)

if this is a sidelock, cva advises you not to use pellets in their sidelocks.  Stick to good loose powder. Pellets are expensive and they do not allow you any room to adjust your charge a little at a time for fine tuning.


----------



## tv_racin_fan (Dec 15, 2009)

The only thing the pellets are besides expensive is convenient. They do not allow you to fine tune your load and they are apparently generally inconsistent. But then I have never tried them myself...

I'd suggest trying the magnum primers and if you can find it GOEX black powder. You didn't mention the caliber but honestly it doesn't really matter FFFg will work fine in just about any caliber if you pay attention to your load (that said the Fg is supposedly the way to go for a 12guage or larger muzzleloader shotgun).


----------



## FrontierGander (Dec 16, 2009)

RS stands for Rifle-Shotgun.  1fg is canon powder. Or very large bore muzzleloader.


----------



## 7Mag Hunter (Dec 16, 2009)

I got a nipple adapter for my CVA Hawken
from Butler Creek (I think) that has a screw
on/off cap that is waterproof and uses small rifle primers.....


----------



## FrontierGander (Dec 16, 2009)

CVA will use the 6.1mm threads.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Mag-Spark-209-P...wItemQQptZVintage_Hunting?hash=item20acdf5c5d


----------



## Flintrock (Dec 16, 2009)

yellowhammer said:


> Check the stores for an upgrade kit,to go to musket caps or shotgun primers.They make the kits for a lotta guns.On my old side-hammer,I drilled the hole in the nipple a little larger,which fired better.Careful.I drilled the first one too big,and the hammer would blow back and recock.


.
.
You  should never drille out the nipple.You can get enough blow back to recock the hammer,likely to get blow back in your face and  eyes and you loose so much accuracy after about 25 yards  that i doubt your riffle can hit a target at 100 yrds
Nipples have to be replaced after a few hundred shots as they burn out and the hole opens up a little.
.
Drilling out a nipple is like opening up the gap in a spark plug wider than recommended.It does not perform better


----------



## LanceColeman (Dec 22, 2009)

What Flintrock said can also be said about replacing no 11 nipples with musket nipples. musket nipples have a larger hole through them. Your sidelock is built and geared towards a no 11 nipple. any larger opening gives a larger channel for gas escape.

The spring on your hammer and cocking strength is DESIGNED to withstand the pressure of the rifles blowback from a small opening no 11 nipple. Placing a larger musket cap nipple on the rifle is opening a larger channel for more gas to escape creating more pressure on the hammer hence more chance of blow back.

I know alot of fellas that switch out TC hawkens #11 nipples for musket nipples. Most never have any trouble until they start jumping up to really hot charges. remember, the heavier your load the heavier blowback gas comes back up through that nipple channel.

It can very simply and very easily be replaced with a musket nipple and be safe .Just don't go hogwild with heavy charges. I watched a fella working loads with a TC 45 he replaced the #11 with a musket. he got up in the 110gr range with a maxi ball and it literally twisted the hammer around 180 degrees it blew it back so hard. Thats bodily harm stuff there.


----------



## Marlin_444 (Dec 24, 2009)

I ordered one of the Screw on 209 adapters, thanks for the info.

Note:

Did not mean to hi-jack your thread! 

See you in the woods! 

Ron


----------



## Sloppy_Snood (Dec 26, 2009)

I respectfully disagree that #11 nipples should not be drilled out.  They can be safely drilled out but a liner should be installed by a competent gunsmith.  The orafice hole size can be customized for intended purpose but the original size should suffice (my White beech plug's nipple is .035" and burns out to .050" or so after 200-300 shots).  Most use platinum for lining a nipple due to its superior temperature and errosion resistance.   You will die before you burn out a platinum-lined nipple.  Cost is around $65 but you will never need another breech plug due to orafice errosion.


----------



## shea900 (Feb 14, 2010)

*Great!*

    Thanks for all the info guys.


----------



## nkbigdog (Feb 15, 2010)

*Mag spark*



FrontierGander said:


> CVA will use the 6.1mm threads.
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.com/Mag-Spark-209-P...wItemQQptZVintage_Hunting?hash=item20acdf5c5d



Dan Hubbard from Alabama stating making these 15 yrs ago I have them on my thompson 45,50 and 54 cal hawkens.  It replaces the #11 nipple with a 209 shotgun primer and has a floating fireing pin on the cap... Great no more miss fires, no more water problems.  Cost is 20 dollars and I reccomend ordering an extra firing cap just incase you loose one when loading.  I have left my 50 cal loaded for 2 years and it fired first time no problem at all.  I highly reccommend the product


----------



## NOYDB (Feb 15, 2010)

http://www.warrencustomoutdoor.com/pl-spark-start.html#mag-spark

Up-to-date link.


----------

