Muzzleloader 101
Percussion Caps & Nipples
Nipple Threads
You may find one brand of cap fits better than another. Stick with it. If you replace the nipple, the best brand may change. The European Nobel caps are about a 10½ and fit the Spanish nipples very well. I have a CVA on which #11 falls off and #10 required two hammer drops, one to seat it and one to fire. When I run out of Nobels, I will replace the nipple with an American made one. Winchester caps are made by CCI.
 
Inch Nipple Threadss
.225-32 antique Colt, Remington, or Savage revolvers
12-28 Colt brand - Uberti revolvers - T/C Seneca, Cherokee & Patriot
CVA Mountain Rifle
1/4-28 for T/C rifles
1/4-32 for Numrich
9/32-26 BSF for Jodhpur shotgun
5/16-18 Parker Hale Enfield musket
5/16-24 Springfield musket
Metric Nipples
5.5-.9mm .31/.36 Colt and Remington pocket revolvers
6-1mm CVA rifles and shotguns, Traditions, Jukar, and other Spanish mfg.
6-.75mmLyman & InvestArms rifles- Pietta revolvers
7-1mm For repair: nipple seat must be re-tapped to 7mm to accept this nipple.
8-1mmMany muskets
 
The inch threads are the diameter either in fractions or in Standard Screw Gauge number, then the pitch (threads per inch).

The metric thread designation is given as the diameter in mm and then the pitch (distance between threads in mm).

Note: BSF is British Standard Fine.
Cap Sizes
Caps come in (mostly) three sizes, Number 10 (used mostly on percussion revolvers), Number 11 (used mostly on rifles) and Musket (used mostly on muskets). They also come in regular or magnum. Since the ignition point for Pyrodex is about 300 degrees F higher than for black powder, the more expensive magnum caps may be necessary for Pyrodex. Many In-lines use 205 shotgun primers.
 
Brand / Size Internal Diameter Internal Height
CCI #10 0.161 0.112
Remington #10 0.166 0.144
CCI #11 0.166 0.113
Remington #11 0.166 0.115
Remington #12 Rare  
Musket    
Fiocchi    
Dynamil Nobel    
 
I hope to add more dimentional information soon. Time to dig out the verniers.
 

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