Hot Shot Nipples
I was reading through past messages on the forum this evening. It is amazing the amount of great advice shared.
One of the items that caught my attention was a forum member stating that hot shot type nipples are the ones commonly used by the majority of shooters. Since the statement was uncontested I assumed that it is at least somewhat true.
After hundred of rounds over many years in differing conditions I’ve never found the need for this type of nipple and was always concerned about potential problems.
I don’t argue that these type of nipples provide a hotter spark to the powder, but that said I don’t have miss fire problems with standard nipples. If I keep the rifle clean and use standard practices to ensure the vent hole is clear normal caps are 100% reliable. If you don’t follow similar practices a specialized nipple won’t guarantee reliable ignition.
I should make it clear that my experience is based on the use of black powder, and I only have limited experience with the substitutes.
The other issue that I have that is really more important is that a standard nipple and hammer are designed to vent gases and particles of cap away from the shooters face. With a vented nipple gasses escape from the side of the nipple.
This seems like a potential problem.
In the spirt of increased understanding what is the general consensus on the forum? Do these vented nipples offer a true improvement?
Thanks and best regards to all,