How to pull seized nipples on colt 1849's - tips 'n tricks?

[jethunter]

I am not a great fan of the reverse threaded type easy outs. On small screws which have to be drilled out nearly to the threads, they tend to expand the thread and make it tighter if possible.

cheers Doug

I haven't experienced that. I haven't seen any outward expansion except where the wall thickness is paper thin, and even then it distorts the threads less than the squatre type extractor does.

For small screws I don't know of an extractor that works worth a dam actually, and I've had better results cutting a slot and using a screwdriver. IME the left hand thread extractors don't have the same propensity to break off as the tapered-square extractors seem to have. I'd rather not even use those damn things.

 

[mooncoon]

A lot of it depends on how old the gun / screws are. On older guns that have been much abused, the threads are often fused right in and virtually impossible to remove even with penetrating oil and heat. On the other hand, several months ago I removed the nipples from an italian colt navy revolver. One came out with just penetrating oil, two came out with oil then heat and the remaining 3 require all of the above followed by and easy out and more heat. The nipples had never been removed for cleaning and the gun had been left unshot for the past 20 years or more. Most of the guns that I work on are percussion shotguns from the mid 1800s and the threads are often rusted enough that they require chasing out with a larger tap.

cheers mooncoon