Hotchkiss Percussion Fuze;

[John D. Bartleson Jr.]

To all Interested,
      Have you ever looked close at the Hotchkiss striker (plunger) and wondered why the percussion nipple looked different than most nipples found in percussion fuzes?
     Thanks to several members sending me pieces of the striker I am able to illustrate that difference below.
Regards,
John aka Bart

[Dave the plumber]

is it cast into the zinc, or pressed into a slot ?? Are the typical nipples threaded in ??

[Pete George]

Dave the plumber wrote:
> is it cast into the zinc, or pressed into a slot ??

  Lead, not zinc.  Apparently, the lead was cast around the nipple.

  One of the unusual things about the Type 2 Hotchkiss Percussion nipple is that it is made of brass.  The Parrott fuze nipple and James nipple are steel.  The Schenkl nipple is part of the striker itself, not a separately-made component.  The most common Schenkl slider was made of cast-iron, and a smaller number were made of a solder-like alloy.

> Are the typical nipples threaded in ??

  Parrot and James nipples were threaded in.  Like the Schenkl striker's nipple, Confederate Percussion fuze nipples are an integral part of the striker, which was either lathed from bar-stock or solid-cast.

Regards,
Pete