Availability of Percussion Caps

Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Swagman

32 Cal
Joined
May 21, 2024
Messages
35
Reaction score
48
Location
Sydney
How hard is it to buy Percussion caps in the US at the moment? I am from Sydney Australia and it is nigh on impossible to find any gun shop that has ANY size Percussion caps! Thankfully I always buy in bulk (cause nothing ever gets cheaper or easier to find), but many of my club members are getting pretty low.
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot 2024-08-13 014003.png
    Screenshot 2024-08-13 014003.png
    26.9 KB
  • Screenshot 2024-08-13 014452.png
    Screenshot 2024-08-13 014452.png
    28.7 KB
My local shop has had them all along, started at $8 a tin, and have bumped up to $12. I recently bought some from my local Walmart for $5 a tin. They had 2 left yesterday but couldn’t sell me them since no one was in the Sporting Goods register. Fortunately, I have plenty.
 
How hard is it to buy Percussion caps in the US at the moment? I am from Sydney Australia and it is nigh on impossible to find any gun shop that has ANY size Percussion caps! Thankfully I always buy in bulk (cause nothing ever gets cheaper or easier to find), but many of my club members are getting pretty low.
Don't let these responses fool ya. Until recently the forums had threads like this all the time. The influx of RWS caps has changed that but for how long? And there are only a handful of places that have those. In my area I haven't seen caps of any kind in a shop or store in at least 3 years. Find them at gun shows with absurd prices on them. Only viable option has been to order online when a company I order from has them.

I doubt some of these guys noticed you're in Aus. as the responses to these queries have become copy paste and most don't bother to fully read them so an online place here in the U.S. is mostly useless to you. Sooner or later one of the more smug characters on here may well be inclined to inform you that they laid in a lifetime supply when things were good, so they don't know what you're problem is...
 
Thanks Indy, it is very strange, even though the muzzle loading fraternity is fairly small in Australia there has never been a problem getting percussion caps but then 3 years ago it started to get harder and now every gun store has them on back order.

Curious as to why they are also hard to get in the USA as you would have a much larger market than us.
 
Thanks Indy, it is very strange, even though the muzzle loading fraternity is fairly small in Australia there has never been a problem getting percussion caps but then 3 years ago it started to get harder and now every gun store has them on back order.

Curious as to why they are also hard to get in the USA as you would have a much larger market than us.
For a time, a large part of our production capacity has gone to producing unmentionable ammunition to be sent to Ukraine, Israel, and no doubt numerous other countries/conflicts. The muzzleloading primer machines just haven't been running full time when there are lucrative government contracts to fill.

That's my estimation anyway.
 
Thanks Indy, it is very strange, even though the muzzle loading fraternity is fairly small in Australia there has never been a problem getting percussion caps but then 3 years ago it started to get harder and now every gun store has them on back order.

Curious as to why they are also hard to get in the USA as you would have a much larger market than us.
Have you thought about or looked to see if it's legal for you to make your own and if any of those kits are available to you? Some of us either do that or laid in the supplies to do so when needed.
 
Have you thought about or looked to see if it's legal for you to make your own and if any of those kits are available to you? Some of us either do that or laid in the supplies to do so when needed.
Caps are hard to find in Alaska too and stupid expensive when you can find them. I recently bought a kit from .22 Reloader and started making my own. They work great……
 
Caps are hard to find in Alaska too and stupid expensive when you can find them. I recently bought a kit from .22 Reloader and started making my own. They work great……
Got one of those myself. Summer got here and I've been so busy I've not finished making a batch to try. Just need to mix up the chems and will prob use an additional binder to keep it in the cap.
 
How hard is it to buy Percussion caps in the US at the moment? I am from Sydney Australia and it is nigh on impossible to find any gun shop that has ANY size Percussion caps! Thankfully I always buy in bulk (cause nothing ever gets cheaper or easier to find), but many of my club members are getting pretty low.
Hit & miss in N. GA. PrimeAll sells cap making tool and primer compound (as well as rimfire reloading setup inexpensive too.
 
Walmart receives 1 shipment/store annually.
Here in the USA - the time is now..
My local store had at least 20 tins for sale. Just under $6/100ct.

Otherwise you’re stuck with the crooks reselling them.
 
Don't let these responses fool ya. Until recently the forums had threads like this all the time. The influx of RWS caps has changed that but for how long? And there are only a handful of places that have those. In my area I haven't seen caps of any kind in a shop or store in at least 3 years. Find them at gun shows with absurd prices on them. Only viable option has been to order online when a company I order from has them.

I doubt some of these guys noticed you're in Aus. as the responses to these queries have become copy paste and most don't bother to fully read them so an online place here in the U.S. is mostly useless to you. Sooner or later one of the more smug characters on here may well be inclined to inform you that they laid in a lifetime supply when things were good, so they don't know what you're problem is...
I didn't know Aussies couldn't buy US online. Shame. Georgia & Australia both started as British prison colonies. Love me some Bush Barbie.
 
I didn't say they couldn't. I bet the hazmat and or paperwork on caps/things that go bang or boom across the big pond isnt much of a problem...
Gosh. Hey - unrelated except my newly gifted cva.50 is cap ignition - is universal recommended for patched round balls .490?
 
How hard is it to buy Percussion caps in the US at the moment? I am from Sydney Australia and it is nigh on impossible to find any gun shop that has ANY size Percussion caps! Thankfully I always buy in bulk (cause nothing ever gets cheaper or easier to find), but many of my club members are getting pretty low.
(joke) You could always get a ship to Mexico, and walk across the border into the US. Then, say you're an immigrant, and get a bunch of stuff for free. In a year or two, you'd be voting and getting citizenship. This is not as jokey as it may seem. The news reports today that citizenship is being speeded up for new immigrants; that's so they can vote soon.
 
Back
Top