Cap Shortage, Update

[dave951]

Once again for the record-

THERE IS NO SHORTAGE OF BP OR CAPS

If you’re used to getting them at a brick and mortar place, that’s locally driven and subject to economics. Online is no problem. Put yer big boy pants on and order in a large enough quantity to reduce the hazmat fee or pool your order with others or make a fun road trip

 

[smoothshooter]

As I gaze into my crystal ball I don't see a shortage of percussion caps due to a run on the stores. Most preppers don't plan on holding back the hordes with a Plains rifle or cap and ball revolver. Only if resources are diverted to cartridge ammo manufacturing will muzzleloader supplies be affected. Free advice worth what you paid for it.

Some of the best advice I have ever been given was “ free “.

 

[smoothshooter]

Nothing like election and covid panic buying! Handgun ammo is unobtainable here, so cap and ball revolvers are hot right now.

Even they are hard to find now.
Anyone should have seen these shortages coming two years or longer ago, and bought accordingly.
Anyone that is a remotely serious shooter should keep a minimum of a 5 year supply of components, and 10 years is better.
I fear the days of being able to have caps or powder delivered to your door are numbered.

 

[Grenadier1758]

"Would be awesome if someone made nipples that took modern primers instead of caps!"

It seems that I saw them recently, but cannot remember where.

There are a lot of advertisements for replacing the percussion cap nipple with a 209 primer nipple. For the 209 primer to work you have to unscrew the impact piece from the 209 nipple and insert the primer, then screw the impact piece back in place. What a PITA. I'll search for percussion caps and if all else fails, I can still use flint.

Actually I use flint locks most of the time anyway.

 

[longcruise]

Guess this says a lot about why the mountain men of the west held with their flinters.

 

[Newtire]

Cabelas thru the internet but they were out of #10's.

 

[Newtire]

Once again for the record-

THERE IS NO SHORTAGE OF BP OR CAPS

If you’re used to getting them at a brick and mortar place, that’s locally driven and subject to economics. Online is no problem. Put yer big boy pants on and order in a large enough quantity to reduce the hazmat fee or pool your order with others or make a fun road trip

Big boy pants to go on the Internet?

 

[Timber Wolf]

My definition is if you go to a store and buy part of what is available, you are stocking up. If on the other hand you buy All of a given product without leaving some for the next guy, you are hoarding.

I am guilty based on your definition. I took up shooting Cowboy Action (GASP!) earlier this year. While I am set up to reload shotgun shells, it is not worth it to me for what I can buy the cheap shells for at chinamart. They don’t appear to be restocking (or maybe they can’t) so when I find the 100 count boxes on the shelf I buy the two or three they have. I am sorry butI am shooting a lot and don’t want to be short.

 

[rshveyda]

Even they are hard to find now.
Anyone should have seen these shortages coming two years or longer ago, and bought accordingly.
Anyone that is a remotely serious shooter should keep a minimum of a 5 year supply of components, and 10 years is better.
I fear the days of being able to have caps or powder delivered to your door are numbered.

I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with this 5 or 10 year supply philosophy unless you are a rather light shooter. It's fine when 1% of shooters buy up 5-10 years worth of supplies each, but when enough of us try to do so the manufacturers cannot replace that amount of inventory in anywhere near a reasonable timeframe, if at all. The results are shortages and increased prices and resellers gouging just like we are seeing today.

If you won't shoot it in a year, maybe you should leave some for the next fella.

I am guilty based on your definition. I took up shooting Cowboy Action (GASP!) earlier this year. While I am set up to reload shotgun shells, it is not worth it to me for what I can buy the cheap shells for at chinamart. They don’t appear to be restocking (or maybe they can’t) so when I find the 100 count boxes on the shelf I buy the two or three they have. I am sorry butI am shooting a lot and don’t want to be short.

300 rounds is a fun afternoon for most cowboy action shooters, so I say buy whatever you need plus a bit if you plan to actually shoot it. My gripe is with the guys who brag about storing 10,000 rounds of each caliber they shoot in the new ammo locker they just dug in the basement, and how they are working on getting that number up. Those kinds of guys have no intention of shooting any of it, and will likely die leaving their widow with the problem of trying to dispose of it all. And they'll be the first ones to chew your ear about ammo prices rising without realizing it's partially their fault.

 

[BullRunBear]

Percussion caps are still around if you look and are willing to pay the hazmat fee but the supply is dwindling. MidwayUSA has some RWS and Bass Pro might have some that can be shipped. There are none available locally for me. This happened during the last short supply situation a few years ago. Caps were almost impossible to find and were slower to come back to the shelves than modern components. I used the time since then to lay in a good supply for my own use and to help out friends if needed. (I did this with modern components as well. I don't like to be burned twice to learn a lesson.)

Jeff

 

[Sam squanch]

I lost my big boy pants. Right after I got married......

 

[smoothshooter]

I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with this 5 or 10 year supply philosophy unless you are a rather light shooter. It's fine when 1% of shooters buy up 5-10 years worth of supplies each, but when enough of us try to do so the manufacturers cannot replace that amount of inventory in anywhere near a reasonable timeframe, if at all. The results are shortages and increased prices and resellers gouging just like we are seeing today.

If you won't shoot it in a year, maybe you should leave some for the next fella.

300 rounds is a fun afternoon for most cowboy action shooters, so I say buy whatever you need plus a bit if you plan to actually shoot it. My gripe is with the guys who brag about storing 10,000 rounds of each caliber they shoot in the new ammo locker they just dug in the basement, and how they are working on getting that number up. Those kinds of guys have no intention of shooting any of it, and will likely die leaving their widow with the problem of trying to dispose of it all. And they'll be the first ones to chew your ear about ammo prices rising without realizing it's partially their fault.

The amount of caps I have have been accumulated over a period of 15 to 20 years, 500 to 1000 at a time in places where there were many more available than were being sold at any of the various shoots I went to.
I don’t think I have bought caps during any of the recent shortages simply because I did not need them. I have never paid more than about $3.50 per can for any of them. Quite a few for around $3.00 per can.

 

[Old Timer 48]

I don't foresee a flint shortage

 

[Half-Cocked]

Walmart had a box of no.11 cci a few days ago. Today there was one left. If you're the guy that goes into a gun store or your local Walmart and buys everything off the shelf let it be noted that I truly despise you. The limits are kind of annoying too. I went to my local store and was limited one box of unmentionable ammo in the smallest caliber. A whopping 40 rounds.

Seems like people can't just be normal. if it's got a good price and it's in stock hey by two or three not all of them.

 

[Half-Cocked]

I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with this 5 or 10 year supply philosophy unless you are a rather light shooter. It's fine when 1% of shooters buy up 5-10 years worth of supplies each, but when enough of us try to do so the manufacturers cannot replace that amount of inventory in anywhere near a reasonable timeframe, if at all. The results are shortages and increased prices and resellers gouging just like we are seeing today.

If you won't shoot it in a year, maybe you should leave some for the next fella.

300 rounds is a fun afternoon for most cowboy action shooters, so I say buy whatever you need plus a bit if you plan to actually shoot it. My gripe is with the guys who brag about storing 10,000 rounds of each caliber they shoot in the new ammo locker they just dug in the basement, and how they are working on getting that number up. Those kinds of guys have no intention of shooting any of it, and will likely die leaving their widow with the problem of trying to dispose of it all. And they'll be the first ones to chew your ear about ammo prices rising without realizing it's partially their fault.

Reminds me of the story of the guy who bought $6,000 worth of toilet paper. The genius stuck it all on his basement and then his basement flooded instant karma.

 

[arcticap]

Basspro has Remington #10'and #11's just now when I checked.
A person needs to search for Remington primers and they are listed under a photo of black powder 209 primers.
Yesterday they were out when I checked while others posted that they were able to order them.
So it looks like they are on and then off again on the Basspro website.
And they are eligible to be shipped to homes or a local store.
But at $8.99 per tin, who would want to stockpile thousands of caps at that price.
Folks shouldn't think that Remington's new owners. don't want to profit by producing caps.
The chains are receiving large orders and are rationing them by charging higher prices.
At least gasoline prices are low.

 

[Blackpowderwarrior]

Basspro has Remington #10'and #11's just now when I checked.
A person needs to search for Remington primers and they are listed under a photo of black powder 209 primers.
Yesterday they were out when I checked while others posted that they were able to order them.
So it looks like they are on and then off again on the Basspro website.
And they are eligible to be shipped to homes or a local store.
But at $8.99 per tin, who would want to stockpile thousands of caps at that price.
Folks shouldn't think that Remington's new owners. don't want to profit by producing caps.
The chains are receiving large orders and are rationing them by charging higher prices.
At least gasoline prices are low.

Arcticap,
@ 8.99 a tin bass pro can keep em! Now if i had none i would rethink that but damn @that price ! Maybe its time i learn how to make em

 

[arcticap]

Arcticap,
@ 8.99 a tin bass pro can keep em! Now if i had none i would rethink that but damn @that price ! Maybe its time i learn how to make em

There seems to be plenty of CCI #10's available that are too small to fit many nipples.
Folks can easily dress an extra nipple to fit them.
Magnum caps also seem to be more readily available.
How many folks ask their local gun shop which caps are available and to order some for them.

 

[rshveyda]

My local North 40 was selling CCI #10 and #11 caps for $2.99 per tin of 100 until they disappeared off the shelf back around March of this year. They are back in stock at $4.99 per tin and that makes me a happy shooter. I've got two full tins of each, and will probably buy another two tins of each next time I get over there.

If retailers had more caps or ammo than they could sell then prices would drop. That's how things work. When demand for guns and ammo skyrockets, like it does every election cycle scare, it's impossible for the manufacturers to increase production enough to keep up with folks stockpiling out of fear. It's not like folks shoot 2x or 3x as much in an election year. It's that folks horde 5x or 10x what they can possibly shoot and it outstrips the production capacity of ammo factories.

While there is plenty of gouging going on, especially by resellers on the secondary market, this isn't a case of artificially low supply to force up prices. It's plain old increased demand outstripping supply.

 

[1853enfield]

There might not be a shortage from where you are looking but i just checked Graff has zero caps no #11 #10 or musket caps
Midway has RWS case lot of 2500 #11 caps for $124 and some 209 primers. so if there is no shortage it seems funny they dont have any.
I am ok i had a friend add caps on his order and he got me 1,000 #11 caps and was supposed to order 1.000 musket caps but ordered #2,000 musket caps instead. i sometime use musket caps in my TC rifles so i should be ok for a while. if i find caps in stock i would buy a few more i also picked up a dozen flints from TOW recently.