Homemade caps in revolver

Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:

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

montezuma

36 Cl.
Joined
Jun 3, 2023
Messages
65
Reaction score
137
Location
Colorado
Anyone else have this issue with homemade caps? Kinda punches a hole clear through. Maybe a little too much priming powder? Left a reddish residue that I'm assuming is corrosive. Cleaned up fine but a little tougher than the 3f. 20230818_095633.jpg20230818_093344.jpg
 
I have the same with mine, if you don't use enough of the priming compound you won't get ignition. Someone on the forum claims he uses the homemade caps and doesn't get the corrosive reaction on his nipples. Not me, I get the same look you get on my nipples.
 
Out of curiosity... do the caps stay on the nipples or do they blow apart like the standard cap?
They're blown apart pretty much, I pick my off if they don't fall off after the next cylinder is brought into battery. Otherwise they'll fall into the works. But I'm in no hurry, for me it's a leisurely day. I hear if you double up on the cap ply they'll stay together, even to the extent that you can reload them.
 
I have the same with mine, if you don't use enough of the priming compound you won't get ignition.
Yeah the first ones I made just fizzled out in my 50 cal pistol unloaded here at the house. Takes some time to get them right it seems.
 
Get one of the cups the doctor uses on his light when he looks into your ears, the opening on the end is just a tad under a #11 cap size. That's what I use as a funnel with a small, (very small, mine is a metal novelty item) measuring spoon. I think the size says a skoach, or something, one spoon and it's where it should be in the cap. Then I use a straightened paperclip, large, to extract the funnel by putting it through the funnel and bottoming out on the bottom of the cap to hold the cap while I pull the funnel out of the cap.

Yes much tedious work, but you're not behooving to a store to maybe get them in. Or cussing because you don't have any. Oh yeah, almost forgot, magnifying glasses are handy.
 
I guess I am going to have to give that a try!
The guy that makes the punch and the compound is in Olathe colorado just north of me and shipping was pretty quick. I used 6 oz acetone and and one 1 oz duco cement that was suggested on this forum and worked better than acetone alone.
 
They're blown apart pretty much, I pick my off if they don't fall off after the next cylinder is brought into battery. Otherwise they'll fall into the works. But I'm in no hurry, for me it's a leisurely day. I hear if you double up on the cap ply they'll stay together, even to the extent that you can reload them.
I am frugal (ok, cheap) but not that cheap LOL
 
Get one of the cups the doctor uses on his light when he looks into your ears, the opening on the end is just a tad under a #11 cap size. That's what I use as a funnel with a small, (very small, mine is a metal novelty item) measuring spoon. I think the size says a skoach, or something, one spoon and it's where it should be in the cap. Then I use a straightened paperclip, large, to extract the funnel by putting it through the funnel and bottoming out on the bottom of the cap to hold the cap while I pull the funnel out of the cap.

Yes much tedious work, but you're not behooving to a store to maybe get them in. Or cussing because you don't have any. Oh yeah, almost forgot, magnifying glasses are handy.
Simplify your method by super gluing a thin wire handle to a spent small pistol primer with the anvil removed. This dipper will deliver the right amount of compound to caps placed in drilled holes on a 1/8” thick plastic strip. Simple and fast.
 
double up the pop cans. they will work much better. If you use less priming the fragmenting will stop or be less. The red stuff isn't rust.It's what you get when using antimony sulfide ( the black stuff) in the priming. Hurts nothing . If you use brass for the cups the fragmenting will go away. That has stopped the cap jams on my revolvers.
 
Some stay and some blow apart. I think some are hotter than others.
Just an idea, I bought a couple extra scoops and trimmed one down to get just the right amount of mixture in the cap. As far as the instructions are concerned, I go a little "off the reservation". I stamp out the caps with two sheets of beer can, I think they work much better that way. I use my trimmed down scoop to fill the cap shells, then use a dropper bottle with rubbing alcohol and give each cap two drops to completely wet the mixture, I dont use a tamping tool to mix and mush the mixture down. The caps are ready to use inside of 24 hours. Your drying time may vary as I live in a very dry place (Sonoran Desert foothills). With the cut down scooper, your caps will have consistency. That reddish crud looks bad, but its a small price to pay for an inexpensive and readily available cap supply. The holes could also be due to the mainspring being heavy also.

Edit for spelling.
 
I also find the center either punched or possibly melted in the tops of my homemade caps. While cleaning my rifle today I noticed what appeared to be a small bead of aluminum sticking out of the nipple orifice.
Back to the pistol question, I only use one layer with punching caps, The aluminum shreds on the nipples of my 58 nma reproduction. I haven't been very frustrated with shredded caps since the aluminum easily clears with the cocking force. But safety glasses are a must as protection from flying fragments.
Sorry I got a little long winded there.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top