How Do I Get Rid of Old Percussion Caps?

[S.Kenton]

Before you soaked them in water you could have whacked them with a hammer. I got a tin of caps at a garage sale one time, the caps inside were terrible, corroded and green. All I wanted was the tin anyhow, so whacked the caps with a hammer, a couple went off but most didn’t.

 

[duca]

duca,

It's no joke--and they're soaking in a bucket of water right now.....

joliver

I still don’t get it …?

 

[mooman76]

What is wrong with the caps? Soaking in water will do little to nothing. When they dry out they will still likely work.

 

[59sharps]

What the heck dry them out and shoot them. Just don’t dry them I’m on the wood stove or in the oven.
or send them to me I’ll dry them out

 

[deerstalkert]

please don't take the advice to smack them with a hammer. in my misspent youth i did just that to ignite a train of powder. worked fine but i still have a piece of shrapnel in my abdomen from it. not worth the giggles.

 

[S.Kenton]

How in the world did you get a piece of shrapnel in your stomach from whacking individual caps with a hammer?

 

[leadhoarder]

I would bust them.

 

[Billy Boy]

I have a bunch of caps that are really, really old and I want to get rid of them. What's the best way to do this: dig a deep hole, throw them in and cover them up?; soak them in water for a few days then throw them in the trash; or ?????

Any help appreciated,

joliver

I found some #11s from Dixie that are 45 yrs old - I bought them with a CVA pistol kit in 1976 - and stumbled on to them during a recent deep clean operation in my gear hovel. They still work fine! Shoot them up.

 

[duca]

This has to be the most stupidest post!! Throw them in the F$&king garbage then…

 

[deerstalkert]

How in the world did you get a piece of shrapnel in your stomach from whacking individual caps with a hammer?

crouched over and a little piece squirted out like a broadhead and sliced into my stomach. my lower stomach. wanna see the scar?

 

[Colonial Boy]

Back when I first started shooting cap locks there were no new caps, except Eley shot shell reloading ones and we called then ‘hot caps’ as they were a bit violent, but good at sending off misfires.
The only normal caps available were Eley ones that were probably 50 years old or older and they worked fine with the occasional misfire, probably more due to fouling than the caps.
Wish I had those Eley tins now.

 

[Whughett]

crouched over and a little piece squirted out like a broadhead and sliced into my stomach. my lower stomach. wanna see the scar?

Yes please. Actually had a very very small cut on the meaty part of my thumb where it joints to the hand from a cap fragment on my Remington Revolving Carbine.

 

[S.Kenton]

crouched over and a little piece squirted out like a broadhead and sliced into my stomach. my lower stomach. wanna see the scar?

I’ll take your word for it…I’ve just never heard of such a thing..

 

[moose23]

I am really enjoying this thread!

 

[The Crisco Kid]

I am really enjoying this thread!

Me too. It's showing a whole lot of ignorance. Why throw away something that may be perfectly good when so many others are looking for them? It don't make no sense to me.

 

[leadhoarder]

 

[hawkeye2]

Really?????????? This is a joke Question right????

An individual asks some (allegedly) knowledgeable and experienced folks how to safely dispose of something he thinks could possibly constitute a hazard and it is a joke?

 

[deerstalkert]

I’ll take your word for it…I’ve just never heard of such a thing..

i heard and felt it! so small a piece the dr just left it.

 

[Cattywompuss]

duca,

It's no joke--and they're soaking in a bucket of water right now.....

joliver

Jay-sus, Mare-ey, and Joseph... what in seven hells? Well... so much for that... your thread is dead.

 

[Sixgun_Symphony]

Use them to clear the fire channel before you load a charge.

Snap a cap with those, saves on fresh caps when they are not found on store shelves.