Making your own caps

[docmel]

Seen allot of folks say that cant find caps:

Make your own PERCUSSION CAPS HERE
#10 Percussion Cap Maker

Yes, they have #11 cap makers as well, just need to look

COST?
$49 for the tool
Toy cap gun ribbon, roll of 1200, $6.00 (makes 1200 percussion caps)
One aluminum can supports about 100 caps

I cant tell you how easy they are to make (See you tube) Users state an almost %100 percent fire rate
Myself I have fired about 30-40 rounds so far with NO misfires

BE SELF SUFFICIENT AS MUCH AS YOU CAN

 

[Sean E Bug]

the brand of caps you use can make a difference. I have had better luck with guns where the nipple points directly into the main charge like on revolvers and underhammers. I really wish the tool could be mounted in a reloading press.

 

[n.h.schmidt]

I have the cap maker. I did have it mounted on my drill press. Used it like a arbor press. That wasn't hard to set up and worked well with easy effort and much faster production. Later I made some changes and now its on a cheapo C type reloading press. Either setup can produce 700 or so cups per hour.A faster person could easily beat that number. Using the role caps is a dead end.Use the priming powders.

 

[ohio ramrod]

Yes the priming powders will cost a little more than the roll caps but will give more comsistant results.

 

[Dude]

When using the roll caps, does it work better to position the dark button side towards the cap or towards the nipple?

 

[russellshaffer]

Toward the cap. It lights whatever you are using for priming compound. I use fine black powder - a small pistol primer used for a measure.

 

[Dude]

So the roll cap by itself isn't sufficient?

If it's recommended also to add some black powder to the cap, then I can see why using priming compound is a better idea.

 

[golden sky]

i found the roll caps plugged the nipple port, i like the .22 reloaders primer mix, works well, just been testing #2 Ramset .22 cases , zero corrosion too. i need to order a pistol percussion nipple and see if they fit better

 

[Dude]

I'm just now reading a thread in The High Road forum, and the gist of it is that the roll cap paper is what plugs up the nipples. You need to lift the powder dots off of the roll and use four dots per pistol cap, but only one is needed for rifles. It's also suggested to use a nipple primer on rifles for a really strong charge.

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/how-i-make-hot-percussion-caps.849353/

 

[golden sky]

thats about what i discovered,

I will give the roll caps another try later down the road,

 

[Leadnoakum]

What is in percussion caps? Fine powder? Or some other blend of chemicals. I was under the impression it was the latter. Maybe I just don't recognize the names as gunpowder.

 

[Dude]

What is in percussion caps? Fine powder? Or some other blend of chemicals. I was under the impression it was the latter. Maybe I just don't recognize the names as gunpowder.

It's a true explosive. Originally it was potassium chlorate, and then fulminate of mercury, which is quite corrosive. Less corrosive, or non corrosive, chemicals are used these days. Some guys add a little fine black powder to their caps and others even add some fine aluminum shavings.

The history is pretty interesting. It was discovered a little over 200 years ago and tried as a substitute for Black. But that didn't last long as it blew up any gun it was tried in. One smart guy figured out to use it as a detonator for the main Black Powder charge, but his invention was largely ignored till his death.

 

[golden sky]

from 22LR reloaders bag of mix. I see sulfur, ground glass, potasium chlorate, and an unknown light graphite looking substance. not sure what this is but i think its the key ingreadient

 

[n.h.schmidt]

You are partly right The black powder with sparkles in it is antimony sulfide. The little off white bag isn't glass.It's the binder. You can easily test this for yourself. Mix some of this powder with water. Walk away and let it dry. If it's glass it will still be ground glass. If it more looks like a dried up bit of Elmer's glue ,it's something else. There is lots of information on better binders right here. A great many here have walked down this road already.

 

[golden sky]

yeah I am getting ignition with cheapo 22 ramset cases, much easier than punching cans and using 22LR Reloaders stuff.

my only question is what's in the Ramset 22 powder. It looks scarey

 

[n.h.schmidt]

what are you paying for the ramset cases? Aren't they closed off at the opening?

 

[golden sky]

i just cut them in half and empty the case powder into a jar, , the rest of the lower portion seems to be safe to use, it slides over the nip, and pops

 

[fireman1]

tag for later

 

[Christophero]

I ordered the cap maker and primer from 22Reloader a couple months ago and have made and shot quite a few with no issues, no fail to fires. With the priming powder mix there isn't a need for BP to be added, as it is quite potent enough. Glad to have the avenue to keep shooting the caplock rifles.

 

[Old Sparky]

I ordered the 22 reloader number 10 cap maker and the prime all. It takes a month but you will get your stuff LOL I got impatient and ordered a number 11 off of eBay so I could start making the caps. I determined that if you anneal the can with a torch it makes much better looking caps. And they are much flatter in the bottom as well. I have a clipboard with 100 holes drilled in it that fits the Caps perfectly. That way I can just brush the powder into them. They are very dependable but they do shed some powder and are a bit messy. Anyway the three caps on the bottom are from a can that was annealed. Notice how much flatter the bottom is and the folds are neater.