Due to the current shortage of #11 caps, I am considering getting some of the musket caps, nipples etc.. for match shooting. I have zero experience with musket caps and need some guidance. I understand the the CCI Reenactment caps are kinda of weak, but which brand)s) are good solid flame throwing caps? I have found the four wing Schuetzen - are they the proper cap? I will putting the proper nipple on Thompson Center rifles - will the Schuetzen fit those rifles? Thanks in advance.
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Musket Cap Question
- Thread starter BruceHH
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64Springer
75 Cal.
Schuetzen is all I use. Never a problem. Bang every time.
To buy a musket nipple you'll need to know the thread size of your current nipple.
To buy a musket nipple you'll need to know the thread size of your current nipple.
Schuetzen caps are good.
I've switched most of my shotguns to musket cap and use Schuetzen
TDM
Cannon
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Definitely buy the Schuetzen when you find them. I don’t use them but one of my Sons does and I get them for him. Haven’t seen them around here in a while.
Question - Does CCI only make the reenactment caps now? I have an old tin of CCI musket caps which are not reenactor caps, and worked fine. My new ones are now Schützen or RWS, but that is because that is what was available (and they are good).
I have used RWS caps for ever. They are superior to anything else I have used. I got some CCI caps recently and out of 100, twelve were without priming compound. Just empty shells.
ADK Bigfoot
ADK Bigfoot
You need a good, centered hammer over the nipple to swap out to the larger musket nipple. Some hammer/nipple alignments are less than optimal with production guns. I did the swap on my GPR and it worked fine.
APG
45 Cal.
I use the cheaper CCI's on my Traditions St Louis Hawken rifle with the larger nipple with no problems. Yes they are weaker than the other musket caps that are on the market. Schuetzen and RWS which I use on my Pedersoli 1861 Springfield.
maillemaker
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I've been shooting muskets in competition for 10 years.
The best caps are RWS Dynamite Nobel. They have been hard to get for about a year.
The Schuetzen caps are OK. They are, however, made of steel, and then brass plated. You can prove this with a magnet. Being steel, they do not always hammer down onto the nipple as easily as they should, and I could not get reliable ignition with my Pedersoli Sharps until I replaced the nipple. I tried filing down my old nipple to no avail.
Also, I think because the Sheutzen caps do not hammer down tightly onto the nipple, they there is a lot of cap blast blow-by that will pepper the fire out of your fingers on your off hand. It's enough stinging and long-lasting that you will either wear a glove or start altering your hand position when shooting.
CCI got sued about 10 years ago when a cap fragment hurt someone's eye. They then weakened their caps. For a while, they were labeled "FOR REENACTOR USE". Later, they were labeled "GENERAL PURPOSE" but if you peeled off the top label you'd find the old "FOR REENACTOR USE" label underneath. The CCI caps are now weak. They do not reliably fire any gun that has a multi-angle fire channel (Sharps, 1861 Springfield). They will generally work OK in any gun with a straight-in fire channel (Enfield, 1842 Springfield).
The best caps are RWS Dynamite Nobel. They have been hard to get for about a year.
The Schuetzen caps are OK. They are, however, made of steel, and then brass plated. You can prove this with a magnet. Being steel, they do not always hammer down onto the nipple as easily as they should, and I could not get reliable ignition with my Pedersoli Sharps until I replaced the nipple. I tried filing down my old nipple to no avail.
Also, I think because the Sheutzen caps do not hammer down tightly onto the nipple, they there is a lot of cap blast blow-by that will pepper the fire out of your fingers on your off hand. It's enough stinging and long-lasting that you will either wear a glove or start altering your hand position when shooting.
CCI got sued about 10 years ago when a cap fragment hurt someone's eye. They then weakened their caps. For a while, they were labeled "FOR REENACTOR USE". Later, they were labeled "GENERAL PURPOSE" but if you peeled off the top label you'd find the old "FOR REENACTOR USE" label underneath. The CCI caps are now weak. They do not reliably fire any gun that has a multi-angle fire channel (Sharps, 1861 Springfield). They will generally work OK in any gun with a straight-in fire channel (Enfield, 1842 Springfield).
Thanks for all the information. Something to consider.
