Unobtainium percussion caps

[Atlast357]

I had a guy suggest I make my own from beer cans and toy pistol caps.
Prefer to buy my own , but none to be around ???? :idunno: My stock is just about depleted.

 

[Stophel]

Dixie has, or used to have, a "Tap-o-cap" device for doing just that. Assuming it works as it should, They would be good for playing around with, saving your good caps for more serious work.

 

[AZbpBurner]

I recently got out the box of dud .22's and pulled the lead to recycle and the powder to go burn out back. All the brass has priming compound, although maybe not distributed evenly so it would fire when hit with firing pin.

I wonder if the priming compound in .22 brass can be safely dissolved and applied to tap-o-cap caps?

Unlike capgun caps, it would be non corrosive.

 

[RedFeather]

Be more trouble than it's worth. If you could even do it. And even the cheap rimfire ammo is in high demand. Be better to sell it and advertise for caps.

 

[AZbpBurner]

Be more trouble than it's worth. If you could even do it. And even the cheap rimfire ammo is in high demand. Be better to sell it and advertise for caps.

What I have is a big box of range pick-up dud .22s that are of no particular use, except for reclaiming the lead. I've got a bunch of the brass, and if the priming compound was easily soluble, may be a better source than capgun caps :idunno:

 

[AZbpBurner]

Seems a lot of work to make your own percussion caps.

I stop by Bass Pro and Sportsman's Warehouse on the weekend after work, and quite often they're just getting in new inventory of stuff. Lady behind the counter was stacking up cans of Pyrodex, and some caps, and I asked her why such a small quantity of caps. She said that they (and just about all the retailers) have standing orders for caps, powder and ammo, and whatever arrives on their dock is what they sell. I got a couple of tins of Musket caps, since I have a breechloading rifle that uses musket caps, and just got a musket nipple to fit one of my Investarms Rifles - just to see what a bigger ignition flame will do for accuracy while burning some Pyrodex I got on sale a while back.

So, lately all the stores are clueless about arriving inventory - it pays to either call every week or so, or stop in, since, although the cap shelf is bare one day, it may get filled later in the week.

 

[btech]

I just bought 1000 Remington #10's from Jedediah Starr. Did have to pay $27.50 hazmat fee.

 

[Atlast357]

Just checked with them, Hazmat fee is $42 plus shipping
also Gander Mountain wants $100 Hazmat.
Too much for me I'll wait for local shops and just see
what happens. Looks like back to brass cartridge shooting for a awhile. :hmm:

 

[Billnpatti]

I previously posted a reply on this thread and I don't know what happened to it. Anyway, here is what I had to say about Tap-A-Cap.....doesn't work. It may have worked with the cap gun caps of days gone past but now the cap gun caps are much less powerful. It's one of those safety items. A friend tried to make some caps for his rifle using the Tap-A-Cap and one cap gun cap wasn't powerful enough to reliable enough set off his gun. So, he tried using two cap gun caps. Still not reliable enough. When he went to three cap gun caps, the home made cap was over filled and would not stay on the nipple and would not even go off reliably. So, the Tap-A-cap may have been an idea at one time but when the cap gun caps became so weak, that idea went down the drain. The darn stuff in the cap gun caps was corrosive anyway.

 

[Billnpatti]

Think.....Flintlock. Even when there are no caps available, you can always find flint. :hatsoff:

 

Check yer nearest walmart. Saw some on the hooks the other day.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Just saw a tap o cap for sale on the (gag) big anti gun on line auction.

There are nipple replacements that fire 209's available for most hawkens etc. As I recall another company made nipple replacements for pistol primers. They are available for about $20 on the on line auctions.

As a last resort I have used those plastic toy caps that are shaped like percussion caps. They will work about 85% on my Ruger OA and my H&A underhammer. But they aren't hot enough for rifles and pistols with long flash channels like a drum and nipple system.

At the little big horn, they found evidence that the Indians were reloading the 44 Henry RF's. I understand this was done by cutting the heads off those ole style strike anywhere matches and making a slurry with the match material and water. a few drops were placed in each and set out to dry. If the Souix on the frontier could figure out such a primitive method, there has got to be an easier method for the 21st century.

I never understood chemistry all that well, but from reading, there was a fulminate used in some caps and something called red phosphorous in others. Today something completely different styphenate?

A weekend of rummaging through the attic came up with a few discoveries. not one but two boxes of odd muzzleloading items I purchased over the years and stashed in the wrong place during a hurried move. (Buyers wanted the old house within days and paid an extra thou toward our moving to get out) I have thirty-odd unopened tins of musket, 11's and 10's. So I am set for a year or two.

The one thing I am short on of all things, is flints. I may just break down and order couple dozen. (Our local shale doesn't spark very good)

 

[wicket]

Come to think of it, i haven't seen strike anywhere kitchen matches since around the time Custer caught his percussion cones in the wringer.

 

[cynthialee]

If you put a pinch of black powder in the nipple before you use the plastic toy percussion caps you can increase the fire rate to about 95%

 

[gunsports]

The Tap O' Cap saved my shooting on more than one occasion. Yes, modern toy caps are weak, but a small pinch of 4F in the cap, followed by a toy cap, gives more than enough fire. Just be careful though; if you detonate the toy cap while seating withpowder in the cap, it makes quite a bang.

Down here we often cannot find caps at any price. This gadget is the difference between shooting, or watching others shooting.

 

[Rick Son]

I tried the toy caps thing just to see if they would work,they popped for the most part but you really have to check later for melted plastic!

 

[Adui]

Just picked up a tin of relatively old caps from a local gun shop. 1.95 + tax.. They fit the rifle so if she goes boom reliably with them Im going back to buy the other 8 tins he had. (old stock he dont stock BP anymore near as I can tell but he's got quite the box of odds n ends left over.)Real nice old guy. If I can get him to order stuff as i need it he's got my business just for his willingness to chat and be friendly to customers

 

[RedFeather]

Finding caps in Walmart depends on where you live. My local store has zero m/l items. I drove into Manassas the other day and, although just a few miles in the opposite direction, they had inlines and Pyrodex RS. But no caps nor balls nor patches. Only 209 primers and the usual inline fodder. A little further drive and one of the gun shops has CCI primers. I mentioned some were finding these scarce and they replied that theirs had been ordered a while back. I buy a tin or two when I drop in. Not sure about 209 primers using a conversion unit. Don't know if they are as safe handling as caps. Wouldn't want some loose in a tin to go off. Are they as sensitive as regular primers?

 

[Atlast357]

Oh sure wave that in my face.......just kidding just kidding.
Some of the old stores have stuff on back shelves, but getting
fewer and fewer. I'm happy you were there to get the benefit. :hatsoff:

 

[RedFeather]

Well, these are regular caps. No one has top hats. Found a tin of those I didn't know I had but when thats gone the search will be on.