Since the shortage started, and fairly recently, I’ve snagged two 1000 round cases of caps. One for Remington #10s and one for CCI #11s. Only paid $8-$9 for each tin.
Supplementing the 700 or so I already had, I’ve got close to 3000 caps. I shoot mainly flint these days, but love my new Crockett pistol and my cap and ball revolvers, so might use on average 5-6 tins a year of caps at this point. So I’ve got close to half a decades worth of supply at this point and it’s buying me literally years of time to scrounge more to refresh the old caps when I can find new ones at a solid price.
My point is you’ve just got to put in the effort to find them. They’re being made. Get put on email lists, scrounge your local stores and pawn shops, and don’t be afraid to buy and stack high when you find them. I don’t care for these negative Nancy threads too much.
What I do love to see are the DIY cap makers. THAT is nifty and looks like a heap of fun.