Have shortages hit the black powder community?

[Cosmic_Charlie]

Was thinking about a cap n ball revolver but have read comments about percussion caps being in short supply. How bad is it?

[Froogal]

I was also thinking of a cap and ball revolver, but there are NO percussion caps OR primers to be found anywhere.

[bedbugbilly]

Caps -- just like primers - are in short supply. Just to see, I checked Grafs and a couple of other on-line sources a couple of days ago and they still listed caps as out of stock - and their primer supply was the same way. If you have any local gun shops or suppliers - check with them to see if and what they may have as far as percussion caps - you never know what sources they may have or if they may have some left on their shelves.

While I'm sure that used C & B revolvers can be found if you look hard enough - new ones are getting harder to find with many of the mail order places still listing the majority of them as "out of stock". They may have a few but depends on what you are looking for.

Shortages of available C & B revolvers should not be unexpected. Uberti and Pietta are made in Italy and Italy got hit super hard with the Covid virus. I haven't really read or really seen anything in regards to Italy and their production for Uberti or Pietta, but one has to believe that it is going to be a while before things get straightened around and any sort of normal production ramps up again.

[Eddie2002]

I was looking around the internet over the last three or four days and couldn't find any caps or primers available right now. There is still a good supply of black powder out there but I' expecting it to dry up some as shooters stock pile it. I stocked up with caps three years ago and bout some extra for a friend who backed out of the deal so I'm good for now.

[smokinfeathers]

I bought caps at midway Tuesday, they had rws 2500 count, lots of musket caps around as well

[Idz]

Its pretty easy to make your own percussion caps if you have some lathe skills. See my post at:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...ght=percussion

Biggest problem is finding rollcaps. Walmart used to have them but I haven't found them in New Mexico for a while. H-E-B and Kroger say them have them but you can't get them in NM.
Good Luck

[arcticap]

Was thinking about a cap n ball revolver but have read comments about percussion caps being in short supply. How bad is it?

It's not that bad.
There's way more caps than primers.

About caps:

Midway has been selling RWS 1075 Plus caps non-stop for 1-2 months but now only in quantities of 2500.
The last that I checked Jedediah Starr never ran out of caps.
Contact Back Creek Gun Shop, Winchester, VA if you need caps, they never ran out.
Bass Pro iwas selling caps as of yesterday, search for REMINGTON PRIMERS and they will show up under a photo of 209 black powder primers.
Also check Basspro and Cabela's for CCI's too.
Some Walmarts sell caps and so do many local gun shops, folks are reporting daily that they're buying them.
People are reporting that caps are in stock inside some Cabela's and/or Basspro stores too for $8.99.
If they don't show up on the Basspro or Cabela's website then check back later because they're on and off.

Jedediah Starr has any revolver that you could want.
Some Cabela's have them too, they're inventory is listed by store online.
Dixie Gun Works has some too.
There's other places that have guns in stock, Midway, Old South Firearms and especially Fall Creek Suttlery in Indiana if you don't mind paying a little extra. --->>> http://www.fcsutler.com/fccwrevolvers.asp?
Don't forget Taylors Firearms, and EMF gets guns in that they don't always list on their website.
There's also other places to be searched including Gunbroker.

Talk of shortages are only a distraction.
The orders are going to chain stores.
And that's not to mention smaller shops that have guns and caps in stock.
It depends on the location.

[dtknowles]

My local walmart has caps and 209 primers at the usual high price. Caps are like 5 cents a piece and 209 primers are like 8 cents a piece as I remember. Not expensive for a hunter but kind of high for a shooter. They have black powder subs as well and for more than I would pay. A pound of powder and 100 caps or primers will run you like 45 cents a shot and I think the sabotted bullets were more than that a piece so a buck a shot is not a lot for sight in and hunting kind of expensive for plinking. I guess factory centerfire hunting ammo is around that price or a whole lot more depending. I am so used to 3 cent primers/caps and a few cents worth of powder with a cast bullet these prices put me off.

Tim

[Eddie2002]

I lucked out at a gun show during the last shortage and scored three bricks of berdan primers. Ended up making a nipple that took the berdan caps which carried me over till regular caps were available again. Brass ratted a bunch of berdan brass over the last few years and am using them for center fire reloading. It's not like I'm shooting a lot right now with Covid-19 on the loose.

[Cosmic_Charlie]

Well maybe I'll just go with a flintlock pistol for now.

[RU shooter]

Yep a rock that will make spark Are pretty easy to find depending what part of the country your from they are just layin around on the ground

[arcticap]

Yep a rock that will make spark Are pretty easy to find depending what part of the country your from they are just layin around on the ground

Except the OP was thinking about buying a C&B revolver.
Even rocks aren't cheap @ $2.50 each.
The rock alone probably costs about .03 to .05 per shot unless including the replacement cost of a new frizzen sooner rather than later.

[arcticap]

I checked Dixie Gun Works based on a post that I just read.
They must have received a shipment of Pietta revolvers because now they have 1851 .44 Navy steel, 1858 .44 Remington with oversized frame & grips, 1858 .36 Remington Belt Pistol, 1860 Army Steel .44, Pietta .44 Remington Kit with oversized frame and grips, and Uberti Walker kit all in stock.
And I didn't even check their Uberti stock but it they also received some of those in as they have "on sale" prices listed for some of them. --->>> https://www.dixiegunworks.com/index/...arch_params%3D

Revolver kits: --->>> https://www.dixiegunworks.com/index/...me/Percussion/

They also have other guns in stock that I didn't list.
The Italians have not stopped producing and shipping C&B revolvers.

[RU shooter]

Except the OP was thinking about buying a C&B revolver.
Even rocks aren't cheap @ $2.50 each.
The rock alone probably costs about .03 to .05 per shot unless including the replacement cost of a new frizzen sooner rather than later.

My post was in response to his post #10 about maybe just getting a flintlock . I wouldn't even factor in the price of a replacement frizzen . The average shooter ain't ever gonna wear one down if it's a decent lock to begin with . I don't shoot cap locks or CB revolvers but I don't think nipples last forever either

[arcticap]

My post was in response to his post #10 about maybe just getting a flintlock . I wouldn't even factor in the price of a replacement frizzen . The average shooter ain't ever gonna wear one down if it's a decent lock to begin with . I don't shoot cap locks or CB revolvers but I don't think nipples last forever either

Thanks, I hadn't re-read post #10.
My frizzen comment was based on possibly picking up the wrong rocks off the ground or not knappng a rock well enough to not gouge and damage the frizzen to the point where it would need to be repaired or replaced.
I wonder how many folks really know which rocks to pick up off the ground that will spark.
Frizzens are usually only surface hardened making them susceptible to being damaged.

Trying to save a few bucks on flints could end up costing more than they're worth in the long run.
Since quality flintlock guns are expensive. why skimp on the quality of the rocks when there's no shortage of flints?

Here's a map showing hard chert locations in the USA and Canada.
It doesn't seem to be very widespread at all.
That's probably why most flints are imported from Europe. --->>> https://4corebiz.com/aggregate-map-o...es-and-canada/

[LAGS]

I have come across several areas where I hunt here an Arizona where I found Red Chert and some Flint.
I don't know if it would be the Quality you need for a Flint lock stone.
Now that I am buying my second flintlock in the past 40 years , it might be worth it to me to collect some of those stones and see how they work.
They do have Iron Pyrite around here too.

[square butte]

Red chert will work

[Prairie Cowboy]

Them shortajez is purty bad.
The mule trane didn evin show up for the rondayvoo this year.
No licker, no tobacky, nuthin.
Lordy, at leest themm Injun gals showd up

[beshears]

Graf and Sons has percussion caps in their store front but not on the web sight. They have most black powder in stock. About one time out of ten I stop there they will have a couple of boxes of primers on the shelf.

[Nobade]

Yesterday Powder Valley had CCI #11 caps. No other ones though.