cap making dies

[Nobade]

I have been wondering about the feasibility of having a set of dies made that work like Patmarlin's checkmaker dies, only used to make percussion caps. Since the Forster tap-o-cap is no longer on the market, I would think such a setup would be attractive to a fair number of people. What say ye?

-Nobade

[johnnybar]

I have been wondering about the feasibility of having a set of dies made that work like Patmarlin's checkmaker dies, only used to make percussion caps. Since the Forster tap-o-cap is no longer on the market, I would think such a setup would be attractive to a fair number of people. What say ye?

-Nobade

Look for Tap-O-Cap cap makers. If your considering any dies that use cap gun caps to serve as the compound, you will be frustated very quickly with their reliability.

[Fly]

What do they use in caps to ignite, from the impact of the hammer?

Fly

[Marvin S]

What do they use in caps to ignite, from the impact of the hammer?
Fly

Yes toy caps where used in place of the factory primeing compound. They never really worked very well as the caps where pretty lame.

[Shooter]

Yes toy caps where used in place of the factory primeing compound. They never really worked very well as the caps where pretty lame.

I agree with Marvin.
I have one of the Tap-a-caps. It is a last-ditch resort.
I would rather (and do) have a flintlock.

[docone31]

Drawings anyone?
http://www.thefirearmsforum.com/showthread.php?t=82768

[Marvin S]

http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/i.../t-586081.html
http://www.sciencemadness.org/talk/v....php?tid=15290
You may look over these two threads as they might help cap-lock shooters out.

[Boerrancher]

A buddy of mine worked on a system to use spent large rifle primers to draw down into percussion caps. He didn't get very far on it and had lathe troubles but he got far enough to prove that it would work. He was able t make a crude system to test the viability and was successful, then his late gave out before he could refine the tooling. There are several priming compounds that will work. The fulminates are the best, some are corrosive and some aren't. In a ML it doesn't matter, and many can be ordered from pyrotech suppliers on line.

Best wishes,

Joe

[mooman76]

I've been making some caps to try again and if nothing else I use a couple to dry out the chamber before I load. Anyway I was thinking of trying that compound that the sell that you paint on targets and you shoot it and it explodes. Maybe a drop in each cap. Might be worth a try.

[skullmount]

I have been wondering about the feasibility of having a set of dies made that work like Patmarlin's checkmaker dies, only used to make percussion caps. Since the Forster tap-o-cap is no longer on the market, I would think such a setup would be attractive to a fair number of people. What say ye?

-Nobade

Seems to me the limiting factor is what makes the "bang" Sounds good though as long as that is worked out.

[Nobade]

Seems to me the limiting factor is what makes the "bang" Sounds good though as long as that is worked out.

Priming mix isn't hard to make, and a tray to hold a hundred at a time would make it easy to load caps in large numbers. As long as pyro suppliers are still in business you can get the components to do this.

[newton]

Never heard of stuff you paint onto target, would like to know more about it.

I would be interested in making my own caps. I think it would be fairly easy. Corrosive is not that big a deal for having good caps on hand or the ability to have them. Flintlock would be the easiest, but I think priming compounds can be fine if handled correctly. I watched a video on how they make .22's, and they were not handling the compound with robotic arms and in confinement or anything.

Actually, it was quite the opposite. The pile of compound they were 'scraping' around was probably the size of a basketball. I'll post the link. But needless to say, if handled correctly it is not rocket science. It only becomes a rocket when you do not handle it correctly.

http://www.outdoorhub.com/stories/vi...ition-is-made/

[mooman76]

Never heard of stuff you paint onto target, would like to know more about it.

I would be interested in making my own caps. I think it would be fairly easy. Corrosive is not that big a deal for having good caps on hand or the ability to have them. Flintlock would be the easiest, but I think priming compounds can be fine if handled correctly. I watched a video on how they make .22's, and they were not handling the compound with robotic arms and in confinement or anything.

Actually, it was quite the opposite. The pile of compound they were 'scraping' around was probably the size of a basketball. I'll post the link. But needless to say, if handled correctly it is not rocket science. It only becomes a rocket when you do not handle it correctly.

http://www.outdoorhub.com/stories/vi...ition-is-made/

I haven't used it yet but was going to try it. Might as well try a few caps too. If you ever saw the show Top Shot, they had the targets on that show. The compound I saw looked like you mixed it like epoxy with 2 compounds and I assume you paint it on so once you mix it like epoxy, you have to use it all. They do have different size containers though.

[smoked turkey]

The tap-o-cap is a neat little device. It is only as effective as the quality of the caps used to make the bang as skullmount says. I have one and have used it some with my sidelocks. It is an interesting concept. I didn't find any paper caps locally that had enough power to ignite the black power to an acceptable level. My failure rate was entirely too high. I understand that USA made caps do an acceptable job. If someone can point us in the right direction as to either making the compound or a good source of powerful caps, then the idea of the tap-0-cap is a good one.

[Nobade]

There is a member here, goes by Perotter or Peroter - I don't remember which, who has done a lot of work with priming compounds. Check out some of his posts on the subject going back a couple of years. The Frankford Arsenal '42 mix looks like the easiest to obtain and work with. It got us through WWII, must be something to it.

-Nobade

[Keith Sacane]

I have the tap-o-cap, and I've only used the caps on revolvers, but they always worked. I never did try them on a sidelock gun, and I'm not sure they would have had enough oomph to set one off having to navigate the bend in the flash channel, but in the revolvers they worked fine. Having to fire several caps to clear the flash channels of a revolver uses up a lot of caps fast, so I was happy to find a cheap alternative for them. I'll try them out in the next couple of weeks on a sidelock or two and see how they work. Right now, I can't find any factory caps locally, so I'll be saving them for the sidelocks. I'd love to find a priming comound that could be relied upon to work in them.

[Baron von Trollwhack]

A great many years ago toy caps did in fact have enough primer to fire a percussion gun, in the late 40s and early 50s.

Doogooderism "for the children" slowly eroded the rights of kids to the point of little power or BP smell in their ammo with no more chances for eight year olds to perhaps burn a finger with a cap & hammer let off or a bit of experimenation. Now with somethimg like Swiss Null B black powder available playing with actual fired caps not too badly damaged would point the way as to using new caps made in a manner similar to the old tap-a-caps, powered by Null B ?

BvT

[Nobade]

Nul-B doesn't ignite if you hit it, it's just super fine black powder. You need a primary explosive. As far as I know, toy caps were made with Armstrong's mixture. That is some very dangerous stuff in quantities larger than a small spot like caps were. I wouldn't make up any amount of that. But other priming mixtures are viable and a bit safer to make. I do think it is funny that just when we really need the tap-o-cap they take it off the market. I wonder how much whining it would take to get them to start making them again?

-Nobade

[Keith Sacane]

Well, I tried out my homemade caps again today. They worked well in cap and ball revolvers, but not so well in the rifle. I assume it's because the flash has to travel farther in the rifle. I'll keep using them in the revolvers.

[trapper9260]

I have read your post here and I know it will work on this because I try what was try with the cap gun roll .Just usen that it just did not work well for me also ,What I did do is that I reload my own primers and It works for rifil and handgun and shotgun. and if it work for them I know it will omn caps for muzzle loader.I add some 4FG supper fine BP to it you will need to test to see how much to use and it works just fine.I use one cap and then the BP as a booster.To get the caps of the roll ones is what I use is from any department store and yes Walmart have it also in the toy Dept and get only the Germany one stay away from the China they are not that great.Also not fill the way the Germany ones are.I use a pair of sissors to cut the size i need .Just make sure you clean your gun after use.