Percussion caps

[curioushooter]

Where they heck are they?

I was at NMLRA national shoot a month ago. Only a few.

None at major retailers in Ohio, Kentucky, or Indiana that I am aware of.

Online retailers all out?

They just stop making them?

[rancher1913]

they go hand in hand with primers. start making your own, its easy and cheep.

[TyGuy]

I made some recently with the Sharpshooter punch and their Prime All mix. They worked great even with wannabe substitute powder pellets. The primer material does try to fall out if you don’t handle them carefully. Honestly they were more consistent and easier to use than the Remington or CCI factory caps I have on hand. I’ll be making more and trying to find a good way to store and transport them without losing material.

[MisterStyx]

I have seen, on this board even, that if you compress the mixture in the percussion cap quite a bit, and then maybe add some acetone or hairspray, the mix won't fall out.

[curioushooter]

they go hand in hand with primers. start making your own, its easy and cheep.

Why should it go hand in hand with primers? The whole reason (IMO) for primer shortage is paranoid hoarding. Why would someone hoard primers except perhaps for resale? The problem with all such things is they deteriorate with time.

[sharps4590]

Reckon you're going to live long enough for primers or percussion caps to deteriorate, if they're properly stored??

[Wolfmanjack]

I compress my homemade caps with an appropriate sized Allen wrench then use a 10% shellac in acetone mixture to glue it in. One drop of mixture per cap then let dry. It’s still a little delicate so I baby my homemade caps.

[almar]

shellac works but I found that a fast smokeless powder dissolved in acetone overnight (it forms a thick paste) and then diluted in more acetone to liquid consistency works better. Or if you have it on hand, Duco cement which is nitrocellulose based diluted 50/50 in acetone also works well. If you try the smokeless route, it takes a very small amount to make a lot.

[lawdog941]

They're out there. I found some in several stores in Central OH. Walmart, Cabelas, and Vance Outdoors.

[Hellgate]

Has anyone seen NEW STOCK Remington #10s? Remington is just now advertising their new tipped Core-Lokt ammo. I suspect they have not even bothered to resume cap production.

[OFFSHORE]

I just ordered 2,000 CCI #11 Mag primers. Go to Henzsbrew Armory or Natchez. . .they both have caps in stock as of 11/7/`21.

[brewer12345]

I think we are a tiny niche market in a world where the manufacturers can sell 150% of what they can produce just by making a few standard cartridges (9mm, 223, etc.) and not bothering with the niche stuff. When and if they catch up on primers and commercial ammo, they will pump out a bunch of caps. Until then, compete with everyone else for the little that is out there or make your own.

[sharps4590]

The Sharpshooter cap maker looks suspiciously like the old Forster cap maker. Has anyone found something to use just a bit thicker than soda cans?

[almar]

The Sharpshooter cap maker looks suspiciously like the old Forster cap maker. Has anyone found something to use just a bit thicker than soda cans?

Yes, .005" brass from hobby lobby. It holds together and makes a good seal.

[RoyEllis]

The Sharpshooter cap maker looks suspiciously like the old Forster cap maker. Has anyone found something to use just a bit thicker than soda cans?

I've been using the large (25oz) beer cans, they seem to be about 1.5 to 1.75 times as thick as soda cans and make good caps, much better results than 2 layers of the thin soda can matl.

[Brokenbear]

Yes, .005" brass from hobby lobby. It holds together and makes a good seal.

Yes sir ..I use two layers of soda can ..which actually punch/form easier than the brass I too bought from Hobby Lobby

And the double walled caps STAY ON THE NIPPLE ..do not fragment ..the down side is you have to pull them off each nipple

BUT there is a tool a classy lady gave me at the range because I had just shown her hubby and two boys all about C&B Civil war Revolvers ..she watched me try to get my fingers to the spent caps ..she said wait ..came back from the car with with her purse and gave me her eye brow plucking tweezers ..pink no less ..I'm sure Kit Carson likely chose the black colored ones!291595

Bear

[LAGS]

I use all different kinds of material to make my caps.
Like .005 copper or brass or aluminum pie plates.
I need to try the double thickness method.
But I also made a die / punch to form the inside and outside to be uniform.
My cap maker kind of makes a ribbed exterior and the inside is kind of Domed in the bottom of the cup.
Using my second Die / Punch set up makes the caps look almost like factory caps that are uniform and square on the top.
I probably could make my die/ punch set up to reform the #11 caps to #10.

[Pigboat]

Our local Wal-Mart had some CCI #11's a couple of weeks ago. Guy at the counter said their manager only orders them once, just before hunting season and that's it.

[sharps4590]

Ahhh...thank you gentlemen! I suspect an order will be placed for the cap maker. I had the Forster Tap-O-Cap decades ago...have no idea where it went. The paper caps were a PITA and at that time, caps were cheap and plentiful so....I guess it ran away from home from loneliness. Anyway, the priming compound looks a LOT easier to use and, evidently more trustworthy.

LAGS, that is a good idea. I suppose you used a # 11 cap for dimensions?

[LAGS]

The dimensions were what I played with to get the cups to reform or final form to what I wanted.
The Die is just a piece of 3/4" steel plate with two holes drilled in it.
One hole is for sizing the cups.
The other hole is for a pivot pin.
I have the die sitting on a piece of wood with a pivot pin sticking up.
In the board I have a 1" x 3/4" deep hole to catch the cups.
I set the die over the flat wood , then punch the cup into the hole with a punch I made to the size needed to form the inside.
Once you tap the cup all the way down and form the bottom of the cup.
You then spin the die around so it is over the 1" hole.
Then you punch it down into the hole to catch the reformed cup.
This is actually a Remade version of a primer cup maker I made for myself back in 1976 when I was younger and there was no place for me to buy primers.
I used Toy Gun Caps back then for the primer mixture.
But that was back in the days when the toy caps actually went Bang , not like the ones today that just go Poof.
I wish I could post a picture of this set up , but my computer won't let me post pictures.

[Baja_Traveler]

I have the percussion cap maker on order, but will not be using it for awhile. Just checked my go-to black powder dealer for stock and this is what he has on hand (and not at jacked up prices):

74,000 RWS 1075+
500 Remington #11
100 CCI #11

That is the quantity available after my order of 1000 ($103 shipped to my door) - www.addictedtoblackpowder.com in Mineral IL

[LAGS]

I would hope that once you do get your primer cap maker , you make a couple of runs of primers.
Refine your skills while you have a abundance of primers.
That gives you confidence in what you are making , and you have plenty of factory primers to do a comparison to your home made primers.

[indian joe]

shellac works but I found that a fast smokeless powder dissolved in acetone overnight (it forms a thick paste) and then diluted in more acetone to liquid consistency works better. Or if you have it on hand, Duco cement which is nitrocellulose based diluted 50/50 in acetone also works well. If you try the smokeless route, it takes a very small amount to make a lot.


so is this the actual primer compound or just a cement to hold it in the cup ?????
thanks

[Brokenbear]

so is this the actual primer compound or just a cement to hold it in the cup ?????
thanks

The "compound" as supplied by one of the cap forming tool makers is not real sticky and for a more "factory like" field handling/survivability of the compound remaining in the aluminum caps an adhesive/sealant is added ..
I build caps but use toy cap gun caps rather than the priming compound ..but I still seal the 3 "caps dots" once installed into the cap cup with the 50/50 DUCO cement and acetone ..which holds firmly in place the 3 explosive dots as well as acts somewhat like a moisture barrier to keep the cap powder dry ...
I have a 3rd gen Colt 1849 that IF I were ever down to a CCW BP only situation I would cap with my home brewed caps simply because I have never had a misfire and even bigger reason ..using double pop can thickness (2 layers and not one) ..I have never had a cap jam (which open top Colts are famous for) because the double wall cap does not disintegrate or split there by falling down into the action and locking it up ..with double wall caps you will have to remove each cap to re-cap your shooter
But no you must have a concussion based compound to create the "flame" before the refereed to sealants are applied

Good shooting to all
Bear

[almar]

so is this the actual primer compound or just a cement to hold it in the cup ?????
thanks

What broken bear said..it's just to seal it in place.

[M-Tecs]

Why should it go hand in hand with primers? The whole reason (IMO) for primer shortage is paranoid hoarding. Why would someone hoard primers except perhaps for resale? The problem with all such things is they deteriorate with time.

Green primers are claimed to have a shorter shelf life so no comment on them but I recently was given LP primers for the 50's. Out of a couple of thousand none failed to fire. When shooting DCM match most of the issue ammo was at least 40 years old. Same for my 1972 LC match 30/06. Many thousands of round fired with zero issues.

The shortage is due to the factories using most of the available primers. Very little is get to the reloaders market.

I keep no less than a 5 year supply on hand. I normally shoot 10k to 12K per year.

[n.h.schmidt]

I have tried almar's binder idea. I use a pinch of 700x in about a tablespoon of acetone. I let it sit covered for a hour and stir it up and thin it if needed. It gets to be thick. I use a matchstick as a dipper to put a drop in the cups. I must say it does work. Its also a way to use up the last little bit of any can of powder. Before I do this I compress the powder with firm hand pressure with a close fitting rod of some kind. I have even really compressed the powders on a drill press . Estimated pressure of 40 lbs.
No problems but hand pressure is good enough.

[almar]

I have tried almar's binder idea. I use a pinch of 700x in about a tablespoon of acetone. I let it sit covered for a hour and stir it up and thin it if needed. It gets to be thick. I use a matchstick as a dipper to put a drop in the cups. I must say it does work. Its also a way to use up the last little bit of any can of powder. Before I do this I compress the powder with firm hand pressure with a close fitting rod of some kind. I have even really compressed the powders on a drill press . Estimated pressure of 40 lbs.
No problems but hand pressure is good enough.

I also use the thicker stuff to glue up paper cartridges.

[danmat]

Was in local Bass Pro last week they had #10 and 11s 13.95 hundred, I sucked it up and bought a tin of 10s as I was out. Remingtons

[dondiego]

And here I thought that paying $7.99 a tin at Cabela's a couple of years ago was highway robbery!

[curioushooter]

Reckon you're going to live long enough for primers or percussion caps to deteriorate, if they're properly stored??

I am relatively young, and I've become concerned with the primers I panic bought in 2008 starting to deteriorate. Maybe I'm just dumb on this. I do not have air-conditioning. I story my caps in plastic "shoe boxes" with some desiccant in them in a barn.

Anyone do a good write-up/tutorial on how to make caps?

[FLINTNFIRE]

Those primers should last a long time , as to caps a local store had some last year I bought musket and number 11 , well some are dynamit nobel and some of the musket caps are the older CCI extra strength , just to add to what I had as plan was to shoot more cap and ball and flintlocks during the shortage .

[SeaMonkey]

Quote from CuriousShooter:


Anyone do a good write-up/tutorial on how to make caps?

There are quite a few videos on YouTube. Here are the links. (https://duckduckgo.com/?q=how+to+make+percussion+caps+videos&t=h_&iax=videos&ia=videos)

[ourway77]

Midway USA had them don't know if they still do

[scrungy_doolittle]

they go hand in hand with primers. start making your own, its easy and cheep.

I found this on line.
https://www.aardvarkreloading.com/re...%20Oelberg.pdf

and
https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/AD0717356.pdf is interesting
https://ndiastorage.blob.core.usgovc...usky_520pm.pdf

[scrungy_doolittle]

shellac works but I found that a fast smokeless powder dissolved in acetone overnight (it forms a thick paste) and then diluted in more acetone to liquid consistency works better. Or if you have it on hand, Duco cement which is nitrocellulose based diluted 50/50 in acetone also works well. If you try the smokeless route, it takes a very small amount to make a lot.

what powder did you use? I would assume it has to be double based for this to work?