Forster is getting calls concerning their Tap-a-cap cap maker

[n.h.schmidt]

I thought that I would post a couple of pictures of my cap tester. It has allowed me to get a better understanding of exactly what happens when a homemade cap is fired. Aslo the test is there is much difference in nipple types as relates to home cap testing. I can get a great visual of the flame or sparks produced.
n.h.schmidt

[ofitg]

ofitg, I made one of your scoops and just got done making a few caps to try. I am going to load a few wax bullets and try them out in my 51 Colt revolver in my backyard.

Keep us posted..... I suspect that you might have to load a few grains of BP under the wax bullets.....

These caps loaded with a tiny amount (approximately 0.0007 cubic inches) of BP under a toy cap center seem to generate enough sparks to ignite a main charge in the barrel, but since the cap hulls were not seriously deformed, I'm guessing that they don't produce enough pressure to propel a wax bullet..... ?

[ofitg]

I thought that I would post a couple of pictures of my cap tester. It has allowed me to get a better understanding of exactly what happens when a homemade cap is fired. Aslo the test is there is much difference in nipple types as relates to home cap testing. I can get a great visual of the flame or sparks produced.
n.h.schmidt

N.H. Schmidt, nice work - again! I wonder if there could be some way to "quantify" the differences you observe between various types of nipples? Different people get different test results, and the nipples could be causing the variations.

Just brain-storming here.... Perhaps a sheet of paper placed a short distance (1/2 inch?) in front of the flash channel, which would be visibly marked by the burning particles?

EDIT - another idea - instead of a sheet of paper, perhaps a plastic surface coated with something "sticky" (petroleum jelly?) which would actually capture the particles?

[n.h.schmidt]

ofitg
Thank you. Measuring results coule be elusive. Pictures of the spray would help. I don't know any way to do that.
If visual results mean anything as far as results in actual shooting,I have a clear winner. The Mountian State Spitfire nipple out performs all tested so far. This is using the BP and single german cap method. A nice shower of sparks several inches out from the tester. The worst tested so far( and this is a surprise) is the Ampco bronze nipple. Barely any sparks made it out the bottom of the nipple. The Ampco also has the smallest hole drilled in it.
I have tried some others with rather large holes in them and the spark output isn't so good but they still seem to work.
When I can finally get out to shoot ,I will report on a change to the BP and cap formula. Almost as easy and just as safe.
n.h.schmidt

[Mike 56]

I live in town i shoot wax bullets around the house. They are made for 44 cal cap and ball revolvers. I lube the barrel with pam cooking spray and i put six grains of ffg behind them.

[Mike 56]

Years a go i was given a few bricks of cci #10 caps and i bought a spitfire nipple for my CVA 50 cal cap lock rifle that took #10 cci caps i still have it. The plastic Big Bang caps as well as the as well as the paper caps worked well with it and they did not though a very big spark. I wonder if they make them for revolvers? After using all those cci #10 caps i found i do not like caps that fit to tight.

[Texantothecore]

Thanks for the heads up on the Ampco and Mountain States Spitfire nipples. I was seriously considering Ampcos but hung back when I found out about the small hole. You saved me 35 bucks. Thanks.

[Texantothecore]

Heads up. I'm going to be testing homemade caps this week and will write up a full report.

[ofitg]

TTTC, how did it go?

[Texantothecore]

I haven't done any testing. Too much rain and I need to let the range dry out a bit.
I am milling tonight though and it sounds as if it is going extremely well.

[Texantothecore]

Bttt some great stuff in this thread.

[n.h.schmidt]

I have gotten out a few times since I last posted here. I now recomend a cap dot placed in the cup bottom,BP then a cap dot on top. Use a little less bp since the dot on the cup bottom takes up some space. Not much difference when shooting BP. It does help a lot when using pyrodex. The hang fires go away. Using two dots also help insure at least one of the two dots fire. I have had some failures of the dot itself not exploding. Two improves the odds.
To punch out the bottom of the cup dot a 1/8" paper punch is used.These are easily available in craft stores and scrappbooking shops. Cheap and less paper in the cup.
n.h.schmidt

[Texantothecore]

Thanks for the update N.H. I will try that and see what happens. So far, the ones I'm using are a good bit more effective than commercial.

[freedom475]

I have "NEVER" gotten my Tap-a-Cap to fire a single round down range...The roll cap idea just doesn't work. The new caps only have a tiny dot of powder and the dot often fits into the nipple opening and will neve fire.. I hang onto my cap maker in hopes to someday actually be able to make a cap that is safe and that will actually "fire" a round off.

I'm sure glad to see you guys still working with them ...someday we may actually get these to work

[ofitg]

Freedom475, here's an old ad from 50 years ago -



Note that the ad refers to a 4.4 milligram charge..... that's how much the paper caps were loaded with 50 years ago.

Nowadays, the German "Legends of the Wild West" caps seem to be the best on the market, and each one contains 0.023 grains of powder.

If I'm doing the math correctly, converting milligrams to grains, the caps we can buy today are only 1/3 as powerful as the ones sold a few decades ago (thanks to the government's safety regulations).
I've been told that is why Forster stopped manufacturing the Tap-O-Cap.

It's still possible to make reliable homemade caps, but it's not so quick and easy anymore.

[Texantothecore]

Freedom475, here's an old ad from 50 years ago -



Note that the ad refers to a 4.4 milligram charge..... that's how much the paper caps were loaded with 50 years ago.

Nowadays, the German "Legends of the Wild West" caps seem to be the best on the market, and each one contains 0.023 grains of powder.

If I'm doing the math correctly, converting milligrams to grains, the caps we can buy today are only 1/3 as powerful as the ones sold a few decades ago (thanks to the government's safety regulations).
I've been told that is why Forster stopped manufacturing the Tap-O-Cap.

It's still possible to make reliable homemade caps, but it's not so quick and easy anymore.

That is the reason. I wonder if slicing the charge off the paper would help. I know that someone is doing that but I do not know whether it makes any difference.

NH's technique using a small amount of black powder seems to work well. My tests (limited) have resulted in 100% ignition.

His technique is to maximize the spark traveling to the face of the black powder charge, not necessarily maximizing the power of the cap. They are sort of quiet.

Another of our posters uses fines for the sparking charge with good success.

[n.h.schmidt]

Hi Freedom 475
Well at least you haven't tossed your Tap O Cap away. I have heard of others doing so. There is a ready market for them if you want to sell. I have one and have made my own copy of one to work on a reloading press. If you read this thread and some others you will find we are having results. Some wish to stay with the toy caps and P.B combo and the braver soles are using real primer mixes. If using toy caps try punching the cap dots out off-centered. I do that on the cap dot that goes on top. Using the dots just by themselves will often fail. I have used up to five in the cup.
Too much paper involved and little fire gets to the powder. The BP in the cup has changed that.
n.h.schmidt

[Texantothecore]

I was wondering today about an off center punch for the roll cap as it seems to me that it might work a bit more reliably. Just a small part of the cap has to fire for the rest of it to fire up and push the spark to the charge face.

Thanks for the heads up N.H.

[Texantothecore]

When I get into my home I am also going to take a look at slicing the charge off the paper roll with a sharp razor blade and trying some different techniques with the separated charge. Stacking them, maybe lightly crushing them so that the bottom of the cap is filled wall to wall with primer.

[True.grit]

I just started working with my cap maker and it seem that 3 cap dots is the magic #. I have not tried to shoot with yet but plan to try this weekend. I can have gotten as much as 5 dots in the cup and they seem very strong. The 1/8 paper punch works great. The only thing is if you don't get over the middle the cap will go off when cutting.