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Thread: Tap-o-Cap : die for making your own percussion caps from aluminum cans

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy


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    Exclamation Tap-o-Cap : die for making your own percussion caps from aluminum cans

    Dixie Gun Works has the Tap-O-Cap for sale, they also have priming compound too.

  2. #2
    Boolit Master
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    Used shotgun primer cups make excellent percussion caps.

  3. #3
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by rbuck351 View Post
    Used shotgun primer cups make excellent percussion caps.
    That's a great idea actually...so you just tap it out and fill it? Does it come out at #10 or #11?

    Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk

  4. #4
    Boolit Buddy


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    Quote Originally Posted by John McCorkle View Post
    That's a great idea actually...so you just tap it out and fill it? Does it come out at #10 or #11?

    Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk
    Pretty much, and #11.

  5. #5
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by rbuck351 View Post
    Used shotgun primer cups make excellent percussion caps.
    what do you put in the shotgun primer to make it go bang? & how / what do you use to punch out the center part of the primer? I am rely interested in it.

  6. #6
    Boolit Master

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    Lately I've been making FH42 primer compound and have made press mounted dies to make #10,#11 and musket caps details in thread
    https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...ercussion-caps
    the mix is
    8 gr S powder + 5.5 gr Sb2S3 (pyro powder) + 5.5 gr Sb2S3 (Chinese needle 200 mesh) + 0.5 gr NaHCO3 + 17 gr KClO3 powder.
    I mix up all the ingredients in a larger batch EXCEPT the chlorate which is added when I'm ready to load caps. When ready I add 19.5 grains of the mixed ingredients to 17 grains of potassium chlorate and carefully completely mix the two.

    the process I use:

    place caps in assembly paintstick
    fill caps with priming powder
    tamp down powder
    sweep away excess powder
    place a paper disc into the caps and tamp it down
    add 1 drop of 7:1 alcohol:Zinsser shellac to caps
    use tamping pin in drill press to tightly compact wet powder into cap
    remove caps from stick and let dry 24hrs

  7. #7
    Boolit Master
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    I just use a nail ground down to fit in the primer flash hole to remove the cup. I'm using mixture that I'd rather not mention.

  8. #8
    Boolit Master
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    thank you.

  9. #9
    Boolit Master
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    Web site says "currently unavailable" for both. Must have sold out fast. Imagine that...
    "In general, the art of government is to take as much money as possible from one class of citizens and give it to another class of citizens" Voltaire'

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  10. #10
    Boolit Master
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    thank you for telling me about the ground down nail to remove the primer. what do you set it on when removing the inner cap part? what do you put under it to make it have room to fall out?

  11. #11
    Boolit Bub
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    There are a number of pretty good videos on YouTube which show the procedure clearly.

    Here is the search result for such videos.

    It is not difficult at all.

  12. #12
    Boolit Grand Master


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    I don't know a better way to phrase this, so I'll just say it. Has anyone ever got one of these cap makers to work, possibly with copper, that made caps that did not look like crumpled up garbage? Caps you would trust not to fall off if the gun was handled rough, and would block rain?

  13. #13
    Boolit Master



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    Mark W.'s page and link to mewe.com

    https://aardvarkreloading.com/index.html

    Fellows on here getting close to perfecting means to swage all sorts of caps/cups!
    The unexamined life is not worth living....Socrates
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  14. #14
    Boolit Master

    rancher1913's Avatar
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    I use 2 layers of aluminium can with my tapocap, they fit tighter that way.
    if you are ever being chased by a taxidermist, don't play dead

  15. #15
    Boolit Bub
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    I likewise use two layers of aluminum can for a better formed and stronger primer cup.

    I have tried three layers experimentally which forms a very rigid cup.

    Three layers takes a hefty smack on the Tap-O-Cap to start the forming process and is overall slightly more difficult than double layers, but the result is a really nice looking cup.

  16. #16
    Boolit Buddy
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    Quote Originally Posted by SeaMonkey View Post
    There are a number of pretty good videos on YouTube which show the procedure clearly.

    Here is the search result for such videos.

    It is not difficult at all.
    Didn't see anything on punching the cup out of the primer.

  17. #17
    Boolit Bub
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    Quote from Shanghai Jack:
    Didn't see anything on punching the cup out of the primer.
    Agreed. The YouTube search was far from adequate.

    Got a better search result with DuckDuckGo: Home Made Primers by Mark Wilson

    He's put together a lot of videos that cover it all.

    A popular video that's been around for several years.
    Last edited by SeaMonkey; 10-07-2021 at 12:19 AM.

  18. #18
    Boolit Master
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    that is some great information. thank you for posting it.

  19. #19
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by rancher1913 View Post
    I use 2 layers of aluminium can with my tapocap, they fit tighter that way.
    there is no pinching them to keep them on with 2 layers of cans beeing used?

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BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
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