Home made #11 precussion caps?????

[Pettifogger]

Making homemade caps out of pop cans and match heads seems sort of like making your own condoms.  You could do it, but who wants to?

[delmar]

Delmar, I've got the recipe on my computer, but I can't find personal messaging here.  I'll send it to you whenever I get it figgered out.  I've been making mine for a couple of years now.  Some folks say this is a bad idea and very dangerous, but so far I haven't leveled the block.  I only make 4 ounces at a time.  My powder is a bit dirtier than Goex, and because it doesn't have a graphite coating it doesn't pour very well, but I've used it in percussion revolvers at several CAS matches and it works just fine.

Pulp, I sent you a PM, so you should be able to just click reply.

[delmar]

Making homemade caps out of pop cans and match heads seems sort of like making your own condoms.  You could do it, but who wants to?

I don't mind if you don't want to. For me it's about knowing I can do it if the need arises. I stopped
making my own primers when I fond a store that had a couple thousand, but if I ran out tomorrow I know I can make more, and  I don't have to pay through the nose to keep shooting.

[Pulp]

Thanks Delmar, you should have the info for making BP in your inbox.

[Pulp]

Delmar, here's a link to a long thread on making black powder:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=347898

[Ol Law Dawg]

Just FYI I was in Walmart with my grandson today and noticed they had rolls of caps for $2.50 for a pack of 2500,  they were made in Germany.. Don't know if they will work for ya or not.

[delmar]

Sorry about taking so long to get back to you pards, but this project sort of
got put on the back burner until I actually got a cap and ball pistol. The good
news is I had a pretty good trial run today! I developed a little different method
using the strike anywhere matches. I made a couple,  and they went off with enough
pop that I decided to load my 58. So I made six more caps loaded the cylinder with
17 grains of  Pyrodex and six of the plastic bullets I've been playing with, and
headed to the back yard to give it a go! I'm happy to announce that my homemade
Forester caps set off the powder in six of six chambers. All six did have just a bit of
delay but they all fired!
I'm working on uploading some photos and as soon as that is done I'll be ready
to talk you through the process I'm using. I will say this, I am ready to order myself a Tap O Cap.

Oh by the way, if anyone has a Tap O Cap they are ready to part with, I am interested. I think I'll put
a WTB add in the classified.

[delmar]

This first photo is a little hard to see, but I started by cutting the white tip off of a strike anywhere match
 and placing it flat side down in the aluminum cup. I place it flat side down so that it is easy to fill the cup
up with the red powder.


Next I crushed the red part of the match tip into a red powder, not quite as fine as sugar.




The I piled the cup full of the red powder. I piled it up as high as will stay on top without falling off.



Then I took the match stick and tamped the powder into the cup. Last I took a steel punch about half the
diameter of the match stick and tamped it in with a little more force. When I did this I could feel the white tip
crush a bit. I tamped it until it was as compressed as it was easily going to be. Here is what it looks like when
 it is ready.


Sorry that the photos are a bit hard to see, but I will try to get around to making a youtube video in the next week or so.

[Dick Dastardly]

Keep on keeping on Delmar.  With the gun grabbers all in a rush, home made caps may be just the ticket.  I don't think they are going to take away beer cans or matches any time soon, so  we are going to have Cowboy Action Shooting for the near future in the minimum.

Besides that, just what are the micro stamping heard going to do about our work?  Next thing you know, they'll try to micro stamp flints. . .

Hey, are we havin' fun yet, or not?

DD-DLoS

[Montana Slim]

I just ordered in a batch of pre-made caps, about 5,000....should keep me poppin' for a few years 

Slim