[David S]

just got my single 9mm luger snap cap in from pistoleer. really well made far better than plastic ones......... now i can dry fire without worry!!

[Sven]

I wish the rims stayed fresh and 'crisp' on my A Zooms - maybe it is planned obsolence?

I've heard very good things about the brass, spring loaded caps... I believe a firm in Italy makes a really nice model... anyone have info?

[David S]

wish i did, yes after just a few cycliings of this one the rim is mashed............but aluminum has no chance again steel!!!

[Blackhawk]

I've heard very good things about the brass, spring loaded caps... I believe a firm in Italy makes a really nice model... anyone have info? Are you talking about the Pachmayr ones, Sven? They're made in Italy.

They have a transparent plastic shell with a spring in it and capped off with a brass rimmed plug that has the brass "primer" in it that connects with the spring. The brass end is all that any gun parts like the slide, extractor, ejector, and firing pin work against.

The spring's pretty stiff, so the "primer" gets pretty dented up after not very many dry fires. However, that shouldn't affect the effectiveness in protecting the firing pin because of the spring.

I've got a set of 6 I picked up at my gun shop. They're pretty well used, but I just took a look at the rims, and they look to be in great shape. There's no way to mistake them for real rounds either.

[yzguy]

Yes but the plastic ones do this:

(top left one with the spring sticking out the nose)
http://www.1bad69.com/keltec/images/azoom.jpg

I have had several do this, and when they do it is a pain to get them out because when the spring is sticking out the nose the length of the round is longer and now does not fit out the ejection port, but by the time you figure this out all the little pieces of plastic that broke off the nose are now sprinkled in you gun. This required disassembly and cleaning (I did not even get to shoot it with live ammo, but had to clean it!!).

[Sven]

yzguy,

Is the busted snap-cap a Pachmayr?

[Murphster]

For what it's worth since I haven't tried this... I've read of some reloaders (or people who know reloaders who get them to do it) who load a dummy round (no powder, painted red, etc.) and then, instead of a primer, they whittle down a pencil eraser and glue it in the primer hole. Should be an instant snap-cap. Eraser absorbs the firing pin strike. Dummy cartridge loads and ejects like the real McCoy. If it ever starts looking shabby, glue in a new chunk of eraser.

[Felonious Monk]

I am not yzguy, nor do I play him on TV. :p

However...
The Pachmayr's are blue.

I've hit the Pachmayr's about 100-150 times each, primers are looking like a 16 yr old kids' acne, but still TOTALLY functional.

The Red ones are made by "Triple K", formerly known as "ArmSport".
Looks like a good kind to stay away from, YMMV.
They can be seen here (http://www.cowboyneeds.com/A807.html)

[yzguy]

the ones in the link above are the ones I had. They are all over the gun shows around me, and they are all that is there. I got some in several calibers figuring that a snap cap was a snap cap.... but these red spring loaded ones suck... I like the AZoom ones better (they are not perfect, but they are better).