22 casing percussion caps?

[shotgunmessenger96]

Since the sportsmans here in las cruces shut down I can't get caps to shoot my 1851 and its driving me crazy. A friend gave my some old .22 shorts that have hard copper shells and none of my 22s can hit them hard enough to ignite the primer.
I was thinking about cutting the casings down to about 1/4 inch, putting a little cap from a paper roll of caps inside, probably tapering off the ends and using them as percussion caps but thought I'd get some experienced advice before trying it.

 

[mykeal]

Why not just buy some caps via mail order and eat the hazmat fee?

 

[shotgunmessenger96]

beacuse I just tried it and it works. now all I have to do is make my own powder and balls.

 

[Oyeboten]

Kewl...

 

[BHP FAN]

try the Dixie Gunworks Tap O' Cap.They are a bit of a PITA,but have got to be better than makeing them by hand...I'd give you mine, but my brother already snagged it,and won't give it up.

 

[shotgunmessenger96]

these 22 shell caps do have a couple advantages to them. One the grab on so tight that they dont come off after firing so that when you get past six shots and dry fire accidently, you dont have to worry about damage to the nipple (for lack of a better term). Two- the small explosion that takes place in them isn't enough to distort them too bad so you can reuse them. the downside is you almost need a pair of tweesers to take them off.
the tap-o-cap would be alot easier though.

 

[sundance44s]

Some say the tap o cap is a good deal
others say the tap o cap should be named tap o crap
one mans junk is another mans treasure I suppose .

When the Sportsmans had their going out of business sale here ....I bought all their caps and primers ...like a Fat Cat !
and no I don`t feel quilty or ashamed ....I`m not hording them I shoot alot !

 

[shotgunmessenger96]

it all depends on whether or not the flash from one of those paper roll caps can make it to the powder.On reolvers this shouldnt be a problem. I drilled out the flash hole on my hawkens nipple to about twice the original size and I never have a hangfire. gotta try my homemade caps on that too.

 

[arcticap]

I wonder how corrosive roll caps can really be. They have pitted the pot metal alloy of our cheap toy cap guns and have also cause some steel parts to rust. At the very least that was due to the residue not being cleaned off.
It was posted that the toy plastic ring caps also work as percussion cap replacements in revolvers anyway.

 

[shotgunmessenger96]

I hear the paper caps are corrosive but the "non corrosive" caps still cause the nipple and metal around it to oxidize. as long as you clean your gun after shooting sessions and check it occasionaly youll be fine.

 

[scrat]

You need to be really carefull using .22 im not too sure how but i would be afraid of flame overs. Tap o cap for sure then if you really really need to see the making of black powder thread it has been done by a lot of us. other than that i would order up like crazy. i have about 2000 caps on hand myself. i make it a point to buy a carton everytime i go to the range to stock up.

 

[eastbank]

i have ued the 22 case with toy caps inside, i dribble a little ffff in the nipple channel and they then go off every time i tried them. for me it would be to use only in a emergency. i have been buying caps for years any time they were cheap, gun shows,yard sales,flea markets or sales at stores and have quite a few, i am running eight cap lock rifles,one shotgun and a pistol. eastbank. ps i did not try it with the pistol.

 

[w_houle]

Okay, so what are you putting the .22s on? Do you have an easier time buying small rifle or pistol primers?
http://www.thebuckskinner.com/breech_plug.html

 

[MCgunner]

Tap-o-cap works! I make better caps than I can buy, at least for inline percussion on a revolver. They ain't worth at toot on my Hawken. But, I get better ignition with them on a revolver using 3 roll cap centers per cap than I do with CCI percussion caps, fewer hang fires.

 

[shotgunmessenger96]

MCgunner, how do you position the cap centers? the back of the cap is white paper and the front is that thin red paper. do you just position all the caps facing forward?

 

[scrat]

typical the red goes in first so when the metal side is hit it will ignite. under the first cap another red up up then third red down. this is what will ignite into the nipple.

 

[shotgunmessenger96]

plastic ring caps dont work at all.

 

[arcticap]

Some folks say that the Tap O Caps work great yet others can't get them to work.
Some folks say that ring caps work just fine yet others can't get them to work.

See post #10 by zxcvbob:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=319458&highlight=tapocap

Buy a package of those plastic ring caps. Cut them apart and there you go. They work just fine, but they are corrosive. Since black powder and Pyrodex are corrosive, that shouldn't be a big deal.

And post #32 of the same thread by rusty bubbles:

Potassium chorate- if I remember - in a twist of paper, will explode, if struck with a hammer.I do remember that mxed with sulphur and a little charcoal -ala gunpowder,It really explodes when struck- I still have a scar on my left hand to prove it! I have used red match heads, live;cut down, empty .22 cases; and the plastic ring caps for toy guns. all worked for me-

But in post #6 ring caps wouldn't work for Pohill, so go figure.

 

[MCgunner]

I don't really think it matters which way you position the cap centers in the tap-o-cap body. I normally place 'em red showing, white down. They work better than CCI for me in revolvers, but ain't got enough flame for a sidelock long gun, or at least that's what I've postulated because I can't get one to set off the Hawken.

 

[shotgunmessenger96]

None of the six ring caps I fired lit the powder. Probably just the brand I used, I dont see how any brand could work though since they split when you put them on all the way and wont let the cylider cycle unless they are on all the way.
the roll caps worked great though. I put one cap center in my homemade caps and only got one slight hangfire out of twelve.
I'm looking into a ball mold and tap-o-cap punch. I never have trouble finding powder so I wont bother trying to make it.