Makeing percussion caps

[kituwa]

I have not seen where this has already been mentioned but i saw this add and thought it may help some of you guys that are trying to make percussion caps. It is a company that is making kits to reload .22 long rifle,.22 magnum, and the .17 rimfires. You can buy just the primming compound and says it is enough to load 2000 rounds of rimfire primmers. It is a mix, i think two parts for the explosive and a third that makes it set up hard. I am sure this would work great in a home made caps.
http://22lrreloader.com/

 

[ofitg]

kituwa, there was some discussion of this mail-order primer kit last month -

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=798888

 

[Blackpowdershooter44]

Thanks Kituwa, I've heard of this compound for caps, haven't tried it yet though. But now its moved up on my list.
Thanks!

 

[PRD1]

FWIW...

I looked into the kit when it was announced, and found that, unlike modern percussion caps and CF primers, this is a corrosive priming compound, based on potassium chlorate, and will cause much worse rust (and much faster) than ordinary black powder fouling alone.
It is true that early percussion caps were chlorate-based (as were early metallic cartridge primers), but the chlorate has long been replaced by chemicals which do not promote rusting.
Just be aware that immediate, thorough cleaning with water, or a water-based solution, is imperative after shooting any chlorate priming compound.

PRD1 - mhb - Mike

 

[Sarge7402]

back many moons ago there was a kit called tap-a-cap

 

[kituwa]

I did not know it was corrosive. I wonder if that is an issue when using it to load rimfires or does the modern powder in the cartridge burn most of it out? I do remember the old percussion caps. I dont remember them being any worse than what they use now though.I know i wish they still made percussion caps with the copper cups instead of the brass they use now. Seems like we didnt have as much problems with them fitting right like we do now and they didnt blow all to pieces like the newer ones do.
I dont make my own caps but i may just make me a tool like the tap o cap and try it with some of that primmer mix. I am not real worried about the corrosive thing because i clean my guns right after shooting anyway.

 

[noelf2]

washbuster makes caps with the compound. Says they're pretty hot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xYt-VJCu4s

 

[PRD1]

kituwa:

Unless you remember (and used) percussion caps from long before WW2, you are unlikely to have used corrosive caps - nearly all available caps have been non-corrosive for the last 60 or 70 years.
Corrosive priming compounds proved to be even worse after the introduction of smokeless powder, since the heavy blackpowder fouling somewhat diluted the primer residue, and the arms used with BP were normally cleaned with water, anyway, while the light fouling from smokeless didn't have that effect. Early smokeless .22RF loads were nearly certain to destroy the rifle bore by rusting caused by the primer residue, no matter how they were cleaned, because there was a relatively large amount of primer compound and small powder charges. That is why it is rare to find a .22 RF rifle from the early smokeless era with a good bore - the same is true of small centerfires, such as the .25-20.
I think many of those who will be tempted to try the currently available priming compound sold with the RF reloading kit are in for a very nasty surprise.

PRD1 - mhb - Mike