False economy 101
I have worked with Silicone Sealants since 1972 where we used it to seal mausoleum joints to keep out water and potential frost damage from freezing and subsequent expansion of said water in joints.
Silicone sealant does not have the compressive strength that manufactured snap cap primers have. I had two different Snap Caps (Tipton and another brand) and when I poked at the cured silicone I had placed in an empty case primer pocket I found that it is much easier probing into the silicone with a firing pin out of my Sig .45 Auto pistol and one from my AR-15, than it is probing the manufactured Snap Cap Primer. I also tried a pencil eraser that someone mentioned on another board. There is no way silicone sealant or pencil & pen erasers have the firmness of a quality Snap Cap 'Primer'. The Tipton Snap Caps I have actually have a brass primer with a visible spring inside to compress upon activation of the movable cylindrical primer during the strike of said primer from the firing pin in normal and intended motion!
I am not telling people what to do, as other's guns are not my guns that are being dry-fired. I prefer to use the manufactured variety! When you get five for less than $15. -- you cannot go wrong! Why chance wearing out a perfectly good gun part using sub-grade components to save $14.00 (maybe $20.00 at the very most) -- as we're talking guns that are worth up to a hundred times that amount (or even more, in some instances)?
The worst part of it is, if your firing pin DOES happen to break or otherwise fail, is it really worth trying to save a few dollars on a gun you rely on to hunt big game (a gun that puts meat in the freezer and even a gun that is a defensive weapon)? I think not, however anyone can do anything they want for ways of saving money. It is my opinion that making your own Snap Caps in the short and in the long term equates to false economy -- you pay either in the beginning for something that is designed for the exact purpose, or you live with the consequences of using something home-made at the cost of perhaps missing the shot on that 220 pound buck, or completely missing being able to shoot the EXTREMELY-NECESSARY shots at the Home-Invaders while trying to protect your loved ones. As for myself, I prefer to pay up front, when the gun is new and run nothing but real ammo or real, quality Snap Caps!
This could easily be equated to seat belts in your family car.
When your seat belts in your car are worn to the point of absolutely being not strong enough to hold someone back in a bad collision -- you can go to a junk yard dealer and buy used belts that look better than yours, however all seat belts must be replaced with NEW SEAT BELTS if they were EVER used in any collision AND they must be replaced with new ones if they show ANY signs of wear!
So, you "save some money" by buying against what every current owner's manual tells you regarding worn, frayed and used seat belts when time to replace them! Remember, your loved-ones are who will be injured or killed when the cheapo seatbelts FAIL during a wreck!
Some people you cannot convince, they must learn the hard way!
To each his own.
Simply put, I find it is Wisdom to learn from the experiences of others.
