Snap Caps lifespan

[boylit]

3 weeks ago, a friend purchased a pair (2) of a-zoom snap caps for me at mcs.

the snapcaps were used daily for 50 pulls per day (i keep count)… that would be in sets of 5 pulls consisting of 1 DA pull then 4 SA (after partial rack to set the pistol in SA)...

given the 21 days of use, that's 1050 trigger pulls divided between 2 snapcaps (so 500 pulls for 1 and 550 pulls for the other)

wear notes (see attached image):
- the rim around the bullet head is severely worn. doing a barrel fit test has the old snapcaps sinking deeper into the barrel
- extractor cannelure rim is worn
- the dead cap (what the firing pin hits) has very little wear…

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was trying to buy a new set for the whole week but it's difficult to find 9mm snap caps… finally found 1 at wcs/mcs... strangely the one i purchased is physically different from the one we got 3 weeks ago… differences include:

1. color : new = maroon / old = candy red
2. finish : new = dull / old = shiny
3. finish : new = ribbed / old = smooth
4. label : new = dull gray / old = bright white
5. extractor cannelure rim : new = thinner / old = thicker

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now come the questions:

1. how long do these things last?

i read a review at http://www.cruffler.com/accessory-review-february-01.html saying they've tested a-zoom snapcaps up to 1000 pulls with a couple of "no noticeable wear" results for the pistol type rounds.

my 1st pair had only 500 and 550 pulls each... they were badly worn...

2. are there multiple versions of the a-zoom snapcap?

i went to their website and couldn't find info on whether the caps came in various colors/finishes nor rim thickness.

3. are there better snap caps in the market?

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[chrome_austex]

Well, those snap-caps are made out of aluminum, so yes, they're going to wear quickly in your steel firearms.

I've got some 12-gauge snapcaps, and they're not too pretty after a few hundred times being stuffed into the magazine tube and emptied back out. Mine don't even get chambered.

Another good option is to have a reloader friend make you some dummy rounds out of actual brass shells and real bullets (but no primers nor gunpowder). The brass shells should hold up better to abuse, while still being softer than your firearm parts.

 

[KJS]

Another good option is to have a reloader friend make you some dummy rounds out of actual brass shells and real bullets (but no primers nor gunpowder). The brass shells should hold up better to abuse, while still being softer than your firearm parts.

On such homemade dummy rounds what's going to be filling the primer pocket to cushion the firing pin when it slams down?

 

[wacki]

Another good option is to have a reloader friend make you some dummy rounds out of actual brass shells and real bullets (but no primers nor gunpowder). The brass shells should hold up better to abuse, while still being softer than your firearm parts.

Use wood or preferably rubber bullets instead of lead and paint them blue or something that doesn't look like copper or lead.

relevant thread w/ springs and nylon screws for the snappy part:
http://www.nevadashooters.com/showthread.php?t=17798

I'd also coat the whole brass so that the safety is uber obvious even when the round is chambered. Heck I'd probably do the whole thing in smurf blue if I could.

 

[wacki]

Rubber bullet slugs

http://www.conceptsinammunition.com/Pistol_Products/9mm.htm