Percussion Caps is there a shortage

[monkr]

Have a new Cimarron 1851 navy 36 cal. I think is will use number 10 caps but can not find any anywhere. Example Gander mountain, cheaper than dirt. Help appriciated

 

[kingsax26]

last i new on the subject was that the makers of caps were not focusing on producing them at this time due to ammo shortages.... but things may have changed

 

[azmntman]

I had a major problem getting any. Do on line search, I found 1000 11's and 1000 10's after about 2 months! Cabelas had the 10's about 2 months ago. If you can find a place to "backorder" thats yer best bet. 11's will work if ya pinch em, but that way they dont seal as well and increase risk of chain fire.

I look around and PM you if I find any

 

[rafterob]

#10s are especially hard to find but a fellow club member just got 1000 from Cabelas-not online. Seems to be hit or miss, check often is the key. Back before Christmas the report I got from CCI is they expected to be back up in stock by beginning of April. That has not happened.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Switching to Treso Ampco nipples, that are made for number 11's may help. I fail to understand why caps are so darn expensive. They should be far less than the cost of 22RF's just from the standpoint of materials. I paid less than a dollar for a tin of caps when I got my first C&B gun and paid as little as $2/ a thousand when I found a deal.

I also don't understand why the Italians keep supplying guns with nipples made for No. 10's when it would be a minor switch to supply them with nipples for No. 11's.

 

[galamb]

We sell ammunition, powder and caps where I work. We have been advised "again" this year of a continuing component shortage effecting all aspects of ammunition, including caps.

There is a couple of reasons given.

1) a component shortage that began back in 2012 and

2) guys/gals are "hoarding" what little is getting out.

The word from Winchester (Olin), Federal/CCI, and Remington (Silva) was to "expect no more than 10% of our order volume" for the 2014 season.

We are not having any issue getting #11 caps, but 10's and 209's have been impossible to come by for two years now.

So if you find some, like reason #2 above - "hoard them".

 

[mageckman]

If you were closer, I could hook you up with almost two whole tins. I bought two tins of 10's by accident a few years back and have no use for them. I think I know of a place up here that has quite a few tins for cheap as well. if you was closer I'd steer you in that direction.

 

[Cpl. Ashencheeks]

I guess I am lucky in this regard.

I still have plenty of caps in #10, but #11 has been much harder to find in my area.

Another advantage I have is that I own one of those old Tap-O-Cap punch tools, although ignition with the #11 caps made from these are not nearly as reliable as a manufacturer's caps, but these caps do at least fit well on many different nipples.

It is too bad this gadget isn't made anymore and I probably will not be parting with mine anytime soon.

 

[Musketeer]

Haven't seen caps of any size anywhere in ages. I still have a tin and a half of CCI #11 and a half tin of CCI musket. When those are gone, I don't know what I'm gonna do. I'm seriously thinking of selling my two remaining cap guns and going solely to flint and match. Flints, cotton rope, and KNO3 are still cheap and plentiful, relatively speaking. I can't mention politics, but I will say we are very likely to see the ammo and component shortage go on for many more years to come.

edit: If worse comes to worst, I guess I can drill out all my nipples and use ring or strip caps for toy guns. :hmm: :wink:

 

[daniel collums]

I reckon i got lucky a local hunting supply store was relocating and was trying to clear inventory. When i ask about muzzle loading stuff he said they had some but they were in a box in the store room, when he brought out the box and i saw what was in it i almost lost it. He said nobody wants any of this stuff anymore and said they could sell the whole box of stuff for one price if i wanted it. I gave them $45 for 56 tins of #11 mag caps and all kinds of bullets, starters, nipples,speed loaders and a bunch of other stuff. I added up the prices that was marked on the stuff and it was over $400 worth of stuff. All i kept was the caps, 2 bullet starters,some round balls about 5 packs of the unholy sabots and the nipples to fit my tc rifles and my knights and sold the rest of the stuff and made almost $100 cash after i subtracted my $45.

 

[azmntman]

AWESOME! Once I found a gun store in Prescott gettin out of the BP business and bought 14 boxes of great plains conicals for $2.00 a pop. You whipped that!

 

[Musketeer]

Sheesh. :haha: I got a box of various ML accessories for free about 10 years ago at a local gun shop for the same reason (wasn't selling), but there weren't any tins of caps in it.

 

[ChrisHarris]

I'm lucky that I bought 5000 #11's a couple years ago and I probably still have 4000 or more.

It's so bad right now, I can't find .530 balls. Went and bought my own mold and dipper. My Dad has about 300lbs of old roofing flashing from the 1950's. Guess what I'm doin' this weekend? :stir: I'd rather be shootin' but I ain't got anything to shoot. Need projectiles!!

 

[satx78247]

Here in Metropolitan San Antonio, I haven't seen ANY caps for sale in stores or at the gun-shows.
(In fact at the last BIG SATX gun-show I didn't SEE a single BP ball, cap, horn or anything else for ML for sale/trade. = Nearly everything was NEW & HUGELY OVER-priced modern pistols, shotguns, "black rifles" & CF/RF ammo.)

One reason that I don't hunt more with my little .58caliber Zouave musketoon/short rifle/carbine/"whatever you want to call it" is that I'm nearly OUT of suitable caps.

yours, satx

 

[zimmerstutzen]

In the past three years I have bid and won a few dozen collector cap tins
about a third have been full.

 

[ChrisHarris]

Has anyone used the kids toy ring caps? I've been reading some people are having good luck with them. http://www.tintoyarcade.com/super-bang-ring-caps-refill-192-shots.html

 

[satx78247]

That's neat. = CONGRADS.

yours, satx

 

[Musketeer]

Has anyone used the kids toy ring caps? I've been reading some people are having good luck with them. http://www.tintoyarcade.com/super-bang-ring-caps-refill-192-shots.html[/quote]

That's what I was referring to above. :thumbsup: I haven't tried any, but a few folks have with varying results. One thing I've read several times that helps is drilling the nipple straight through so you get rid of the tiny aperture on the bottom. These caps are weaker than proper perc. caps, so this lets as much flame as possible travel through the nipple. :hmm:

 

[bpd303]

Drilling out the nipple is dangerous as it can result in blow back from the ignition of the main charge.

 

[Musketeer]

Drilling out the nipple is dangerous as it can result in blow back from the ignition of the main charge.

I did some further reading on the subject, and it appears there's some truth to that. I can't edit my previous post, so I'll just say that I retract the suggestion. I certainly don't want to suggest anything that could get someone hurt. :redface: My apologies.