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Percussion caps on 4th

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Jerry Simon

32 Cal
Joined
May 3, 2019
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Location
Gaithersburg, MD
Does anyone know if it's legal to fire just the percussion caps in my revolver, not at a range. I want to make some noise on the 4th.
I live in Maryland.

Thanks
 
Ummm...IDK. A bag of black cats could get you in just as much (or more) trouble as popping off a few percussion caps.

Furthermore, black powder weapons aren't generally classified as "firearms".

Finally, it's only wrong if you get caught.
 
Firing caps only will require the same cleaning regimen as shooting a full load. The fouling from the caps will require just as much corrosion prevention as shooting, therefore I wouldn't fire the pistol with caps only. Not to mention, there are some observers that wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
 
Firing caps only will require the same cleaning regimen as shooting a full load. The fouling from the caps will require just as much corrosion prevention as shooting, therefore I wouldn't fire the pistol with caps only. Not to mention, there are some observers that wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
Hmmmm.. All of my cap tins clearly state "NON CORROSIVE" on them.
 
Yes, modern percussion caps are non corrosive but IMO, it's still a good idea to clean the gun after it has been fired with just the caps.

The fouling may not be corrosive but I wouldn't be surprised if it absorbs water out of the air. Most very dry things do that.
 
Ummm...IDK. A bag of black cats could get you in just as much (or more) trouble as popping off a few percussion caps.

Furthermore, black powder weapons aren't generally classified as "firearms".

Finally, it's only wrong if you get caught.

But remember, it IS The People's Republic of Maryland.
I wouldn't put anything past the politicians and voters there making any aspect of firearms use illegal.
No way would I live in a place like that.
 
Yes, modern percussion caps are non corrosive but IMO, it's still a good idea to clean the gun after it has been fired with just the caps.

The fouling may not be corrosive but I wouldn't be surprised if it absorbs water out of the air. Most very dry things do that.
Agreed. Clean after any/every use. I even wipe mine back down after show and tell, and re-wipe the barrels every month or so.
 
Well, with this post in mind, someone in my area decided to pop a cap on a little CVA Derringer.
This happened after he noticed some of his neighbors down the block setting off some small firecrackers.

Not wanting it to sound too small, like the firecrackers, he poured 30 grains of black powder into the thing followed with a wadded up large cotton cleaning patch !!! :eek:

He then went out in front of his house, pointed it skyward and pulled the trigger.

BOOM!!!!!!!!! A mighty ball of flame lit up the area in a flash while roosting birds in a nearby tree burst out of hiding and flew in all directions and then, all was silent.

Well, maybe I shouldn't say, "All was silent".

Shortly after this person did that and went back inside, his wife said, "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT? DID YOU SHOOT A GUN OUT IN THE YARD??? DON'T YOU KNOW THE POLICE HAVE MONITORS THAT CAN TELL WHERE A GUN IS FIRED???????? "

Of course, I wasn't worried. :rolleyes: I knew whoever it was probably wouldn't be nabbed by the local police and he probably had a big grin on his face. ;);)

The really strange thing about all of this is, when I went out into my front yard to get the newspaper, there, laying on my driveway I found a dirty, blackened, cotton cleaning patch.
I wonder how that could have gotten there? :rolleyes:
 
Zonie, sounds rather tame. My son lives in South Phoenix where the tradition seems to be to bring out your auto pistols and let em loose. Not real sure those folks are using blanks either.
 
I have stopped firing blanks in my 50 caliber canon in my backyard out of concern for neighbors concern about firing a gun. Firing live rounds even if it is the custom as a noisemaker is just wrong.
 
Someone a half mile or so down the road let loose with a 30 round magazine full of 5.56 Thursday night. I’m sure the rounds were directed into a safe backstop or complete darkness, one or the other.
 
You could stand on your porch or deck and sing the National Anthem.
One year found us down at the Glenwood Springs Hot Springs and a low fog hanging over the pool. I sang the National Anthem for all in attendance. Did it once again New Years Eve some years ago. People seemed to appreciate it.
 
Does anyone know if it's legal to fire just the percussion caps in my revolver, not at a range. I want to make some noise on the 4th.
I live in Maryland.

Thanks

I know the 4th is past right now, but I would like to offer a small warning towards such an activity.

There was a case somewhere in which a Carbide cannon was used recently and the person using it was arrested on misdemeanor negligent discharge of a firearm.

I remember these fun little devices when I was a kid these were all over the place and we had a lot of fun with them. It operated with a flint lighter tube plunger igniting the gas made from carbide paste and small amount of water.

The idea that this device had a gun tube and could be capable of propelling a projectile with an expanding gas and that it was operatively ignited is what made the device be interpreted legally as a firearm.

I know this removes the fun from what was once a beloved toy of many from the 1950s through the 1970s, but there will always be some set of dungkopfs who will want destroy the fun of many things we once enjoyed.

Here in my state, muzzleloaders are not considered firearms until they are capped or primed and can propel a projectile by means of expanding combusting gas. Before that required condition of a muzzleloader being capped or primed with powder, legally they are just a collection of assembled parts and not a firearm. Once capped or primed the legal condition of a muzzleloader changes.
 
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I have stopped firing blanks in my 50 caliber canon in my backyard out of concern for neighbors concern about firing a gun. Firing live rounds even if it is the custom as a noisemaker is just wrong.


This and other similar posts, to me, only serve to demonstrate the widening gulf in our country regarding firearms. It's a sad commentary on the state of our Nation, and I fear it will only get worse. :(
 
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