Caps made from fired 22 rf cases

[n.h.schmidt]

Hi everyone
I just thought I would bring up the making of percussion caps from 22rf cases. I made a die and punch that smooths out the rim ,reduces the dia and pinches the now formed cap off to the proper length. That's a lot for one operation.It does work though. What you get with this is a Very stout cap to work with. I use the usual toy pistol caps that everyone says don't work with the tap o cap. They do work with this though. I started out with five dots in the cap .Now I use only three. They set off BP and pyrodex easily.
The caps survive being used and have even been reloaded. They do not split or otherwise show much sign of distress. Now the downside.The fired caps stick hard on the nipple.Very hard,needing a pliers to remove. I have to go,more to follow if there is interest in this.
n.h.schmidt

 

[Billnpatti]

The problem that you are experiencing with the caps sticking to the nipple is one reason that commercial caps are made of a foil rather than brass the thickness of a .22 cartridge case. The foil is intended to split when fired so that it will be easily removed after being fired. It may be possible to make your caps more easily removed by using #10 nipples. Being slightly smaller than the regular #11 nipple, they may more easily release the fired caps made from the .22 cases. That is just a guess but I think it is worth trying. Good luck. :hatsoff:

 

[VEARL]

Be interesting .

 

[Many Klatch]

Now if you can just figure out how to make a flint with used 22 Brass then you will really be on to something. :blah:

Many Klatch

 

[Brian6396]

Is this a tool that you are considering manufacturing or will you supply designs freely to the masses for us to try making our own.

either way you got my interest. I like to experiment with making things.

 

[Zonie]

Now if you can just figure out how to make a flint with used 22 Brass then you will really be on to something. :blah:

Many Klatch

Now, there's an idea.

Who's going to be the first to volenter to start a new debate? Leather vs. Lead vs. Brass flint wraps? :rotf:

Getting back to using toy cap gun caps, does anyone know what these are loaded with?
As I recall from my childhood (yes, they had caps back in the stone age), whatever they used rapidly attacked anything made out of steel after it was fired.

Any special needs to remove this cap fouling?
Hoppe's #9 Nitro solvent?

 

[Stumpkiller]

At one point they used fulminate of mercury and glass dust (for the friction). Corrosive as all get out. No idea what current formulation of toy caps is.

 

[Billnpatti]

Soapy water, toothbrush and elbow grease for the outside of the barrel and nipple and soapy water, bore jag and a pile of patches for the bore. If you don't clean it up right away, you may very quickly have a really good steel tomato stake.

 

[hawkeye2]

The new toy caps are every bit as corrosive as the old ones. I have a underhammer pistol with a very small nipple that the red plastic caps fit on just right. I tested 4 or 5 and the blast at the muzzle was about half of a percussion cap and I have no doubt they will set off black powder however there was considerable corrosion on the nipple and on the barrel around it the next day.

 

[mooman76]

Did you have any problems with the plastic from the cap clogging up the nipple? I was playing with some the other day trying to make my own and haven't tried it with a load yet. They seem the same as the real thing power wise.

 

[hawkeye2]

No, the nipple didn't cut into the cap and they stayed intact but I was only busting caps, not firing real loads and the toy caps were of a size that fitted firmly on the nipple on that pistol. The caps seemed to have no more than 50% of the power of a percussion cap if that much. From the rapidity of the rust formed and the ammount I have no intention of going any furter with the experiment.

 

[n.h.schmidt]

The toy caps.Be they red plastic cups or the paper kind are very corrosive. No worse than the caps you could buy made in Italy 30 years ago. If you clean up properly there is no problem. Many of you use pyrodex.If you can deal with that you already know what to do. I use the normal dish soap and water .I well dry everything and use a generous amt. of full strength Ballistol to finish up. A follow up a day later is always wise. Lately I have experimented with 3-in-one oil. I use it as a final coating in place of the Ballistol. In either case with very good result. No rust at all. I am well aware of how the rust problem can bite you in the butt.Had that happen before a few times.
Nobody touts 3-in-one oil as rust preventing. It does seem to work and is available everywhere.
One last pearl ,a water/ballistol mix has never worked for a rust preventing coating. At least it hasn't for me.
n.h.schmidt

 

[n.h.schmidt]

Hi Brian
No thought as yet to sell any of this. It would have to be better worked out. I have the tap-o cap die and have made my caps for years. Often with very poor results. More lately the toy caps I could find has been reduced to some caps from wallmart .Made in Germany they are very weak too. These cups made from the rf case do not self destruct and force the charge to go through the nipple. When fired on a unloaded gun there is little noise but a good amt of air pushed out the barrel.
n.h.schmidt

 

[MSW]

sounds pretty cool if you can make it go ... I still have my tap- o- cap thing somewhere, and I don't remember having any trouble making it go, and no problems with reliability of the caps - jus a pain in the neck to produce ...

just one guy's observation...

 

[BobKrohn]

I really enjoy "outside the box" thinking.
Can you put a slit or slits in the side of your caps?
Have Fun.

 

[n.h.schmidt]

Now putting slits in the cap would be very cool.I just don't know how to do it.
n.h.schmidt

 

[necchi]

Get yourself a rod the size of the formed cap, slide it on and give it a little smack with the blade of a chisel,