I have shot the CCI Reenactor musket caps to a limited extent. They worked alright for me, but I mainly just shoot for fun, meaning my hunting days are behind me and I've never been a serious threat to the competition on the target range. I don't recall any failures to fire due to weak caps. If the caps detonate the powder charge, I call it good. They are reportedly not as "hot" as standard musket caps, and at least one of the master shooters on this forum has found his accuracy diminishes when using the Reenactor caps. One thing to consider, though, is that real black powder lights up easier than the substitutes, such as Pyrodex or 777. The "pellets" are the worst of all. If you use the Reenactor musket caps, I would strongly recommend that you use real black powder.
A couple of the fellows have suggested places to buy caps in North Carolina. It may be worth a drive to get some powder and caps, and you won't have to pay for shipping or Hazmat. You might also look for gun shows in your area. You can sometimes find what you need at the larger shows.
If you can't buy caps and powder locally, buying online is probably your best option. I just checked on the Graf & Sons website, and they currently have every granulation of Scheutzen and Swiss black powder, CCI Reenactor musket caps, Scheutzen musket caps (which are cheaper than the Reenactor caps) and RWS 1075 (essentially #11) caps all in stock. Their prices are fair and their service is excellent. They have a flat fee of $12.95 for shipping, and their Hazmat charge is $23.50. In today's marketplace, those fees are very reasonable.
It sounds as if you are on a limited budget. However, one way to look at this is as an investment. You might not need 1,000 caps right now, but they are not going to get any cheaper, and if you can find the money to order them now, you'll come out ahead when the next price increase hits, and you'll still be shooting when the next shortage comes.
Good luck, my friend.
Notchy Bob
