WHY ARE CAPS SO EXPENSIVE?

[montanadan]

The other day I was loading B/P cartridge for CAS. I started doing a comparison between primers and caps, if you just bought primers vs. caps at a 100 at a time, you can buy 200 primers vs. 100 caps. Primers look to be more expensive to make vs. the caps(I could be wrong about this). When you increase the quantity to 5000 the cost difference really opens up.I generally buy 5000 caps at a time, but you really do not get that much of a price break, just evens out the "hazmat and freight" Is it one those 'supply and demand' things? Respectfully Montanadan...

 

[Stumpkiller]

Yep. Economy of scale (# produced cap vs. primer). That, and we suckers still pay for them regardless. Costs more to ship them than make them.

Someone ought to invent a lock that uses a piece of rock or something. :crackup:

 

[montanadan]

STUMPKILLER-I knew you could not resist throwing in the flintlock =rock. O.K. could you do a quick comparison, caps vs. flints? I am just curious..Thanks again Respectfully Montanadan..

 

[Bushwhacker]

CAPS?????????????????????/ Is this something new?? OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I remember now, It's those guns that when you try to shoot them they just go " POP POP POP", those little copper thingys :crackup: :redthumb:

 

[Stumpkiller]

Flints: 7/8" (TOTW) $1.15/ea., 40 shots avg = 2.87

 

[montanadan]

STUMPKILLER-Thanks again,good comparison..Respectfully Montanadan

 

[Dave K]

You didn't mention what lock you were using, must have been something other than a L&R. They are more expensive to shoot then a cap gun! :crackup:

 

[montanadan]

DaveK&Stumpkiller-In defense of us cap gun shooters,the initial expense for flintlock seems to be much greater,could buy a lot of caps,even if they are outrageous.I am just teasing, I have a lot of respect for the flint and smoothie guys. Be safe..Good shooting...Respectfully Montanadan

 

[Stumpkiller]

No problem. I shoot off a lot of caps. ::

 

[Dave K]

No problem here either. I shoot a fair amount of perc. as well. At Friendship I can usually find sales on my personal favorite cap (RWS) for about $23 per thousand. If I am careful and at my age, I may be able to shoot until I am 90, before I need to watch how many I have left. I will probably still buy more at the Spring shoot though, just in case I live past 90!

 

[montanadan]

Stumpkiller-If you have time ,I asked you a question over at the percussion place, under finish coming off. Just would like to know what you think. Respectfully Montanadan

 

I think it's that "supply and demand" thing. A primer is very much more sophisticated to produce (solid brass cup, priming compound, seal for priming compound, anvil, setting anvil into cup) than a cap (thin brass or copper cup, priming compound, seal for priming compound).

1000 Winchester large pistol primers $13,50
1000 CCI caps #11 more than $30.00 (sometimes over $40.00)

Before the craze of Cowboy-Shooting and Rendezvous started, a tin of 100 caps were about 50 to 75 cents. They were the same thing kids used in the "before plastic" toy-guns.

One way around the expenses for the caps (I hate to read everywhere to snap two caps for every chamber, and than clean up the nipple!) is to buy one of the devices that use primers instead of caps. I think Sam Fadala explained it in one of his black powder books.

 

[jrdavis]

get a tap-o-cap...make your own from coke cans and paper caps :thumbsup:

 

[Stumpkiller]

Have you tried to buy a paper cap lately? I haven't seen caps on rolls in stores for years.

 

[Huntinfool]

Have you tried to buy a paper cap lately? I haven't seen caps on rolls in stores for years.

I thought the same thing so when I bought my grandson's "Old Betsy" Cap rifle for Christmas I ordered the box of caps. Next time I was at a store I saw some for half the price I mail ordered them for!

It seems around Christmas time everyone carries caps on the roll!

Chuck :results:

 

[Stumpkiller]

I suspect in NY they are classified as fireworks or something. :cry: I suppose AA batteries have replaced rolls of caps as the fodder of childhood. Our neighborhood sounded like Anzio most summer nights.

I wish I had the confiscated contents of Mrs. Lyon's lower left desk drawer now. :haha: Clean up on eBay with antique cap pistols.

Nothing smells as good as caps. * sigh *

 

[roundball]

Nothing smells as good as caps. * sigh *

You know, you're right...I had completely forgotten about that smell of paper caps until I just read your post and it flashed back...amazing

 

[Bob J]

Speakin' of caps- My older brother and sister used to take my dad'd muzzleloaders out of the closet and have mock battles with them ::. Only when he wasn't home, of course. Remember the plastic caps shaped like a percussion cap? They'd put them on the nipple and try and make'em go off! The paper caps, well, my little brother and I had rolls of 'em and would sit out on the carport on a rainy day and bust'em on the concrete with a hammer (think my brother actually got into busting percussion caps with a hammer..) :shocking: