I started making my own caps about a year ago. I finally found a recipe that works. Now I have 99+% success. I usually load my caps one week and shoot them the next. Five months ago I decided to see how long I could store them and still work. I went shooting today and shot six of those caps. All six fired, one needed a second strike to fire. I have had this issue with my homemade caps as well as commercial caps. I think that I don’t have them properly seated. My plan is to shoot six of these older caps every time I go shooting and report the results. I will use this thread for all of the reports for easy comparison.
Homemade caps
- Thread starter Lyle A
- Start date
I use the Prime All from Sharpshooter. I don’t use the binder. That is the off white powder marked with a s. I mix acetone and Duco cement. I don’t measure,I just squeeze some of the Duco into the acetone. Mix as per the directions. Fill the cap 1/2 to 2/3 full, compress the compound with a brass punch, add one drop of the acetone mix, wait one or two minutes then add one more. Let dry for 24 hours.
I went shooting yesterday, nice say about 75 when I got to the desert. To be sure that no cleaning oil or lubricant was in the nipples or cylinder I fired two cylinders before I tested the caps. All six fired and ignited the powder. I couldn’t notice any difference between the six month old caps and the new ones. I should have enough caps to continue the test until May. I plan to post updates after each test.