Switching to the Tap-O-Cap

D

Dithsoer

Inactive
I've read a bit here and there about the Tap-o-cap, making percussion caps at home with children's roll caps. Just about everyone agrees that it works, it's just easier to buy factory-made caps. My question is, with the rising price of percussion caps (at least in my area), is this a viable alternative? I mean considering price, time spent, quality of product, etc. For example, if it takes five hours to make a hundred caps and they only work half the time, well, what's the point, right? Right now, I'm paying about $7.50 per tin of 100, and I don't really have the money to buy several thousand from a mail order company, no matter how cost-effective it may be. What does eveyone think? Would I be better off maybe considering making my own?
I love b.p. shooting, but the rising cost of supplies is really starting to put a damper on my shooting.
 
I just ordered a Tap-O-Cap myself so all I can do is give you an opinion based on what I've read. The Tap-O-Cap works great and is very well made for it's part. The biggest variable is the roll caps. Most of the foreign made caps aren't "hot" enough for reliability and the better American made ones can be hard to find. The best caps are supposedly made in Canada, where a trip to buy a cap gun and a supply of caps (for my nephew of course) might be in my near future. I plan to try out several brands and then buy a couple dozen packages of whatever works best and vacuum seal them. That should last me for the rest of my life anyway.

If all else fails, I've heard rumors that with a little research, you can make your own cap mix. While following and abiding by all applicable laws and regulations of course.
 
I've thought about it but never tried it. From what I've found you'll need a nipple pick to keep the paper cleaned out. I also heard but haven't tried the caps that come on a plastic ring work well. Just cut them off and put them on. They're supposed to be the same size as a #10 cap but can be used as #11. Still got the problem of the paper plugging the nipple tho.
 
I haven’t used any for a while now, but there are some toy guns out there that use caps that come in a little ring of plastic, and are shaped almost the same as a regular cap. They work just fine. The odd time a bit of the cap material will get stuck in the nipple, but I don’t remember it ever causing a misfire though. They are certainly a cheap alternative to regular caps when using black powder. I have never tried it with any of the substitutes.
 
Cost and clean up , finally got to me also. So I bought one of the new Savage ML II Smokeless muzzleloaders. Now I have 15 cents in a sabot,2 cents in a primer,11 cents in powder, and 14 cents in the bullet. This gives me a total cost per shot of about 42 cents. It also does not require the hour long cleaning process every time I want to go to the range. (clean up in 5 minutes every 25 rounds)

Although the rifle was not cheap, over the next year, I will shoot at least 500 rounds through it, so my savings alone will pay for the rifle in a couple of years.

I used to shoot traditional, but the way that every year the powder and supplies go up, it is getting outrageous. A pound of powder(Pyrodex) at Wally World yesterday, went up from $20.00 last year to $34.00 this year.

Between the government legislation on powder, and the stores greed for profit, I just can't see staying traditional.
 
I've got Tap o' Cap as a back-up system in case I run out of caps. Consider it a good way to spend your time constructively while the news is on (or if you snowed in a cabin).
 
Mike does have a good point. The original guns required a hot poker to touch off the priming powder. As there were no locks, aiming was a haphazard affair. Later, the matchlock made sharpshooting possible (wood stock and ability to discharge the gun by pressing a trigger). If you're out of flint, you can attach a cigarette in the jaws of your flintlock. However, the Surgeon General did issue a warning that smoking may be hazardous to your health.

I recently attending a theatre production in Malta about the Siege of Madrid. An actor/performer who protrayed a Jannisarry musketeer had to manually lower his match into the pan. I guess they had no armorers who could repair their working props.
 
Mike...

When Ruger comes out with a flintlock version of their Old Army revolver, I'll switch to that. :p

I would like to find a breach-loading rifle in flintlock though. Something based on the Sharps action rather than the Ferguson. Just a dream of mine...
 
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