Very upset....

Well, in Tucson, at the Sportsman's Warehouse, you arrive before the store opens on Fridays, wait in line and get a number, then wait in line even longer to buy ammo, primers, etc. - if they are lucky enough to have received it in their delivery - and then you are limited to the number of rounds you can purchase. I haven't checked on caps out here as I don't shoot BP in the winter when I'm here. All reloading supplies are in short supply however - including powder.

Nobody likes the "panic buying" as it is creating a shortage for everybody. BUT, what bothers me even more than that are those who think that any of the proposed regulations that Washington will pass, "will not affect them". Baloney, it will affect all of us in one way or another. Instead of sitting around on our hands and waiting, I urge everyone to contact their Senators and voice your opinion in regards to any gun control or infringement on the rights guaranteed by our Constitution. All it takes is a couple of minutes to search for their website and send an e-mail. That's not being "radical" . . . it's being a "citizen". Just remember, there is no silence more loud than that of a man who will not voice his opinion.

For those that are in favor of gun control . . . maybe you should contact your Senators and suggest that they also make drugs like meth, cocaine, heroin and others illegal . . . that way they will no longer be a problem. Oh, wait a minute . . . they already are illegal. Hmmm . . . how's that working for you Washington? Just remember . . . only a fool can be duped by the court jesters . . . or in our case, politicians.
 
When I first started shooting muzzleloaders, back in the '80s, Forster used to sell a gadget called a "Tap-A-Cap" You used it along with a mallet to turn aluminum beer can material into percussion caps. The priming explosive was two or three dots from toy caps inserted inside these cups. Too bad it's been discontinued.

I actually experimented with plastic toy caps on percussion guns but the explosive mixture in these was not powerful enough for consistant ignition, in fact for every successful firing, there were several unsucessful pops with no boom, even with my Ruger Old Army with its fairly large flash holes and direct path to the chambers.
If I can't get more caps within a year or so, I might revisit that experiment but this time fortify the explosive material with extra dots from toy paper caps.

I have also heard of people succesfully using the white tips of strike anywhere kitchen matches as priming explosives.

I honestly never thought this buying panic would affect .22 rimfire and percussion caps when it started. Roundballs, muzzleloading bullets, and Pyrodex/777/BH-209 are all in stock at my local retailer along with some centerfire ammo but percussion caps and .22 rimfire ammo is unobtainium right now.
Bullets for reloading .22 centerfire are starting to show up on the shelves again, cause for hope.
Really, I think this too will pass.
 
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LeadZinger,
I finally threw up my hands and placed a backorder with Cabela's for my Remington #10 caps, cause they said they expect an order in around the 25th.
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I feel your pain dude. I've had some #11 magnums on backorder since december, supposedly they will be here by the end of February. Local shop can't get them at all and he can barely get any regular #11s. There must have been a run on those rock tumblers at harbor freight too, took them two months to get the thing out of their warehouse and into my house...one week shipping time is what my order confirmation said. Yeah right, one week my butt!
 
LeadZinger said:
I finally threw up my hands and placed a backorder with Cabela's for my Remington #10 caps, cause they said they expect an order in around the 25th. It is not like Cabela's doesn't get enough of my money as it is but they do at leat answer the phone and give somekind of information
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Cabelas is my store of last resort for anything muzzleloading. Buying muzzleloading supplys from them is like buying something to eat at a ski resort or a ball stadium.
Their modern gun stuff is reasonably priced however.
 
I was in Sportman's here in Utah today and there were no #10 or #11 caps. They also had no Pyrodex P. Only a few pounds of RS and a couple of pounds of Triple 7. I talked with the gun counter guys and they said there has been a buying frenzy on black powder items now that everything else is sold out. Disappointing to say the least. I do have about 200 #10's and 200 #11's so hopefully that will last until things settle down a bit.
 
Out here in California, I have no problem getting Triple 7. Caps are hard to find here, but I have had good luck buying them online, 1,000 at a time. Seems a bit more difficult in the smaller quantities though...
 
I been watching the powder shelf at Gander Mountain disappearing at a good clip. I didn't realize we had many BP shooters around here. They had a LOT of powder at one time and the craze has cleaned off the shelf pretty fast. They have been out of primers for some time now.
I was in there today buying a new pair of sneakers (off the clearance rack - Gander is pricey, normally!) and noticed they were down to a single can of Pyrodex P. :eek: So I grabbed it, just in case..... ;)

Now there is no Pyrodex in town. Nearest Pyro store is BassPro, 65 miles away and I hear their shelves have been bare for a while.
 
I was in two Sportsman's warehouse here in Montana.... No .457 ball. A few cans of 777 still on the shelf. I managed to pick up the last can of #11 caps that was sitting there. The other store had none.... So in my neck of the woods, we are seeing a 'crunch' too in BP offerings.

I do have what I need for the next summer, so I am set. I stocked up a bit after the last go around.... Just hope it doesn't last for the next 4 years....
 
Was in Cabelas here in Utah yesterday. They had plenty of #10 and #11 caps. I picked up 200 of each. First time I had seen them in awhile. Lots of P, RS, and 777 as well.
 
I stocked up on everything but caps, before the election. I didn't think they become unobtainiom. I got black powder, at least 500 rounds for every gun I own except my Argentine RB. That would have cost over $1800.00. Even stumbled upon 2,000 rounds of 22 WRF, try and find some now. I already reload for some now, have die sets for almost every caliber I have so I can reload them. Four of my percussion revolvers have cartridge conversions for them, so I can go either way on these depending on what I have available. I can ride it out for a while but it would be nice just to be able to buy what you needed when you need it.
 
God bless them....

... Cabela's has come through again. After saying they would not get their order of Remington #10 caps until Feb. 25th, I got an email saying that they had shipped my backorder and I can expect it today!!:) Don't know what happened - perhaps they found some stock they had been "hoarding" - but I'm getting my caps at least 10 days before they even had expected to ship.

The other good news is that my order of bullets has also shipped from the supplier a week earlier than anticipated and will be here this week also.

Bottom line, I'm going to be back shooting by the end of the week.:D Just hope I don't get so excited I run out and shoot up the neighborhood.:rolleyes:
Damn right I'm happy!!
 
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