DIY Percussion Caps

[RobD]

The cap shells are made using a tool die cap maker out of aluminum can metal.  The ignition powder is made from toy cap gun powder cap strips.  Use a punch to remove 3 powder dots off the cap strip.  Insert the papered dots into a percussion cap shell. The dots can be secured with a tiny bit of straight Duco cement or that cement slightly diluted with acetone - allow to dry.  Done.  All 24 of the caps created so far had instant ignition.  How they will work with igniting black powder in a firearm chamber remains to be observed.

An alternative "wet" method is to cut 9 of the powder dots off a cap strip and soak in tepid tap water for about 15 to 30 seconds, remove the strip and lay down on a flat source, lift and peel off the red top strip in order to reveal the black powder dots, use the tip edge of a knife to scrape off and collect the 9 powder dots, put the accumulated powder into a cap shell, tamp down lightly with the blunt end of a BBQ skewer and allow to dry.  Done.  I created a dozen of this kind of cap build and every cap went off with big bang and flash, probably near as powerful as a CCI #11 cap.

In both above cap making types, the DIY aluminum can caps had a really good fit on either an Uberti or Pietta 1851 Navy .36 pistol.  It should be noted that unlike using commercial percussion cap powder making chemicals, toy gun caps did not cause metal rusting.  This is the main reason I avoided going that chemical route.

Wet method test firing ...

[rollingb]

  

[Fyrstyk]

I use the same method, except for the drying part.  I spray the filled caps with aqua net hair spray.  They work great as a substitute and back-up.  I have had only 3 failures to fire in over 500 caps made and used.

[RobD]

I use the same method, except for the drying part.  I spray the filled caps with aqua net hair spray.  They work great as a substitute and back-up.  I have had only 3 failures to fire in over 500 caps made and used.

Are you doing the dry or wet method?

[RobD]

The cap pistol caps dry method, but cut with a scissor rather than a punch.

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[Fyrstyk]

I use the same method, except for the drying part.  I spray the filled caps with aqua net hair spray.  They work great as a substitute and back-up.  I have had only 3 failures to fire in over 500 caps made and used.

Are you doing the dry or wet method?
[I use the dry method

[RobD]

I use the same method, except for the drying part.  I spray the filled caps with aqua net hair spray.  They work great as a substitute and back-up.  I have had only 3 failures to fire in over 500 caps made and used.

Are you doing the dry or wet method?
[I use the dry method

So far in my testing, cutting the powder dots off as squares negates the need for any kinda glue.

[Winter Hawk]

I need to head off to get a bunch of toy gun caps now!  Glad to hear that they don't lead to rusting, although I hadn't read that the chemicals would.  This sounds a lot easier than mixing the powder, getting it into the cap, adding acetone etc. which is the primary reason I only made one batch in half a year of having the equipment.   

~Kees~

[Ohio Joe]

Keep us posted on how they work, Kees. I've heard they do / and I've heard they aren't reliable (and I don't know if that was do to the paper covering creating a blockage in the Nipple port??? But, it may also have just been the caps? Let us know.