Percussion caps for Uberti revolvers

[Sandlapper]

Can anyone advise as to the best percussion caps currently available for use with the stainless aftermarket nipples and Uberti revolvers and the best place to buy them? Everyone seems to be on backorder, or if they do have any, the price is outrageous. Thanks, Sandlapper

[Coffinmaker]

Sandlapper 

Your question is unfortunately mostly a dead end currently.  As you have discovered, Percussion Caps are currently The Holy Grail.  Your only recourse is to constantly shop the obvious suppliers and "JUMP" Immediately.  Regardless, prices will probably continue to be "outrageous" for the foreseeable future.  Supply is short.  Addendum:

Remington 10 or 11
RWS 1075
CCI # 11 (may work)

SlixShot nipples are optimized for Remington #10

GOOD LUCK 

[Sandlapper]

Thanks for your advice. Will do.  Regards, Sandlapper

[Professor Marvel]

As our good Coffin has remarked, if you find ANY percussion caps, 10, 11, ANY brand,
GRAB them!

One can always "resize" them gently or trade them off for what fits your tubes,
Or even get several different sets of tubes (nipples) and chuck them in a drill and file them down to
Fit what you can get ( ie fit the tubes to the available caps, instead of fitting caps to tubes).

Just be certain to mark each set of six tubes so you know what you have....

Even BP is hard to find, now only available via orders...



Yhs
Prof mumbles

[Crow Choker]

High Fives to Coffinmaker on his post with a few added comments. Most if not all of the aftermarket nipples do well with Rem 10's. They have the proper dimensions to fit over caps, fit snuggly, and have the longest outside petals to fit over the nipples. CCI 11's are next, followed by RWS 1045's. Rem 11's have shorter petals, shorter than Rem 10's, CCI 11's, and the RWS 1045's in that order.

What Rem 11's I have used, and they were holdovers from my percussion TC caplock rifle, the Rem 11's didn't fit as tight and fell off of the nipples more than the others after firing due to having shorter petals not adhering to the nipple. This can be bad if the cap fragments fall into your revolver action. Using the three others I mentioned, they still fit tight enough to stay on the nipples after firing for the most part, just needing a flick with a fingernail to dislodge.

CCI 10's are a tight fitting cap, on most nipples with a few exceptions require hard seating and, in my experience, fail to even seat firmly some on caps, either original or aftermarket. Avoid them if possible. Many have written of this. Too tight of an inside dimension and shorter outside length petals. I have probably 475 of the 500 I bought some years ago before knowing of the dimension of them that I have no use for. I had to use a wooden dowel to seat and gritted my teeth hoping I wouldn't cause them to fire. Wouldn't be a harmonious outcome.

As Coffin suggested, buy when you find, but watch any seller that is really trying to scalp ya. A good posting on this forum can be found on the Darkside section. At the top you'll find the Dark Arts. Click on that, go around 2/3's of the way down and you'll find a thread posted by Mako titled 'Cap Gun Primer: Correct Cone Length' (cone--another word used by some for nipples). Around 4 pages long, Mako gives very good CAD pictures, explanations, and charts of the use of various nipples and percussion cap relationships. There is a very informative chart showing the dimensions of available percussion caps available. This was posted before SlixShots, but Slix's, Treso's, and Track of the Wolf nipples are all pretty much the same in size but differ in material and a few other construction this and that. FWIW, nipples and caps pretty much follow the same sizing requirements and need be the revolver be a Uberti or Pietta. A Ruger Old Army pretty much has its own sizing, but the Rem 10's in my shooting are the best also.

Factory nipples pretty much IMO and experience follow the same cap/nipple relationship as the aftermarkets with a few exceptions. I've found when comparing all of the nipples I've mentioned and brands/sizes of percussion caps Rem #10's are the best followed by CCI 11's, then RWS 1045's. IMO due to the shortage of caps being offered by retail outlets, if ya find some of the three I mentioned as being the best,  invest in more than ya think you'll need, if not you'll be on the search for more after the one or two tins ya buy at the time are shot up. See the Professor chimed in, don't agree with that approach and method, but he is a good guy.

[treebeard]

So what has caused the percussion cap shortage?

[Professor Marvel]

So what has caused the percussion cap shortage?

Oh My that is a topic all by itself.

We can start with the first covid global supply bottleneck of , well, everything!
Any ammunition stuff immediately became unobtainium and materials & labor went to govt contracts first.

Add to that,  the supergiant container ship "Evergreen" blocking the Suez Canal for many weeks. That event alone
Caused a blockeage and delay of almost 400 other ships, which dominoed down the supply chain.

Penultimately, percussion caps are not exactly on the priority list for manufacturors, so .....

During primer shortages, I experimented with modifying percussion caps into low pressure small pistol primers.
Now I have to go the other direction LOL. Or get a Tap-o-Cap ....

One only has to look back at the "Rifleman" articles from 1940-1946 to see that such shortages are not that
Uncommon and we just have to adjust accordingly....

[Coffinmaker]

  Treebeard  [formerly freeboard - thanks OTTO] 

Even though it hasn't garnered much national attention, the CDC is currently investigating a strange new Virus, named "Lak-A-Capa" that has emerged and is currently strangling the supply chain.  Most manufactures have admitted this virus has virtually shut down their Percussion Cap Manufacturing.  Currently, there is no known Vaccine 

Stay Tuna

(I absolutely HATE OTTO)

[DrLogik]

My local gun shop has percussion caps but you're right, the last time I bought them online was mid-November and all the retailers appear to be out of stock now.

[hammerdown]

I am trying to convert to 209 for my pistols have done all my rifles to 209 now working on the pistols more than one way to skin a cat

[Todd Hayseed]

One only has to look back at the "Rifleman" articles from 1940-1946 to see that such shortages are not that Uncommon and we just have to adjust accordingly....

I'm new here - but I'll introduce myself by saying I have not bought either powder or caps since 2018, and I shoot just about every weekend.  I have connections in Hollywood that not only showed me how to make the caps myself but also how to make a black powder substitute that the ATF & DOT does not mind you moving.  Its about 80% the strength of Black Powder but for this I think that may actually be a plus (blanks look and sound the same so nobody cares), and is it does not contain Nitrocellulose it should be OK here.  If you are curious its actually mostly Vitamin C.

I'm guessing most of you are nowhere near Los Angeles (good for you) but if you are I can help you out.  I'm not set up to mail this stuff anywhere though.

[Professor Marvel]

My good todd

Welcome to the show!

Ah the Ascorbic  Acid sub! Aka "golden powder"
There were several commercial versions that seem to have gone under but
It is still being made commercially as APP ( american pioneer powder) and the app version is really good.
It is a flammable solid, just like smokeless powder. Hazmat rules do apply.

If one wishes to DIY there are many formulas shared by the amature fireworks and rocketry people. All of them are classed as "non explosive" by the batf.

here is an Rx ( ancient latin shorthand for formula ) stolen shamelessly from the web

Potassium nitrate 64.3%
Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) 32.1%
Charcoal 1.8%
Iron oxide (red) 1.8%

mix, ball mill and puck it same as True Holy Black.
there is no binder in it so the "wet" method is better
if you don't want to add dextrin.

If you add the Dextrin the power drops to where it basically is the same as BP.

Most of us Ancient Farts have played around with DIY. Some are making and shooting
their own Holy Black , the rest of us have more money (and sense) than time and
Decided to go ahead and buy the stuff.

APP is currently available

Articpa over on the muzzleloader forum posted this back in 2020:

snip——————————-

American Pioneer Powder is now producing powder again after their plant explosion.
The powder with the original APP label is available for purchase from the following; outfits: bulletsbyscarett.com, lg-outdoors.com and wholesalehunter.com.

It's also being sold under the Shooters World label @ grafs.com as Shooters World Multi-Purpose Black FFF Sulfurless Powder.
(This black powder substitute is made in America for Shooters World by American Pioneer Powder).

1. Shooters World Multi-Purpose Black FFF Sulfurless Powder 1 Pound - Graf & Sons

2. [sold by the case]  https://bulletsbyscarlett.com/powder-smokeless-bp-substitute/American-Pioneer-Powder-Black-Powder-SUBSTITUTE-Please-specify-3F-or-2F-and-Select-1-2-or-4-Case-Qty-In-Drop-Down-p582688129

3. Products at LG Outdoors

4. Products at Wholesale Hunter

Endsnip——————————————-

At this moment, only midwest reloads and scarlet let me put it in the cart, the rest say
"Backordered"

I myself am sorly tempted to drop the hammer on a full case from scarlet
12 one pound jars  for $371.28 and "free shipping" !

Crap i sound like an advert....



OH , and it still does not cover the topic of lack of percussion caps....

BTW, if one is desperate enough to try 209 shotshell primers, examine them closely. One can CAREFULLY
Pry the apart and get soemthimg like a large pistol primer out of it...

  but be careful, it can take a chunk of finger off.
Hope this helps
Prof  marvel

[Abilene]

I don't shoot enough BP subs to order a case, but I have added a couple pounds of Shooter's World Multi-Black to my orders from Natchez several times when I was already ordering primers so the shipping and hazmat were already taken care of.  It is $35.49/lb there which is a bit higher than Scarlett but not bad.  Currently in stock btw.