back yard range

[West Texan]

Spent some time in the back yard range with my wife Deborah. and her new left hand .50 made by Mike Lange. It is light enough for her to handle. We shot at 25 yard target. I used TC hawken. both are .50. Thanks Mike well done. The target on the left is her's mine is to the right. Both of us used 40 gr of FFG. and percussion rifles. I found at a local thrift store toy ring caps 200 for a dollar. We used these for most of the shooting saving my expensive #11caps. only had two or three failure to fire of the 16 we used. I will continue to use these as needed. It was a surprise at how well these worked. Though they fit very tight and had a two plastic divots in the nipple, but mostly no problem. http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb108/RickFoster/2012-09-22190149_zpsd37b4936.jpg

[Blackfeet]

Very interesting. I had heard of using the caps. It would be good as a training devise when 'most' go off. This teaches follow through.

[West Texan]

These are our rifles. All of the ring caps went off only three times did they not fire the rifle. That was toward the end of the session. I did not have a failure in my Hawken. To my surprise these "toy" caps functioned well. I would not use them in the field or a contest, but will not hesitate to use them in back yard practice, where a few failures does not matter. I have similar failure with #11 caps. The practical problem seems to be the very poor fit which i can tolerate. The last #11 cost nearly $6.00 for 100. That will pay for 1,152 ring caps. I could have a backup nipple file to fit those little caps.  I am going to stock up on the ring caps. However my post was to be about my wife new left handed rifle which she loves.

[pilgrim]

      decided to search where to get the ring caps,


     http://www.cvs.com/shop/product-detail/Super-Bang-Ring-Caps?skuId=121113

     http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/imperial-legends-of-the-wild-west-8-shot-ring-caps/ID=prod5638203-product

     and I thought drug stores sold Rx.   could have fooled me.

[West Texan]

I found some German made roll caps but have not figures how to use them in Muzzle loading.  1000 for a 1.50. You can't get tap-o-cap. I am looking for a re-useable copper,or brass cup to,test them. That would be lots of work!!!!! For limited return.

[flintboomer]

I used to make Tap o Caps and still have the system, but picked up 50,000 CCI for .97 per hundred a few years ago and still have 6,000. I will hate paying the price for a fresh supply when I run out.

[Blackfeet]

You shot only 44,000 shots in a few years? No wonder you are such a good shot!

[West Texan]

With#11 caps twice the price of rifle primers I am doing any bargain shooting I can. Those plastic ring caps are appealing for the price and seem to work. Our shooting was about $0.10 a round. We shot 20 rounds for $2.00 and a couple dollars for patches , cleaning patches, lead round balls, and a few #11 caps. That makes $5.00 for an afternoon of shooting.

[Blackfeet]

Now all you need to do is cut your own patches and make a bullet trap to reuse your lead and you can cut that price in half again.

[West Texan]

I' m working on that . I can recycle the lead and have patch material from fabric store. I cast the balls from lead given to me.  The more you can do yourself the better.

[Blackfeet]

Amen to that

[Red Badger]

Wish I could use plastic caps on "Patience" that would help cut the cost..... OH wait, she's a flinter so I can use rock from the bottom of the hill .....   

[West Texan]

No doubt that flint is the way to go. The most self sufficient fire arm ever made.   I started this thread to praise Mongrol for the fine left hand rife he built that my wife treasures.

[mongrel]

Mongrel has been amply well-thanked and much appreciates it -- by all means carry on with the cap discussion. If those ring caps work that's a far more valuable topic than causing my head to swell any more than it normally does.

I'm delighted that your wife is happy. I've sold a few guns (only a few, though) to people who have never offered any form of feedback. It's not that my vanity needs the boost, it's that when I never hear another word from someone I have to wonder if in some sense they're unhappy with what they got. Obviously this is not the case with you and your wife, and I'm very glad of that.

[West Texan]

As to the toy ring caps!  I tested these thinking they would be under powered. I thought that the path to the chamber needed to be short. But no worry the ring caps had no failures on my TC , and only one on my wife's drum percussion. I am going back to get $10. Worth that's 960. I have had all sorts of #11 caps fail at some time probably due to fauled or dirty flash path. I guess there are big variations in quality. These are Chinese but work. I would have been satisfied for a 1/3 effectiveness from toy caps. I have to drive 100 miles for percussion caps or mail order. These had 90%+. The next batch may not. After all this is muzzleloading on the cheap.