Cappers..

[Baldy]

When I first started black powder shooting in 1979, a nearby black powder shop ( now long gone) used to sell these cappers for hunters.  You just pushed the cap on and peeled the holder back to leave it in place.  They seem to be made of a hard rubber.  I lost one but still have the other and it still works well today.  I would just slip a thong with a knot in  the end through one of the holes and hang it from my horn strap.

[Micanopy]

I remember seeing those many years ago. That wouldnt be all that hard to make.

[bull frog]

The rubber capper is much like the leather ones you can make.  Have made several leather ones and used them many times....they work great.  Thought I would upgrade to the Ted Cash brass cappers, several of them.  They are good, (expensive) but look nice and work well enough, but not a lot more efficient to justify the cost if your short of cash.  Have made several (lots) of the little flasks out of the silver table knife handles I removed the solder from, but they work best for flint primers and only so so for caps.  Even tried to improve the cap tins by putting one of those brass buttons that are used on CW flap holsters on the lid (this works very well by the way). But still, you have to deal with trying to get that one little cap out of a bunch of little caps in a small tin with short fat fingers....results are a lot of spilled caps.  Tried the CW period revolver pistole cap pouches, but then again, very difficult to fish those tiny caps out without losing a fair number of them.  One of the last times Dennis and I went shooting, I happened to notice what Dennis was using for a capper.  It was a small plastic container with a domed flip top lid (had candy in it originally).  I laughed openly at him and joked about it....He just looked at me then said, "don't knock it till you try it".  So I did...It was great!!!  It was about 1" diameter x 2.5" tall and the key was the high domed lid.  On the lid was a small flip top that when opened had a small say 1/4" hole that only allowed one cap at a time.  The reason I bring this up is, I am in the process of making one with much the same design.  The domed lid and small hole to let the cap pass only one at a time is important.  It will have a peg type plug though.  I have started this project but as of yet to finish it.  Just an Idea.

[forrest]

       Don't know about no newfangeled caps, what you do when you run out and nerest post is 20 days hard ride through blackfoot teritory and all you have is an expencive club?  Me just find me a good rock and I'm reddy.

      Forrest

[flintboomer]

Of course if your rock falls out and the spare shatters you still have to find a rock that will work, so whether using caps or rocks it is important to have more than enough. The same is true of powder and lead.

The military issued extra caps during the civil war knowing that some would be dropped or misfire, and in the flintlock days or during the civil war you were expected to use your bayonet, not just shoot.

Lets get back to the subject of cappers!

[kybackwoodsman]

honestly although i plan on having me a flint rifle before long, with my caplock im a straight hoarder on caps. walmart having a sale on caps right now dropped em down some to $5 a can of 100. so i already had 2 can at home and picked up 2 more the other day. when i go back on friday/payday ill get me some more.

[NAULTRICK1]

  I hear ya Kentucky, Only got the one caplock (Rose), all the rest are flinters, but got about a thousand caps.      

[Hanshi]

I still have four cap guns; just don't shoot them all that much.  Stashed away are over 1000 #11, 100+ #10 and 100+ musket caps.  The musket caps and #10 caps are remnants from a large stash I compiled over 40 years ago.  The #11s I got within the past year.  I've got a brass capper and a bought rubber capper.  The rubber one works better.  Recently I made two leather cappers, one for #11 and one for musket caps.  They hold 18 and 12 caps, respectively.  I took pics of them and will post them when the card is full.  They don't look all that bad, either - for a change. 

[Otter]

Civil war soldiers kept their caps in a flapped pouch on their belt.Now civilians used a piece of leather with hokes punched in it for the caps.I used a leather capper when i first started muzzleloading,worked pretty well.On Ted Cash's website he talkes about studing origanal brass cappers in a collection and improving the design with his excellant straight brass capper.

The civil war caps were musket caps weren't they? Not the more common #11 caps most of us use. Still in all the civil war soldiers did use a belt pouch.

[Hanshi]

Yeah, musket caps for the Great War.  I had a Zouave back then and used them for that but my military arm of choice now is a US M1841 rifle in .54.  Musket caps, of course, are easier to handle due to the flanges and larger size of the cap.

[Linc]

OK. I have a question. Is a #10 cap bigger or smaller than the #11's?

[Hanshi]

Smaller.  It also may depend on the brand as some #10s & #11s are a bit bigger than others.

[Bear Medicine]

I've still got a cap gun.  I call it my "shootin' in the rain" gun.

[Hanshi]

I hear ya'!

[Huntin_Dawg1215]

BACK IN THE 1800'S I CAN'T REMEBER WHAT WE USED IT HAS BEEN SO LONG AGO - BUT TODAY I USE A COMBINATION OF BRASS AND PLASTIC INLINE CAPPERS AND RUBBER ROUND ONE, MADE A LEATHER WITH SIX HOLES IN IT FOR THE CAPS, BUT LOST IT IN THE WOODS HUNTIN I STILL LOOK FOR IT WHEN I AM IN THAT AREA. THEY ALL WORK GOOD I THINK. I JUST LIKE HAVING FUN.