This article and video are part a new Black Powder Project here at GunsAmerica.
I met a drop dead genius at SHOT Show of 2017 and interviewed him. He had developed a simple system to reload your .22 LR cartridges, and had even built the molds and all the tools you need, from scratch. This wasn’t some Kickstarter idea. Had had created working kits, and they had been out in the market for some time, unbeknownst to me and pretty much everyone else.
Besides the .22 reloader, this guy Brian had invented a reloading system for Berdan primed brass, and a system to make your own #11 percussion caps. He gave me some samples, but they got thrown in a pile somewhere and I never got around to trying them. We were already headed into year two of the Trump slump in the gun industry, and nobody cared about reloading .22s and Berdan primed brass, or making caps.
Fast forward to 2021, when ammo is scarce, and when you can find it, is three times the normal price. Likewise percussion caps. You now see them around, but at 10 cents a cap, not 3 – 4 cents that they have been historically in years past.
Now, who the heck wouldn’t want to make their own percussion caps?
The premise is to use an aluminum can as the shell material for the cap, and fill the cap with a chemical mixture that makes it go boom.
To make the shell, they provide a die that you slide in the can material, and whack it with a mallet. The cap falls out into your hand.
Then you follow a recipe of 4 powders, using two small scoops sizes. The powders and scoops are called Prime All, and they are used for the rim of rimfire cartridges, as well as these #11 caps.
After you fill your caps with the grey mixture of powders, you drip a drop of acetone or rubbing alchohol to make like a grey mud, then you use a matchstick end to cram it down into the cap.
A day later, you have working percussion caps. And yes, they work awesome. This kit is a nobrainer.
Order it at 22LRReloader.com. $49.95
Does the #11 percussion cap maker kit come with the prime all compound powders?
I recently purchased a #11 Percussion Cap Maker from Sharpshooter 22LR Reloader along with Prime-All Repriming Compound. The cap maker does not come with the the repriming compound. Both come with easy to follow directions for use.
You have to be careful with the type of aluminum can material you use. You can’t use pet food cans because the metal is too thick.
I have a Traditions 1860 Army .44 cal revolver. I have not yet been able to shoot it due to the lack of caps. From what I have learned, I need Remington #10 size caps or equivalent. I was looking at buying the #11 dye press. However, I see they had a #10 dye press. Which should I get????
It depends on what kind of cones and what cap production method you are using. I have an 1851 Navy with SlixShot cones. The #10 kit produces caps that fit on the SlixShot cones tightly. You won’t be able to put much material inside the caps though.
Absolute madness. I love it! Using empty soda cans for the caps is elegant and I like the style.
Been shooting sidelocks for over 50 years and had shot competition for 20 of them. many shooters that I shot against had done this idea and many of them used the paper match heads for a powder mix. the would use 3 paper match heads in it and pack them down into the cap with wood matches. they sot many that way. I never did them as the were a cost of less than 2 dollars for a tin. haven’t bought any lately because I always have lots on hand. you just have to keep them dry.
Im getting this kit. Because- well just friggen because OK?
what trump-slump?? where do you get your news?
What ass did you pull your head out of to see if it was light out yet? During the Trump presidency dozens of gun companies went out of business because of low demand. The dumbass white people thought they were going to actually win.
It does work with an efficiency of around 85% if you are ok with that. The stuff is also corrosive so you will need water to clean the guns after. Just wait out the drought.
I’m not a black powder shooter, so ignorant of commercial caps. Any reason you can’t take a used cap and use this method to “reload” it? Do the caps get destroyed when in use?
Yes, they get smashed and split apart.
He also has everything you need for Berdan primer seats, when converting Berdan primed to Boxer primed.
Then comes the Prime All . . . not only can you use it for priming recycled .22’s, but also for recycling rifle and pistol primers. Yeah, it’s going to be a long day recycling those primers, but primers are still very hard to come buy (if you can find them at all). I haven’t run out of new primers yet, but I have enough Prime All for if I end up in dire need of primers.
You will not be able to recycle rifle and pistol primers. The Berdan system uses a ring to encapsulate a standard size primer.
I’d love to find out what those ingredients are. Does anyone know?
I’m still trying to figure out the 11 herbs and spices Kentucky Fried Chicken uses. Don’t confuse me. LOL.
Solid Idea, however aren’t most Italians #10?
As in, every one I own.
It is actually really confusing, because as I demonstrated in my prior videos, a CCI #10 does not generally fire the first time on the Italian nipples. The #11 is also different among different manufacturers, and the most prevalent cap out there, the RWS, is a 1075, which means what? 10 and three quarters? I have had a few #11s over the years that have had to be pinched to reliably stay on an Italian pistol.
But as I showed in the video, these caps go on and stay on an Italian gun perfectly. And they fire the first time.
Yea, getting #11’s to stay on is tuff. I thought about trying different nipples.
The best I’ve ever found were Dynamit Nobel No. 1075. Great fit on Italian nipples. From Germany.
Great articles. I like your style