Wingless RWS Musket Caps/CCI 4 Wing Reenactor Caps

**Wayne M Clark** · 04-05-2009

Anyone using the new RWS Wingless Musket Caps? If so, how do they compare to the 4 wing German RWS.
Thanks,
W. Clark

**Bob Seng, 10979** · 04-05-2009

Wayne,

John Hakes has used them for couple of years and has no major problem, they are just as hot as the winged caps and of course cost less.
They seem to blow off completely but you get the rare occasional on that wants to stick,since without the wings the take some smarts to off quick.

I'd use them when I run out off my winged ones cause of the price difference,

**tonyb** · 04-06-2009

I think they took the wings off so they wouldn't fly off the nipple.

**John Holland** · 04-06-2009

tonyb,

Having been involved in the metal stamping industry most of my life, I rather doubt that the "wings" were removed for any reason other than economics. The forming dies are cheaper because there is no "flanging operation", and more importantly the cost of the material is substantially reduced by eliminating the "wings". A quick estimate is 4 "wingless" caps produced for every 3 "winged" caps. Multiply that by millions and that is what the "bean counters" are interested in. Cost Analysis doesn't care if you can get the cap off the cone, or not.

Just my 2 cents.

JDH
Retired Tool & Die Maker

**Edwin Flint, 8427** · 04-06-2009

With the cost of base metals up like they were last year, Mfgs were looking at cost cutting ways. No wings, less material, less cost. You couldn't leave copper around on a job site without it getting stolen or ripped out before you finish.

Copper is now a third of what it was and zinc half. Maybe the next batch of caps will be lower in cost. :roll: :?

**FlinchJerk** · 04-06-2009

A few years back a shooter friend pointed out that the wingless caps threw much more fire than the winged ones. Having some ignition problems with an original Sharps carbine, I tried some wingless caps and the fail-to-ignite rate fell off to almost nothing. The flame travel distance in a Sharps (top of cone to orifice of the breech block cone) is 1.75 inches! Plus, the wingless caps were considerably less expensive at the time. Later, all caps seemed to cost the same.

The only drawbacks I noticed for wingless are 1.) They are trickier to fish out of a cap box, with no wings to assist handling ; 2.) Sometimes they get stuck together when the slits on the open end of one cap slide into the
corresponding slits on another one, needing two sets of fingers to pull apart. It can take a few extra seconds to react to the problem and secure a problem-free cap; 3.) When wingless caps get mixed with winged caps, the wingless will often slip top-first up into the winged caps, costing time like in problem #2.

So be careful not to mix cap types and take the time to check for stuck-together wingless in the cap box before going to the line.

I have not noticed that the wingless fragment much differently that the winged caps.....

Sincerely,
Dean Nelson
1st MD Infantry, CSA, N-SSA

**Minieball577** · 04-06-2009

I agree with every problem noted by Mr. Nelson. However, with the cost savings and the fact that these are the only caps I can easily get onto my 1855 Rifle musket (which seems to have an extrememly close fitting nipple/lock area) the caps seem to work well. I have never had ignition problems with them.