CCI's New "Re-Enactment Caps"

[Southron Sr.]

As we (my son and I) were heading to the Skirmish at Statesville, N.C. this past Friday we stopped by our local Shooting Emporium to pick up some musket caps, because our cap supply was beginning to run low.

They sold us some of those new CCI's "Re-Enactment" Musket Caps [Sure enough it even says "Re-
Enactment Caps" on the label!]

I actually tried some of those muskets caps and here is my "user report:"

1. They are almost as strong as those roll caps I used to shoot in my Roy Rogers six-shooter, cap gun, when I was in the 1st Grade.
2. The Re-Enactors will probably be disappointed in them because they will produce a lot of miss-fires because they are so weak.
3.I made the mistake of trying them on my Pedersoli Sharps-OOPS! It took busting 5 caps before I got the carbine to discharge one time.

Does anyone else have any experience with those "Re-Enactor Caps?" Please let us know what you think of them.

THANKS IN ADVANCE

[Eggman]

Isn't that the normal number of caps to get a Sharps to go off????

[Mike w/ 34th]

The old CCI caps were so hot they'd blow shrapnel off the cap when struck (I've drawn blood from a teammate when shooting my Gallager). Sounds like they went completely the other way. Maybe they're confusing "reenactors" with "theatrical production"?

Can you even get the old CCI caps now? I used to get mine at WalMart, and they haven't carried them for two or three years.

-Michael

[Southron Sr.]

Here are the TWO RULES OF LIFE REGARDING MUSKET CAPS:

1. ALWAYS SEAT CAP FULLY DOWN ON THE NIPPLE.

2. WHEN YOUR MUSKET CAPS START TO "FRAG," IT IS TIME TO REPLACE THAT NIPPLE BECAUSE IT IS WORN OUT. (I inspect and always replace my worn nipples BEFORE my caps start to "frag.")

Following those two rules I have never had a CCI Musket Cap "frag" on me over the many, many years I have been shooting their "Hot" Musket Caps.

Having been a Re-Enactor in years past, my theory is that the "Hot" CCI musket caps were banned from re-enactments because some re-enactors neglected to change out their nipples when they wore out. These worn nipples caused muskets to "frag."

Also, some Re-enactors do not use hearing protection and the claim that the "Hot" CCI musket caps were too "loud" was another complaint from some in the Re-enactment community.

I have heard the rumor that CCI has discontinued their "Hot" six wing Musket Caps, CAN ANYONE CONFIRM THAT RUMOR?

THANKS!

I guess that CCI listened to their product liability lawyers and then came out with their "weak as water" caps.

[Michael T.]

I recently contacted CCI and they sighted a safety concern... Re-enactors do not wear safety glasses and apparently they buy more caps than Skirmishers do, so they are catering to them. I expressed a need for Skirmishers and they told me they had received little negative feed-back. I will repost the email address Mike

[Eggman]

How about this. Last fall I had a talk with Heidi Forgett's daughter (I thought it was Heidi -- my how time flies) at the Navy Arms booth. I suggested they put their musket caps back into production - noted how we used to buy them by the case. She seemed receptive. How about the N-SSA board or somebody buy a million and get this source up and running again. We do it with target material right?

[R. McAuley 3014V]

Here may be the "clarification" you wanted: the new CCI 0301 musket caps are "just for the reenactors" and are not intended for skirmishers. The response noted below is from a product review on the Cabelas' website as well as a similar one posted at Dixie Gun Works. I suspect the CCI/Speer Sr. Technical Coordinator doesn't know the difference between a CCI 0300 4-wing musket cap and a CCI 300 Large Pistol primer, hence their rather confusing advice "to change nipples and go to a #11 Mag cap." Go figure? Not sure of their logic concerning how "the priming mix has been reduced so as to not have the cap fail when the nipple becomes plugged" works? I wonder where CCI is hiring their rocket scientists these days?

RESPONSE: the old cap (#300) had a dual purpose, large quantity of powder ignition and reenactors using them in mock skirmishes. The new 301's are just for the reenactors as the priming mix has been reduced so as to not have the cap fail when the nipple becomes plugged. You're probably going to have to change nipples and go to a # 11 Mag cap. Shoot Straight!
CCI/Speer Sr. Technical Coordinator

http://www.cabelas.com/powder-caps-wing ... erralID=NA

http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_re ... 0d8aa027ef

http://www.cci-ammunition.com/products/ ... aspx?id=28

[Lou Lou Lou]

He sent me the same reply. He did not agree with my assessment of the potential cap market. That raises a question.
How many caps a year do you use? I estimate 2,000 for skirmishes and another 2,000 for practicing all year.
With 3,000 memebrs that could equate to 12 million caps. Not a big enough market

[Southron Sr.]

I also sent them an e-mail. IN my estimation, when hunting season rolls around there are going to be a lot of unhappy hunters that lost a deer because their rifle misfired using those "Re-enactment Caps."

Then the next group to cry and moan will be the Re-enactors. I have a feeling that their muskets misfires are going to skyrocket!

YA! Frum Now Oon, Ve only vuy the Jerman Moosket capzs!!!

[Blair]

A sizeable number of reenacters advocate drilling out the nipple touch hole to help reduce miss fires in the M-1855, Richmond and M-1861 type bolsters. They even suggest enlarging the vent hole into the chamber.
Where as a good cleaning, something other than the period arms Manuals method for "field" cleaning their firearms would help. Especially when that is the only method some of them have ever used to clean their firearms.
Kind of scary ain't it?
Blair