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homemade snap caps

bwa
Ran across a website recently on which a fellow was saying you could make suitable snap caps by filling the primer pockets of worn out brass with RTV sealant, wiping it flush with the case head, and letting it dry. Sounded to me like an ingenious way of saving a little money, but I thought I would solicit opinion from the GB experts before doing it. Comment, anyone?
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Comments

16 comments

Date Votes
  • bwa
    (Forgot to mention: For those who are unfamiliar with RTV, it is an automotive sealant whose surface becomes tough and rubbery when dry and exposed to open air.)
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  • Shootist3006
    I have tried it in the past - didn't like the result. RTV dries too soft and wears away quickly. A better expedient would be to take an eraser from a mechanical pencil (use one just about the same diameter as a primer) and epoxy it in the primer pocket (after cutting it to length). Works fairly well but will degrade over time.

    Quod principi placuit legis habet vigorem.Semper Fidelis
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  • He Dog
    I just buy them. I store all my rifles with snap caps in, and let the spring in the snap cap support the pin rather than leave the rifle cocked or dry fire to release. Even at $5 apiece, it is better than wasting 30 minutes of my time to make homemade snap caps.

    A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand
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  • Zwickeyman
    I have made these with windshield eurathane sealant works great sorry bout the spelling.
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  • v35
    Haven't done it yet but Shoe Goop polyurethane dries harder than Silicone. It's tough and adherent.
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  • Iconoclast
    Unless you are going to do dry firing practice w/ a handgun, all the home-made alternatives will do just fine. I use the real thing for dry firing, though. And I agree with He Dog, for the $2 or so one pays for the things, why bother to spend the time to make an inferior product? It makes sense, I have done it, for some 'exotic' calibers - I've made them up in .40-82, .33 WCF & several metric types over the years.
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  • bwa
    He Dog & Iconoclast:

    In my financial/employment situation it makes a great deal of sense to make snap caps rather than buy them, if it's possible to make good ones. Examining the alternatives in order to save is something I always have to do.


    Zwickeyman and v35:

    Could you tell me where I could find these products?
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  • Iconoclast
    bwa, you should be able to find "Shoe Goop" or a similar product in most any store that carries athletic shoes (known in pre-1980 terms as sneakers!) - I've bought it twice for my kids. I'd call around to auto parts / glass replacement outfits for the other stuff; you might even be able to scrounge a small amount for free from the latter. I used the "instant handles" dipping stuff for the ones I made; this is the plastic material one can buy to make / repair / replace the plastic coated handles on hand tools. Think I found that in an auto parts place, also. Make sure the pocket is pristine clean or these things will not bond to the metal. I also used a dental pick to scratch some longitudinal lines in the wall of the pocket to enhance retention mechanically.
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  • bwa
    Thanks, Iconoclast, for the tips!
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  • v35
    ShoeGoop is also sold in hardware stores. It's icky gooey stuff to handle but great for it's intended purpose.
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  • Alpine
    I just finished making a few 12 gauge snap caps out of a scrap piece of 6061 1" Alum solid round. I cut in an o ring groove (dash #114)near the end and drilled and tapped the end 8mm X 1.0 (to thread in a oil coated cotton swab). For the firing pin to strike / rest on, I used a piece of 8 mm nylon rod, pressed into place. The nylon rod has the about the same durometer as the primers, and is self healing.
    Hey if you think that is over kill, you should see some of my other projects.

    "If you ain't got pictures, I wasn't there."

    Edited by - Alpine on 09/04/2002 20:13:26
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  • v35
    I don't know about self healing nylon rod for anything but a light hammer strike. My money is on shoegoop polyurethane till some results come in.
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  • bwa
    Wow, Alpine -you're a man after my own heart. We probably should avoid working together, though; we might drive each other bananas with all our wonderful engineering ideas.
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  • Alpine
    V35: Durometer testers don't lie!

    "If you ain't got pictures, I wasn't there."
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  • bwa
    Alpine: I had thought of nylon earlier, knowing it to be pretty tough stuff, but I didn't know if it was made in rod form. In the event I would want to try it, where could I obtain some?
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  • Iconoclast
    bwa, former employer used a lot of this material - from industrial suppliers, I'm sure. There's a massive listing of such suppliers most purchasing departments keep on the shelf. Cannot remember the name of it at the moment, but will try to find out for you. I'm sure that will be on line these days, although perhaps not accessible w/o fee.
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