Opinions wanted on #11 caps

[JasonB]

Muzzle loading season is over for me for this year, but in playing around with my muzzle loader(Traditions side hammer) type I have become less than enthused with the #11 caps I have been using for different reasons. So far Remington caps give fast ignition with not a lot of sparks which makes for accurate shooting, but I am finding at least 1 or 2 out of every 10 are totally inert. The other extreme is RWS that do go bang every time in a BIG way which is good, but the RWS showers me with sparks(which makes it really hard to remain focused on the front sight) and amazingly enough seem to take longer between the time the hammer falls and the powder lights which makes no sense to me. Anyone else have any faves or would I be better switching to musket caps?

Thanks,
Jason

[bykerhd]

For amount of spark produced, the musket caps are supposed to be many times better than the #11 caps. Of course, you will then have to start trying different brands again for the best spark and reliability. As you have already discovered, there are differences. I've had a lot of dud .22 rimfire ammo from Remington. Kind of think they have some kind of production issues going on with some of their ammo and now sounds like caps too.

[JasonB]

Originally posted by bykerhd
For amount of spark produced, the musket caps are supposed to be many times better than the #11 caps. Of course, you will then have to start trying different brands again for the best spark and reliability. As you have already discovered, there are differences. I've had a lot of dud .22 rimfire ammo from Remington. Kind of think they have some kind of production issues going on with some of their ammo and now sounds like caps too.

Yeah the first squib I ever saw was with a friend shooting Remington yellow jackets in a revolver, fortunately on the last shot of the day. Got home to clean and the rod stopped mid-barrel:)

[shortround]

Try some caps made by CCI. They make a No. 11 and also a No. 11"M" which is a magnum style cap.

[georgestrings]

I'm currently using CCI #11 magnum caps on a Traditions Deerhunter Lightweight, and RWS musket caps on a Remington 700ML(inline)... Both are .50cal, shooting sabotted bullets, and Goex FFG - 90 and 100gr, respectively... I have killed 1 deer with the Traditions, and 3 with the Remington - and have yet to have any ignition problems in either - and the Remington has been in some of the worst weather you could probably imagine.... I DID get a bad batch of CCI musket caps once - hence the switch to the RWSs - and have been fine ever since....

Also, another worthy addition for your type of set up are these little plastic sleeves that slide over the cap and nipple - they're not very expensive, and do a nice job of keeping the cap on the nipple, and sealing it off...


- georgestrings

[TheOtherBill]

I had a Traditions Shenandoah that had inconsistant ignition. I swithed to the "Hot shot" nipple and those problems ended. I use the CCI #11 magnum.
That rifle is gone now but i still use the CCI in all my guns. They work great.

Maybe the flash channel is polluted. Snap a couple of caps on an empty gun. Then wrap a clean/dry patch around the cleaning jag and run that down the bore. MAKE SURE THE RIFLE IS COMPLETELY UNLOADED! Snap one more cap and then pull out and look at the patch. It should have even burn marks all around it. Be very careful when you do this otherwise you will lose your ram rod down range! AMHIK
When i'm at the range, I clean the bore every so often. I use a wet patch followed by a dry patch, then snap a couple of caps to clean out the flash channell. Its cheap insurance and i have good lock time and reliable ignition.
YMMV.

[cliffy109]

I use the CCI caps in my T/C inline and have had no problems at all. They are reliable and consistent, even in bad weather.

[idsubgun]

Something else to consider. Cleaning your blackpowder firearms with any petroleum based products promotes sooting, and sooting has a way of causing inconsistent ignitions. In other words keep the Hoppe's and gun oil away from it.

Wash the firearm with hot, and I mean HOT, soapy water. Blow it dry and use T/C's Bore Butter or other natural lube. Use natural lube on your bullets as well. I use Buffalo bullets and they come with natural lube on them. Then use T/C's solvent for natural lubes.

I hunted with a muzzleloader for years, starting in the early '80's, during a late Elk season. It was in November and if you've been in the Idaho mountains in November, you'd know how wet it can get. Trying to keep my stuff dry and have my boomstick go boom everytime caused more then one headache. Then add the bad ignition, no ignition or hangfire and it took a lot of the fun out of hunting. When I switched to all natural lube, I've never had another hangfire or misfire.
I also use a small brass cover on my nipple to keep the moisture off the cap. I use Hot Shot nipples that I cut a groove into for an o-ring and the brass cover slips over that. I let the hammer down on the cover and it holds it in place. When I need to fire my rifle, I cock it, grab the cover and drop it as it has a leather throng tied to it and my triggerguard.

BTW, I hunt with a .54 T/C Hawken 'cause I think muzzleloading should be traditional. I've also had better luck with Remington then CCI. I have RWS as well. Try a Hot Shot nipple as well.

[JasonB]

Thanks for the tips and I do use Bore Butter when shooting, although I think I will switch to Ballistol for storage as I had considerable rusting over a few months of storage despite the rifle being cleaned well and smeared with a thick layer of Bore Butter. I will give the CCI's a try since I have had good luck with their centerfire primers in reloading. The here and there ignition is definitely not related to cleaning as I get the same results from the start or a several rounds downrange. The RWS slower ignition time is baffling as they are undoubtedly hotter(they also have a tendency to fireform themselves to the inside of the hammer which is always fun to pick loose.)

[idsubgun]

Yeah, you'll get rusting if you live in a wet/humid area when left with just Bore Butter. It's fairly dry out here and my rifle sat for about 3 years before I noticed some small speckling in the bore.

Just remember, seasoning with Bore Butter is the same as seasoning a cast iron skillet. Once you apply anything not natural, you have to do the hot soapy water stuff again and re-season it. Just like if you put the seasoned cast iron skillet in a dishwasher, you'd have to re-season it for things not to stick.

[Eagle59]

I come late to this discussion but I'll put in another vote for musket caps. Not only are they hotter, they are physically larger than #11 caps.

Consider the time of year when ML season is open in Michigan. It's cold out there! Musket caps are much easier to handle than tiny little #11 caps when your fingers are cold and you have to reload quickly. (ask me how I know!)

I converted a CVA .50 kit gun to musket caps and opened the nipple one wire-size drill bit bigger that stock. It has worked well for me.