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Posted by SimonG
on 1/17/2009, 10:53 pm, in reply to "How to make caps for muzzleloaders"
72.92.132.162
Hi Bill,
Yes you can make caps, there used to be a punch available that would turn thin sheeting into a cap, empty of course, and then you simply put a kids type paper cap gun cap in the empty cap. I tried it using ones off the red paper capgun rolls, it took two or three to make the gun roar, but it worked....finally
It was available and discussed years ago, back in the 70's when Jeremiah Johnson movie had everyone all fired up on muzzleloading, mainly places like "The Backwoodsman magazine" had things like that advertised and articles on them.
the flint lock is the way to go, I am a RABID flintlock shooter and builder, I hunt everything there is to hunt with flintlocks and so do my buddies, from starlings and ducks to crows and moose pronghorn to coyotes and all in between, but the flintlock is not a great choice for a survival gun....to be honest....compared with todays modern options.
In one pocket of my coat I can carry 550 rounds of 22 long rifle ammo, total cost about $15, a hammergun, like a savage 22/410 or any 22 with flat springs is hard to beat as a long term gun, flat springs are cheap and one lasts for decades, cost of keeping parts to keep a gun like that running for 40 years would be about $20 for life.
in reality based on the take of meat off my traplines over the years I would say learn to make and use snares for small game if it is a survival idea you are pursuing. a trapper in NW canada snares over 5,000 squirrels a season. that's a helluva lot of meat.
While we always picture a Mountain Man with his flintlock rifle in hand in reality they shot very little.
Ammo and parts were hard to get and EXPENSIVE, the gun was a tool they used, nothing more.
If you look at the sales books for what most Mtn Men bought they did not shoot very much over the whole year, many used bows and arrows to make their supplies last longer.
I hope this helps, maybe we will do an article on making caps over on http://flinterhunting.proboards.com/index.cgi
I bet others are wondering about making caps like you are!
Simon G
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