Period Percussion caps?

[1shot]

So here's a question- hope its not been asked on this forum before..

When the percussion fired rifle/musket was born way back when, how did the people of the time make caps? Perhaps a tiny folded piece of tin/cloth surrounding finely ground powder?..
Our #11 caps must be far more reliable in comparison.

1Shot.


P.S. I can get a new Lyman GPR for $419Cdn, is this a good price? Toying with the idea of selling my .50 cal caplock T/C Hawken for a GPR in .54
Thoughts?

Cheers!

 

[mooncoon]

the first caps were actually pellets and caps as we know them took another ten or 15 years to be thought of and developed. As far as I know, caps were always manufactured by industry and rarely if ever made by individual shooters.
There were also little tubes of priming compound that were used in special locks.

cheers mooncoon

 

[Sluice]

That is a good price for a new GPR. Wholesale Sports is selling them for $499 in percussion and there is a used flinter on the EE board for $400.

sluice

 

[tiriaq]

Once percussion caps became the standard method of ignition, they looked pretty much the same as modern ones, and were commercially made, as mooncoon has stated. More recently, a little tool to make your own caps has been marketed - you use your loading press to punch out and form caps from aluminum cans, and cut out and insert the compound from paper cap gun caps. Something to consider with respect to handmade percussion caps, pills, etc. - the fulminate used is extremely dangerous material.

 

[Shrapnel]

I nelive the rolls of paper caps use a chlorate compound, not fulminate... Fulminate would mean free mercury and that would not be too god for childrens! Chlorate compounds are VERY sensitive and dangerous.