Who makes good 12 GA snap-caps?

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Hey folks,

Looking to get some 12 Gauge snap caps for practicing loading & dry firing.

I have heard horror stories about A-zooms aluminum caps leaving a bunch of stuff inside the action, so I am wondering if anyone can offer personal experience.

Bonus points if you can recommend the place you got your caps if they're uncommon up here.
 
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I never buy snap caps, make your own.
Use a spent case, either cut Off the excess hull or just roll it back in on its self and glue closed, but make sure the hull is now 3.5”, 3”, or 2-3/4” whatever size your going for.
Remove the used primer and insert a pencil eraser, cut to fit, and glue in place.

I do this with rifle cartridges also. The older the eraser the harder the rubber usually is.
 
Buy a box of Fiochi dummy rounds from SJ Hardware if you don't want to make your own.

AZoom are brutal for reloading practice.
 
I had some Pachmyr ones - they were pretty good. I got them at LeBaron, which has long been out of business, but I imagine they can be found elsewhere.

I just did a quick look and it looks like Pachmyr has since merged with AZoom. Though it appears as if the Pachmyr name still exists on their former products, whereas AZoom's stuff exclusively says Azoom.
 
Got a bag of these in 12G from Brownells many years ago.
- added some shots/epoxy in the middle to had some weight. They worked well enough.


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Never really though about replacing the primer on a spent shell with a piece of eraser. I'm sure I have an old Staedtler stick eraser laying around. Will have to give it a try.
 
If you make your own, you will likely have to resize the brass diameter right down to the rim a bit, either by hand with a vice (slowly turning the hull while closing the vice a fraction) or similar, or with a press.
The brass may be a little too expanded depending on what chamber they were fired in.
 
I have 5-6 of the ST action pro dummy rounds, at the time I got them at Reliable Gun and they were $2-3 a piece. They’re bright orange and I filled them with bb’s and sealed the mouth with silicone so they have the weight of a loaded shell, have had them for 6-7 years and they’re going strong.
 
I’ve used some A-zooms for over 20 years and they are still fine….12 ga, 16, 20 & .410. Never had or heard of the “horrors” with them whatever that is?

A friend gave me a shortened empty case for the 28 ga. He had deprimed it and cut a piece of hockey puck rubber and stuck it into the primer pocket. It is working well after 10 months of use.

If you use a fired case from your shotgun they should go back in ok without resizing assuming no extraction issues to start with. Random range pickups might be a problem depending on the chamber of your gun and what the case was fired in.
 
New England Custom Gun in the USA sells good ones. "Shotgun Snap Caps W-101 Price: US $17.50 Aluminum body snap cap with spring loaded nylon primer. Sold individually. "

These actually prevent firing pin damage, unlike the home made or cheap snap caps that use rubber or plastic in place of a primer. If the snap caps are not spring loaded, damage to the firing pin is just as likely after a few snaps as if no shell was in the chamber. During use of the cheap ones, the firing pin dimples the "primer" and after that, they are not effective for cushioning of the firing pin.

Many have posted above about dummy cartridges. Dummy cartridges are NOT usually snap caps. they are meant for proving action function, for load/unload practise, and such. Most will not protect the firing pins, unless also equipped with spring loaded plungers and some durable but not too hard surface for the firing pin to hit.

NECG is the only source I've bought good snap caps from. You can also order good snap caps from England, but I know of no Canadian source of quality snap caps.

I have some clear plastic spring loaded snap caps / action proving dummies marked "Omniaplast" on the base with clear plastic bodies, red internal base and spring loaded plungers that work OK for both purposes for a while, but several had the rims break off after repeated use.
The A-Zoom aluminum action proving dummies I have used all developed craters in the rubber primer pocket and quickly became ineffective as snap caps.
 
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I purchased ones from Beretta that are chrome with spring loaded brass primers and ive had em for probably over 20 years. The only way you can tell theyre not new is the dented brass primer. The chromed bodies or maybe nickel plated bodies are as new the day I bought em.
 
I purchased Tourbon 12G Snap Cap from Amazon and they were crap: not an exact size, short- less then 2", stuck in the barrel a few times. So I returned it.
Then drove to Cabellas and bought A-zoom 12 Ga snap cap. Perfect size, good weight. A few scratches here and there on the rim from the extractor, but overall good.
 
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