Cappers

[BillHansen]

Is anyone aware of any authentication for the use of tear-drop shaped cappers in the Civil War? I have never see examples in cased sets of percussion revolvers from that time period and am wondering how old this technology really is? Ancillery to that question, if not cappers, how did revolver armed soldiers cope with the tiny #10 or 11 sized caps especially when mounted?

 

[hrobalabama]

The cappers were real time savers in loading. The first was for the Colt Patterson and are worth a premium. This one looks like a modern reproduction. But now thaat is just my opinion. Someone may be able to ID it quickly. I have a straight line capper for a reproduction Griswald and Gunnison. The caps for a revolver are small and on some pistols are hard to place on the nipple, especially if you are "all thumbs" like me.

 

[hrobalabama]

The cappers were real time savers in loading. The first was for the Colt Patterson and are worth a premium. This one looks like a modern reproduction. But now thaat is just my opinion. Someone may be able to ID it quickly. I have a straight line capper for a reproduction Griswald and Gunnison. The caps for a revolver are small and on some pistols are hard to place on the nipple, especially if you are "all thumbs" like me.

Oh, and by the way cased seets did not have any kind of "cappers," only a tin of persuasion caps, bullet mould, flask and some had oilers and a box of combustible cartridges.

 

[BillHansen]

Thanks. The picture is of a modern caper. My question was, were these types of capers around in the 1860s and if not, how did mounted troops cope with the tiny caps? Maybe they didn't and waited to reload for a time they could dismount or at least sit still.

 

[Camp Randall Armory]

I've never seen an original capper. Not to say they didn't exist, but I don't think they were terribly common. Reloading a cap and ball revolver is never easy, that's why they had sabers.

 

[DixieRifles]

I would think that most pistols were carried by Officers so they purchased what equipment they needed.

Personally, I prefer a leather capper for the No. 11 size cap.
Here, I'm wearing one around my neck that is cut into the shape of a flower with pedals.