The Age of “8 Round”, “12 Round” & “Single Shot” Caps
What you need to know!
Just when folks thought ‘Cap Gun’ popularity had diminished to “collector Displays” or for those few among us who remain trapped in the 50s or 60s, along Came Parris Manufacturing of Savanna, Tennessee and a Toy Manufacturer in Castalla, Spain that operates internationally and goes by Gonher SA.
Together, they changed everything ‘Cap Gun’ related. Some say the marketplace is “back to the way it was”—without doubt a result of their new and improved Cap Guns & Replicas.
Both companies have worked in unison for the past several years toward reinventing the traditional Cap Gun; ranging from the Semi-automatic Pistol to the classic Double Barreled Shot Gun.
A juvenile response to the “enlightened” few who are absolutely sure Cap Guns are the devil’s gateway to mayhem and destruction could be: “Cap Guns don’t make loud noises & fill confined spaces with smoke! Caps do!” (weak, yet, technically, a true statement, don’t you think?)
Perhaps that ongoing controversy is why sooo very few Cap Gun Dealers choose to offer Caps as a part of their “Product Line”.
Trouble is, there are dozens of Retailers that choose to fill that void with cheap, defective and inferior 8 Ring, 12 Ring, and Single Shot (aka, “Pull offs”) Caps. Such deficiencies range from detonated Cap debris preventing the gun’s proper chamber rotation on a typical Ring Cap Gun’s sequence to a Cap that’s devoid of detonating material — resulting in a “misfire”.
Market Evidence implies the continued presence of such inferior products is a result of the “scarcity” of known quality brands and the lure of Caps priced at a penny or less per Cap. Here, the old adage, “if the price sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” typically applies to purchasing reliable caps. A sensible approach to such purchases should consider: “Do Caps priced at less than a penny, and fire once in five attempts, constitute a savings?”
Cap Gun Ammo—Some Absolutely Free, Basic Info!
First, in July of 2008, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, forever the “busy Body”, banned toy caps producing peak sound levels at or above 138 decibels. Sooo, caps you may expect to go Bang-Bang and bellow smoke now ‘pop’ at a lower sound level, and the smoke yield, I’m told is anemic if compared to that in the “vintage” era of the Cap Gun (prior to 2008). Yet, outdoor play with cap guns, continues to stimulate a child’s imagination, promotes exercise and is wholesome fun!
Just so you’ll have some comparative knowledge in regard to just how loud 138 decibels might be, your welcome to review the chart below:
Interesting, huh! Anyway, to my surprise, I was unable to locate a Website that offered reasonably priced good quality ‘Ring’ and or ‘Pull-off Single’ Caps with an Affiliate Program. Still, for your convenience, a little further below, I have listed a few Websites that do offer Cap Gun Ammunition at fair & sensible prices 🙂
But, before you rush to purchase, keep in Mind that:
. . . You can clip /cut ‘8-ring caps’ apart for use in a single shot cap gun or cut several 8-Ring Caps in half, then use three “halves” to “build” the ammo for ‘12-Ring’ Cap Guns!
This is important because, ‘8-Ring’ Caps typically cost less per ‘Cap’ than ‘12-Ring Caps’ and or ‘Single Shot’ Caps!
Purchase Option I:
The Folks at “Eat Play Happy” will cheerfully fix you up with Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans, (they’re called “Happy Bites”), Sweet Roots Gourmet Licorice in six tasty flavors and “Big Pop” brand, 8-Shot Ring Caps from their limited Toy Department!
Click either of the two Image Links on the right for more details. Cost per cap ranges from 1.4 Cents to 2.3 Cents each — price dependent upon purchase volume!
With 108, Five Star Reviews out of 121 given by customers, I’m among those who would say, Big Pop Caps, no matter the source, are a good brand to buy! 🙂
Purchase Option II:
Walmart.com’s generic brand of 8-Ring Caps (Click Left Image-Link) | Product Received 4.1 Stars out of fifty－5 Star Rated Customer Reviews; one customer described the Caps as working 80% to 90% of the time | 12 Card/pk with 8-Shot Ring Caps (864 Shots total) | As of 12-14-2024, if Sales tax total is 6%, cost = 1.6 Cents per Cap
Conclusion, Walmart’s generic brand is a good buy, but, I’d prefer the Big Pop brand 🙂
On-the-other-hand, do you have a “Dollar Tree Store” near you? If so, as of 12-06-2023, you could purchase a case of 48 packs of 8 Ring Caps like those showcased in the Image-Link below for 1.3 Cents per Cap (that’s 4,608 shots for less than 65 Dollars with State and Local Sales Taxes at 6% included). The catch: In-store pickup is mandatory—they obviously were sure if they got you in their Brick & Mortar Store, you’d buy something else—which sounds like an excellent strategy!
What a difference a year makes. Apparently, both Dollar Tree and Family Dollar Stores now sell Super Bang brand Cap Rings! Family Dollar only sells in-store and I found at least 2 Dollar Tree Stores that were out of stock though each site implied Ring Caps were sold on-line and in-store. However, Pop Top Toys, located in College Park, Georgia who has an on-line store, has the following notice Posted in regard to the Big Pop Cap Brand: “We do not recommend these caps with the ‘Parris’ [brand] Manufactured cap guns”. Perhaps that explains why ‘my’ local store’s Super Bang Cap customer ratings stood at 9 one Star and 8 five star ratings as of 12-14-2024.
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Overall, the best Ring Cap brand is typically said to be the “Cowboy Collection” brand, a Parris Manufacturing Company Product which can generally be found by Clicking the Image-Link below:
The showcased ETSY Store Front (Image-Link on left) carries the “Cowboy Collection” brand (including the hard to find 12 Ring Caps) but at 18.6 Cents a cap 🙁 → However, they do offer various other Brands at a more reasonable price.
Another thing you may want to know: Remember that 2008 Consumer Product Safety Commission ban on toy caps producing loud Bang-Bang sounds and excessive smoke levels.
Believe it or not, there are still a few of those “pre-law” caps (manufactured prior to July of 2008) floating around the marketplace! They’re called Vintage Caps and are typically sold in bulk quantities.
Below, is an example I stumbled upon more than a year ago; the Image-Link should still be active ↓
When I last looked (12-7-2023), 50 cases of this Vintage brand (image display left) were $199.00 each with free Shipping from Teaneck, New Jersey. However, I checked a week plus a year latter and the Vintage Caps were NOT listed on the web page 🙁
Just so you’ll know, I did find an ETSY Store front that carried the “Lion” brand of Vintage 8-Ring caps: The Store Front “Stuff My Wife Wanted Sold” had them Priced at 13 Cents per cap.
← ← Click Image-Link, left
An additional ETSY Store Front, Plymouth Rock Toy Shop, as of 12-14-2024, still had a few packages of Vintage “Strip Caps” or single shot caps also of the “Lion” Brand. Priced at 11.2 Cents per cap － price includes shipping and a 6% Sales Tax.
← ← Click Image-Link on the left
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Yep, the benefit to Vintage Caps (manufactured before 2008) is, if you’re wondering, as follows: They’re said to be louder and produce more smoke, which is sure to get you a big “yippee-ki-yay” but nothing much else, unless, the Consumer Product Safety Commission was right this one time!
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There is one last thing most folks with a Cap Gun or Replica Gun want to know:
In the United States, federal law mandates that Cap Guns and Replica Guns must be sold with an orange, red or yellow tip to distinguish them from real firearms. However, Federal law does not explicitly prohibit the removal of the “ID” tip once the “toy gun” or replica is purchased. However, several local and or state governments do require the orange tip remain in place!
New Jersey for example, prohibits the sale of toy guns that look too realistic. Toy guns or Cap Guns must be a color other than black, blue, silver, or aluminum, and have a bright orange stripe on the side!
As for non-firing Replicas, if the replica depicts a “weapon” design made before 1898, no problem with the states because, prior to 1898 such Replica Weapons are considered “antique” and therefore untouchable by government. Those made or designed after 1898, the terms “restrict or prohibit” are the terms of the day in places like New York City (All five boroughs) Chicago, Illinois, Aurora, Illinois, Topeka, Kansas, Connecticut, Maryland, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Wisconsin and the state of New York restricts or prohibits the purchase of replica guns and pistols! Some states like NY, CA & KS apply the “Restrict” term by allowing Replica Weapon purchases used for Theatrical Purposes Only.
Bottom line, towns and cities across the US continue to review and implement laws that bans residents from owning realistic, non-lethal weapons of any king. The idea behind such madness is to rid America’s youth of the “normalcy” of gun ownership! This approach, the theory suggests, will in time, eliminate voters who support the 2nd Amendment!
This approach in the stead of teaching our youth how a gun functions, the potential danger that will always exist with a real weapon and when and where any gun, Toy, Replica or Real should be used.
The truth may be that far to many parents simply do not know enough about the subject at hand to teach the proper technique or the correct way to use and handle gun, while others simply lack the time or are simply too lazy to get the job done. The fix: Non-mandatory training classes within the school systems (public & Private)—starting at 5th or 6th grade—using non firing “weapons” of course!
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Can You Imagine That