Muzzleloading enthusiasts may be able to breathe a sigh of relief this June. In a conversation I had with a CCI representative at the 2023 NRA Show, it was shared that CCI will be starting it’s next production run of percussion caps in June 2023, with expected retail release coming shortly after in July and August.

The CCI representative I spoke to did not wish to be on camera, but was generous to answer the questions that I, and many of you at home have. Here’s a quick breakdown of the things I learned.

#1 CCI Percussion Caps are made seasonally, with a focus on the hunting markets.

As large as some of the national muzzle loading competitions and events are, non-hunting muzzleloading is a small piece of the pie for CCI. Muzzleloading itself makes up a very small part of CCI’s overall market. When CCI makes percussion caps, production usually starts in late spring or early summer with the intent of having them on the shelves in late summer and early fall to stock hunters as they prepare of the upcoming seasons.

#2 CCI has to adjust tooling and production lines to make percussion caps

Making percussion caps isn’t just turning a machine on or pressing a few buttons for CCI. In order to make percussion caps, CCI has to shut down a production line, change its tooling, as well as materials before it can produce a single cap. This downtime and delay costs CCI money. With the demand of modern center fire cartridges and primers over the past two years, CCI has been working hard to try to keep up - that means percussion caps don’t get as much time on the production line as they would if they were a larger part of the market.

That being said, CCI is hearing the concerns of muzzle loading enthusiasts and understands the intense demand for percussion caps in the muzzleloading market. The representative I spoke to is involved in the planning and timing of production lines and hopes to take the concerns I and many others presented about percussion caps to the higher ups and get a sizable quantity of percussion caps produced this year.

#3 Caps may return to pre-2019 inventory numbers, prices may remain high

Because of the amount of demand being seen in the muzzleloading market, this representative was hopeful that CCI would be able to produce a number of caps equal to production quotas pre-pandemic. However, what number that may be remains a mystery, CCI was unable to give me a ballpark number on a goal quantity of caps to meet demand.

#4 CCI distributors are receiving caps

I’m unable to confirm the production date, but one distributor I spoke to at the show just received 2 million percussion caps. The majority of the caps in this shipment, the first in months, were CCI #11 caps. About 2% of the shipment was #10 and Remington #11 Caps. This is good news and solidifies our theories about new old stock being sent to distributors after the hunting seasons ended this year. 2 Million caps sounds like a lot, but it was only about 10% of the total amount of caps on order by this particular distributor.

Other distributors I’ve talked to over the last 3 months have had difficulty getting a straight answer from their suppliers. Hopefully as CCI sees the demand and hears from customers and vendors, they will increase production numbers for 2023.