Frequently asked questions
Payment
What payment methods do you accept?
We accept credit cards and Paypal. No other payment methods are supported at this time.
Product Question / Issues
This product sucks! It gets stuck when I rack the slide! One Star!!! What gives?
Relax there chief. What's likely happening is that you are "riding the slide", which is an extremely common mistake for new / newer gun owners. Perhaps its due to watching too many hollywood movies, perhaps you are just trying to be careful with your nice, shiny new gun due to your lack of confidence operating it - which is certainly understandable. The simple truth is that you need to let the gun do what it was designed to do. The slide was designed to get racked back fully and completely LET GO from its furthest position back so that it slams forward with all its metallic might (and weight). Do NOT try to guide it forward even a little bit. It doesn't need or want your help. NOT heeding this advice can cause several different issues, including jams, the round not going fully into the chamber, etc. Better to get these types of problems worked out now BEFORE you start messing with live rounds anyway, which is part of the purpose of our products in the first place. So don't feel bad, we've all been there!
The same idea goes for your shotguns as well. Pump that thing like you mean it! Don't pump slowly backward and slow forward. That's a recipe for issues.
Do these make any noise?
Definitely not, and for the love of everything holy and sacred, put the gun down slick. These are dummy rounds or "snap caps" - they aren't blanks. They don't contain any combustible materials, hence there isn't any mechanism in place to create noise other than the "ching" you will hear when you pull the trigger to release your firing pin. That noise is from your gun, not the caps. Instead of a live primer, our caps have rubber. The firing pin harmlessly hits the rubber, and then..... nothing happens. Enjoy!
I'm not "riding the slide", but my round is either "sticking" a little bit when I try to eject it from the chamber, or its downright getting stuck... What's going on?
There's a few different possibilities that could be causing either of these issues.
Before we address this, we need to stress how necessary it is that you make sure your gun is clean and lubed. Follow your manufacturers instructions and use a good quality lube, or better yet the exact lube that your manufacturer recommends if they recommend one.
With that out of the way, lets first address the "sticking" thing. From our experience, this occurs most frequently with new guns. A new gun can be "tight" as far as its specs are concerned, and to put it simply, it may need to "break-in" some before its going to operate like butter. Manufacturers design weapons within certain tolerances which allow for wear to take place so that the gun will still be in spec AFTER this wear occurs. In the interim (before the optimal amount of wear occurs), don't expect every round from every manufacturer to operate flawlessly every time. That's fanciful thinking you fancy son of a gun, and that goes for our snap caps as well. One thing that you can take heart in when purchasing our products is that each and every round is tested to chamber properly in SAAMI minimim spec chamber checkers. The rounds won't fit in our minimum spec checkers if it isn't in spec, so technically its virtually or literally impossible for you to receive a snap cap from us that isn't in spec. I'll say spec a few more times if you want me to, but I think its going to piss both of us off, so I'll try to stop (I'll fail though).
Think of this whole thing like getting a new pair of shoes. I don't know about you, but I HATE new pairs of shoes. I like shoes after they look like I should have thrown them out 6 months ago. That's because in that used state they're the most comfortable, they slide on and off easier, and they feel contured to the shape of my foot. The same thing is true with your gun! (to a degree). It needs to break-in! Your gun isn't going to fit certain rounds flawlessly right out of the box necessarily, and you need to be aware of that and understand that this usually isn't the fault of the round. Often this is easily addressed in the case of our products by just racking and ejecting the "troublesome" caps a bunch of times each. The brass is going to ever so slightly "conform" to your chamber. Don't be afraid to let that slide slam the caps into the chamber and then pull back the slide nice and hard to eject the caps until they loosen up a bit. This is rare by the way, but it happens. When it usually DOESN'T happen is when a gun is already well broken in. That's extremely rare, and if THAT happens you should reach out to us and we'll look into it for you.
So how do you "break your gun in to achieve optimal wear" you ask? Follow the manufacturers advice on a break-in procedure if they have one. SNAP CAPS, such as the awesome ones that we sell can help with break-in a little bit to be sure, but really what's going to get the job done best is going to the range and firing live rounds. A LOT OF THEM. After several, several hundred live rounds, your gun should be fully broken in, but again, refer to your manufacturers break-in procedure if they have one. Often times it'll go something like this:
1) Drop one round directly into the chamber and fire it. Do this 20 times
2) With the chamber empty, load one round into the magazine. Insert magazine, rack the slide, and fire the round. Do this 20 times.
3) With the chamber empty, load two rounds into the magazine. Insert the magazine, rack the slide and fire both rounds. Do this 20 times.
And so on... Or something like that.
Also worthy of note is that some guns are JUST PICKY and may only work well with ammunition (or snap caps in this case) from particular manufacturers for any number of reasons.... Or, they may only work well with certain bullet profiles (IE: flat nose vs round nose) but not others, etc, etc. Again, this is usually no fault of the rounds themselves, which are likely to be perfectly "in spec". We've had a few examples over time where a customer has a gun that will not chamber a round nose dummy round, but will chamber a flat nose. So, in this rare type of scenario, we've had no problem simply making them a flat nosed version of our product and they are "off to the races" as they say. We go to great lengths to ensure that EVERYONE has a good experience with our products.
Thirdly, its possible that your chamber itself is actually out of spec and needs some love from a competent gun smith. This is not only not out of the question, but if you are consistently getting rounds from various manufacturers stuck upon chambering or ejecting, you may need to have your gun serviced.
The fourth, and LEAST likely scenario in the case of our products, is that our product is to blame. We can count the number of times on one hand out of tens of thousands of orders that this has been the case, but its not impossible. This is the type of scenario where it helps to do business with a company that takes great pride in their products and customer service - which we do. Know for certain that if you have any issues whatsoever, we want to help, we want to improve, we want to correct problems when they occur and its our fault, and ultimately we want to be the last place that you ever look to purchase snap caps.
Help! I'm experiencing excessive wear on these snap caps!
If you notice that our snap caps are "wearing down" quicker than you'd expect, the likely scenario is that you are using them in a brand new gun that isn't broken-in yet. Break the gun in by going to the range and firing a bunch of live rounds, then try again.
Another example where this may occur is if you are using a high brass 12ga or 20ga snap cap in a gun that "prefers" low brass rounds. In our experience, semi auto 12ga guns can sometimes have this limitation which requires the use of low or REALLY low brass rounds in order to feed / eject properly without "sticking". What happens when the high brass round gets wedged tightly in the chamber is that the extractor has to work harder to pull the round out. The harder it has to work, the more deformed the brass will get, and the more deformed the brass gets, the more the round will appear to be worn. This is another rare case, but it happens. If this is happening to you, and its affecting the rounds ability to eject properly, just shoot us a quick email with your order details and we'll send you a replacement set with a lower brass for you to try. That usually does the trick.
Why aren't these shooting when I pull the trigger?
I love you, but don't make me slap you. We are not selling live rounds, and there are no combustable materials in these, hence there is no way physically possible for anything to "shoot" when using these - that is unless you carelessly confuse these with live rounds and mix them in with your snap caps - DON'T DO THAT.
You said your 12ga caps were 2-3/4", but they aren't! You dirty, rotten...
This is a common misunderstanding of new shooters. Don't feel bad, but also try not to blame us for following industry standard practice. Allow us to explain.
It goes like this... Person "A", we'll call him "Biff", gets himself a new shotgun, which is chambered for 2-3/4" rounds. Biff fairly reasonably assumes that because his shotgun is chambered for rounds in said length, that the rounds (live rounds or dummy rounds) should be EXACTLY 2-3/4" in total measured length. He also assumes that all 2-3/4" rounds from all manufacturers should be exactly 2-3/4" in total length regardless of the crimp style used. When he notices that this is not the case, he gets unreasonably irate, and instead of doing a simple internet search or reaching out for help, goes and writes a bad review wherever he can. Person "B", whom we'll call "B", laments to himself about poor misguided Biff, and ponders: "How we would have loved to help you Biff, if you had only asked...".
Jokes temporarily aside, our friend has discovered that advertised length differs from total UNFIRED length - and this is universal. A live 2-3/4" round is advertised as such because when it fires, it will expand to reach its full 2-3/4" length, matching or closely matching your chamber size. Therefore, having a shotgun chambered for 2-3/4" means that you don't want to buy 3" live rounds for it. Doing so would net you a potential safety hazard at worst, and a jam scenario at best. So, to put it simply, your 2-3/4" rounds are 2-3/4", but only after they are "fired".
In the case of our 12ga / 20ga snap caps, it doesn't make sense for us to establish our own separate standard. Our 2-3/4" caps are very close in total length compared to your live rounds. The difference varies of course depending on which live round our caps are being compared to, but quite often our 12ga / 20ga caps will be just a little shorter. This is because of the crimp style we use, which very aggressively rounds out the top edge of the crimp. This is for longevity. Caps that don't have our crimp style that are repeatedly loaded will get the top chewed up by the edge of the chamber when they are rammed in there, whereas ours glide right in due to the rounded edge. Also, our crimp style completely prevents the possiblity of the crimp ever unfolding and coming apart because its essentially melted into that shape. Its shape is permanent. For these reasons alone, its worth it to have a SLIGHTLY shorter overall length compared to many live rounds, and this minute length difference will not affect your practicing in any way, shape, or form.
I have X, Y, Z model shotgun... Which 12ga color should I get? What are the differences between the colors?
Short answer: You should get any color that you personally prefer. Chances are overwhelmingly high that you will have no issues whatsoever regardless of what model shotgun you own regardless of what color you choose.
Slightly longer answer: For all intents and purposes, the only difference is color and brass height. Green is technically considered a 3" round, but because actual length is 2.5", it will cycle just fine in shotguns chambered for 2.75". Just understand that you shouldn't buy 3" live rounds for a shotgun chambered for 2.75"! No bueno! So, to reiterate, just buy whatever color you like most, and if you are among the exceedingly small amount of users that have some sort of issue, we'll take care of you. Out of tens of thousands of orders, just about the only times in recent memory that we have ever received complaints for 12ga is from owners of semi-auto's. Some semi's tend to "prefer" low brass rounds, so if you are the super nervous type, just get the colors with the lowest brass height, namely ultra low brass white, low brass blue, black, or baby blue.
What's the difference between the pistol / rifle case types / bullet colors?
For functional purposes, absolutely nothing. All three will chamber and cycle exactly the same.
Technically, the brass is straight brass, the nickel is nickel plated brass, and the black ox is "surface converted" brass. So, they are all brass on the inside, and yes, if you were to gouge the surface of the nickel or black ox, you would reveal the brass underneath. No, there will not be an excessive buildup of material leftover in your gun from any of the choices, and no, one is not any more likely to get "stuck" in your gun than another one. The cases are all sized down to the exact same spec. Just get the ones that you personally like best.
The colored tips are just different colors - so, personal preference again.
Wholesale Inquiries
My company is interested in selling B's Dry Fire Snap Caps... How can we get started?
Simply send us a message through our contact form and put "Wholesale Inquiry" in the subject line. Include your full name, company information, where you intend to sell our products, etc, and we'll review your message and see if you are a good fit to distribute our products.
To save us all some time, please do not inquire about selling our products wholesale unless you are willing to purchase a minimum of 25 packs of a particular caliber. That's the starting point.
Shipping
How quick do you ship, and when can I expect my order?
Typically, we ship unusually fast. More than 95% of orders are shipped same or next business day depending on when you order and the size of your order. For small orders of one or two units, we usually choose USPS First Class, which means you should get your order in 2-5 Days. Orders of 3 units+ will usually be shipped with USPS Priority Mail at our discretion.
If you don't receive your order within 5-7 business days, and you have read our other shipping timeframe caveats in the other questions in this FAQ section, please reach out for assistance so we can investigate. Sometimes USPS just needs a little extra time depending on where you are located or if there are any extenuating circumstances that are preventing delivery (IE: weather related delays, etc).
(gasp) "But, but, the Covids!" What's your current shipping time frame?
As already stated, typically, we ship very fast, and even when we get slammed, we USUALLY don't get behind more than 2-3 BUSINESS days. That means, that at WORST, if you order on a Friday afternoon / evening, your order may not go out until Tuesday / Wednesday. Covid does not at all affect how we work in process, procedure, or speed, so we don't like to use that as an excuse for ourselves. A lot of other company's do though, namely the post office and other entities outside of our control. THAT means that if there is a delay beyond what we stated above, it is in all likelihood someone elses fault, namely - the post office. Know that the Post Office doesn't always scan in a package at the time of drop off or pickup, so just because your tracking information has not updated for a few days does not necessarily mean that we haven't shipped your order out yet. If civil war breaks out, or something crazy like that which is beyond our control, please be understanding if there are slight shipment delays beyond what we stated above.
My tracking information is all wonky... it shows progress, and then stops, or its headed in my direction and then vears off in some nonsensical way. OR, it shows "delivered", but it wasn't delivered! What gives?
(Insert standard corporate Covid nonsense speech here about delays in travel time, etc)
Sadly, we do not control the Post Office, nor space, matter, or time (yet...). In the meantime, we do not have any control of your package once it leaves our hands. We carefully package your order with all the love and respect that one can reasonably require, and then we send it off into the world where it will most likely find you at some point in the next several days - still a pristine work of art - and unharmed. However, when something ain't quite right, we cannot call the post office on your behalf and inquire about your shipment, because they will laugh at us. Imagine going to the DMV and complaining about the long wait... it wouldn't be wise to eagerly anticipate any DMV worker behind the counter to heroically leap over the desk to your rescue. The same is true with Post Office phone support. What we mean by that is not that we don't care, in fact WE do, but even though about 99 percent of packages arrive safely at their destination just fine, some others either take a little longer, and therefore require a little more patience, or they require a little due diligence.
Example A: Your package tracking info showed that your package was headed towards your location, and then it vears off into another state, or even several states away... We cannot do anything about this. This simply requires some patience. It's annoying, we know, but chances are it will find its way back to you in a few days. If you've noticed the above stated example AND have waited more than a few days for the situation to correct itself, please reach out and we'll look into it for you.
Example B: Your package shows "delivered", but to your surprise you don't see the package anywhere. This can happen for any number of reasons. Maybe your driver got lazy and decided to mark it delivered so they could speed along their route, and you'll end up getting the package the next day or so (this happens). Maybe they delivered it to your neighbor (this also happens). Maybe someone stole it (less likely). The only remedy for this "delivered not really delivered" scenario is to call or drop by your LOCAL post office, ask to speak with the "post master", and have them look into the tracking number for you and see if they can pin point what happened. Hopefully, the package is either sitting in your post office, or they can contact the driver and say "yo, what did you do? Why are you marking things delivered that weren't delivered?". This usually takes care of it. If you have done your "due diligence" here, and this has not resolved this scenario, THEN please reach out and we'll help.
Another shocking scenario involving this "delivered not delivered" thing, is that some customers don't actually check their mailboxes for packages, often even though the tracking says "Delivered in / at mailbox". They contact us stating that their package wasn't delivered, and instead of us asking them what we view to be a rather insulting question: "Did you check your mailbox?", we ask them to do their "due diligence" described above and they end up telling us the next day that they didn't think the package would be delivered to their mailbox! "There it is!" This has happened many times, and it shocks us every time... Oh well, we're glad they got their package! So please, check all possible areas where a package could be left, and check some areas where a package shouldn't be left, and perhaps you'll find your package there.
Has my order shipped, has my order shipped, has my order shipped, has my order shipped.....?
Please give us 3 business days before asking if your order has shipped. Trust me when I say that we do everything possible to get your order shipped out as soon as possible. We stay late, I whip my employees with whips, etc. Extenuating circumstances aside, we ship unusually fast.
Here's the process:
1) You place an order, which gets fulfilled in the order that it was received.
2) We print out your shipping label, which gives us a physical representation of "you" in relation to other customers. You receive an immediate shipping "confirmation" email, which DOES NOT necessarily mean that your order has left our possession yet. Scandalous, we know...
3) We work through our order stacks as fast as humanly possible (while retaining order accuracy), and ship your order over the next few business days.
Caliber release info
When is X, Y, Z caliber being released?
Although the answer is always "as soon as possible" in some sense, in reality, we prioritize our releases based upon overall market popularity. If you have some relatively rare caliber that you want some B's snap caps for, we feel your pain, everything else pales in comparison, but chances are "we aren't going to release that for a while" is going to be the answer. We don't mind hearing requests, as that helps us gauge market interest, but just understand that the rules of supply and demand dictate how we run our business. Some company's have tons of calibers available, and then in a few years or so those same company's are no longer in business. Go figure. We choose to release products slower and with higher quality / compatibility rather than cheaper and quicker.
38 Special / 357 Mag is up next, and is ALMOST READY FOR RELEASE!
Sign up for our new caliber release form at the bottom of our homepage to be notified of new releases!