[Vella Gonzaga]

Roll Of Caps​

Credits: Facebook/Australia Remember When

Who remembers the joy of playing Cowboys and Indians with these little explosives? Back in the day, every backyard turned into a Wild West showdown, with kids dressed as cowboys armed with a roll of caps in their pockets. They proudly wielded their trusty six-shooters, chasing imaginary outlaws. Do you still recall the smell of slightly burnt paper and sulphur from these caps? Share your stories here!

 

[DLHM]

I don’t have an interesting story to tell, but lovely to reminisce of days well before political correctness. We could be real people then. I’ll never forget that smell of the caps. Haven’t thought of that for decades! Thank you for my walk down memory lane!

 

[nire]

My brother and I used to play cowboys and Indians with the neighborhood kids. I can clearly remember the smell of the caps 80 years later, wonderful !!

 

[Mrtnst]

I remember my 16yo brother taking a packet of cap rolls, like those in the photo and placing them in washed out a baked bean tin.

Then he added a penny bunger, lit the fuse and rolled the tin out onto a tennis court.

The pressure from the bunger triggered all the caps instantaneously.

Pieces of tin flew everywhere, shredding the net and nearly doing the same to us.

Needless to say our father was not amused.

His leather belt got a workout, he was a blacksmith.

It was the last time we had access to caps or fireworks.

 

[DLHM]

I remember my 16yo brother taking a packet of cap rolls, like those in the photo and placing them in washed out a baked bean tin.

Then he added a penny bunger, lit the fuse and rolled the tin out onto a tennis court.

The pressure from the bunger triggered all the caps instantaneously.

Pieces of tin flew everywhere, shredding the net and nearly doing the same to us.

Needless to say our father was not amused.

His leather belt got a workout, he was a blacksmith.

It was the last time we had access to caps or fireworks.

So glad you and your bother didn’t get hurt, apart from the punishment! Still, that would have been quite a sight to see.

 

[thomas]

you could buy "bombs" that were two pieces of metal put together in the shape of a bomb and held together with a rubber band, you would put a "cap" in between the two parts and throw it, needless to say but one cap wasn't enough for us, it had to be half a dozen at least, and if you didn't have a "bomb" you made one by screwing a nut onto a bolt then put your half a dozen caps in the nut and screw another bolt in the other side then throw that. if that wasn't good anough then it was a full roll and a hammer job

 

[Jarred Santos]

I remember my 16yo brother taking a packet of cap rolls, like those in the photo and placing them in washed out a baked bean tin.

Then he added a penny bunger, lit the fuse and rolled the tin out onto a tennis court.

The pressure from the bunger triggered all the caps instantaneously.

Pieces of tin flew everywhere, shredding the net and nearly doing the same to us.

Needless to say our father was not amused.

His leather belt got a workout, he was a blacksmith.

It was the last time we had access to caps or fireworks.

So glad you and your bother didn’t get hurt, apart from the punishment! Still, that would have been quite a sight to see.

I got chills reading 'Needless to say our father was not amused. His leather belt got a workout, he was a blacksmith.' Quite a memory!

you could buy "bombs" that were two pieces of metal put together in the shape of a bomb and held together with a rubber band, you would put a "cap" in between the two parts and throw it, needless to say but one cap wasn't enough for us, it had to be half a dozen at least, and if you didn't have a "bomb" you made one by screwing a nut onto a bolt then put your half a dozen caps in the nut and screw another bolt in the other side then throw that. if that wasn't good anough then it was a full roll and a hammer job

Did you get the ol' leather massage from your parents too?

 

[starrysnan]

My brother absolutely loved these things and had a Roy Rogers silver hand gun to "fire" them. They were noisy and smelly and I hated them!

 

[DLHM]

My brother had the gun and caps too. I was too “girly” to be given one, but I thought they were great!

 

[thomas]

I got chills reading 'Needless to say our father was not amused. His leather belt got a workout, he was a blacksmith.' Quite a memory!

Did you get the ol' leather massage from your parents too?

ha, we were silly but not silly enough to let our parents know what we did LOL

 

[Wandiwa]

We used to put a whole box of caps on railway tracks, used to go off rather well.
Boxes of matches did the same thing.
Experimented with bolt bombs as well, anyone remember those?

 

[Wandiwa]

I had a mate in primary school, who was a genuine wildcard, he used to steal his dads .22 bullets and squeeze them in a vice until they went off. That was when I stopped hanging with him.

 

[thomas]

We used to put a whole box of caps on railway tracks, used to go off rather well.
Boxes of matches did the same thing.
Experimented with bolt bombs as well, anyone remember those?

yeah, break the red match-head into bits, just as good as the caps ha ha

 

[DLHM]

I had a mate in primary school, who was a genuine wildcard, he used to steal his dads .22 bullets and squeeze them in a vice until they went off. That was when I stopped hanging with him.

Wise decision on your part.