I made the cases out of brass stock intended for making fasteners, it's good stuff to start off with.
At the bases of the cases I left a little anvil, just about dead center where I set percussion caps that get the business end of the firing pins set into them right before I throw the powder charge.
For a field load I'll take thick cyanoacrylate adhesive (thick crazy glue) and tack glue the firing pins where they insert into the cases at the rim.
There is very little written material, on paper or on the web, that discusses reloading pinfire cases or load development fot the guns made for the pinfire ignition system. I can understand why though. There are very few pinfire long guns around these days that are in good enough shape to dust off and take out hunting. Safety is super important and it takes a good eye with some perspective and experience to tell whether or not an old pinfire gun's going to be up to the work or not.
Of the good ones made, say about a hundred and forty five plus years ago, many of the most beloved of them either got converted to central fire or run into the ground over time.
Perhaps that's part of what makes finding and running a quality pinfire rig so rewarding. You need to have the sense of adventure, the experience to know whether or not to embark on the journey, and the appreciation for the historical signifigance of the pinfire system.
I really dig my pinfire guns.
I'm really enjoying getting this rifle going too.
--Tinker
