Where to get caps UK

I'm sure there are threads already that cover this topic but where can I get caps in the UK? The only retailer I can find is MG-Props but they only sell to customers who have previously purchased Model Guns from them. All my Model Guns and previous caps were purchased from John at PFCGUK which is sadly closed. I have resorted to trying to form my own 7mm caps containing the powder from a few plastic ring caps and loose match head powder.

Myself, cerwyn, 8ace and with the assistance of John took it upon ourselves to import caps a good time ago at great personal cost and risk. We did this to keep the hobby going but when we put caps up for sale there was little to no interest. So we have not tried since then, it is complicated expensive and risky to import from Japan and the amount of caps we do import is large for us but small for the cap company so they cannot really be bothered.
So until someone maybe starts another business needing these caps we just cannot get them in. i do not think that mg props actually get caps from kane caps, they have always only allowed sale to those who bought from them but i dont think they get any in now, at least not direct from the company.

I was able to get a few boxes of caps from 8ace as I was aware that you guys had imported them. I have to admit I was and am very thankful for this as there are currently no other sources here in Europe I am aware of. I understand that you could not offer them for the cheap prices we saw over 10 years ago. Thank you!

Thanks for the information guys. It's a great shame but completely understandable. Market forces and all that. I'm in a situation where I am trying to find the best balance of functional replicas for film production purposes with variables such as convenience and effort being a factor. There are blank firers which have to be top venting in the UK and require VFX work to "correct" the position of the flash and are also restrictive due to noise. Then there are gas blowback replicas and air pistols that are great but still need VFX for muzzle flash and shell ejection. Model Guns have always been the holy grail because despite cartridge maintenance and cost, they offer everything and for low budget productions, save a ton of money by not having to spend money hiring a section 5 armourer.

I purchased a lathe a few years ago and have been making my own custom cartridges that work with cheap plastic ring caps and match heads. The only issue is, with ring caps, the quality control is sporadic. Plus, EU directives must have really toned down the power of caps in recent years as they tend to be complete crap (some can't even set off match heads because there's just no power!)

Then there's the possibility of using primers in custom cartridges. However, in the UK, primers require a licence to purchase (but, shotgun primers don't...they're classed as blanks and you see them for sale to be used in airsoft pyrotechnic grenades).

There are options but I really don't want to go through the hassle of injection molding my own caps and getting an explosives licence to make or obtain the filler, which is every dangerous due to its shock sensitive nature. 3D printing is something I am setup to do but it's useless for making the cap body due to layer lines resulting in a weak structure. With model gun, a cap acts as a seal in the Marushin and MGC systems. A custom cartridge with extra o-rings would overcome this and perhaps allow for 3D printed caps to be used but it takes hours for me to make just one cartridge on the lathe.

One thing I am looking more towards for film production is CO2 gas blowback with shell ejection and simulated muzzle flash LEDs. I am currently putting together a system that uses CO2 12 gram bulbs, loads and ejects real 5.56mm (in this example) cases and has a low profile set of orange LEDs in the muzzle. By using spent brass without the primer and allowing CO2 gas to vent straight through, the theory is that the cloud of gas vapour will get illuminated to by a split second flash from the LEDs in the muzzle. Airsoft tracer units for commercial GBB guns do exist but these are large and not always desirable when trying to depict a certain firearm for film. My idea is to build a specific replica that has the electronics and battery hidden further back.

I have even considered building a propane/oxygen muzzle flash simulator with hybrid shell ejection but the size of the tanks would make it useless for anything smaller than a large mounted machine gun replica. There's also electronically ignited flash paper/cotton props but these will always be limited in the amount of "shots" they can deliver.

I just wish the UK would allow front venting blank firing replicas (without the ability to thread a launcher device on, as per my understanding of the law and reasons for prohibition). I have seen mixed comments online saying front venting is not strictly outlawed but this is very much a grey area so I don't want to risk anything. The irony is, front venting just seems safer in terms of handling. You don't point the muzzle of any gun at anyone but having all those hot gases vent from the top is just crazy! Imagine pointing up to fire or firing from the hip with a top venter!

But, watch this space because I have been doing quite a bit of R&D and I'm eager to share my results.

You have done a lot of work on this well done mate and keep trying. There is a small flash unit you can get cant rember the make but will find out, that is mafe for airsoft AEG rifles and that has a number of differnt settings and looks really effective on muzzle flash.
How many caps are you looking for i have a few boxes spare, PM me if you want to discuss.

Thanks Claymore. And I know the flash units you are talking about. They do seem promising in terms of the effect they can deliver. I came across this example on YouTube, using the Rare Arms shell ejecting M4, and it looks really good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGpcCgR9EXg

That would be extremely useful, if I could buy a box from you. I just need a single box of 100 to be fair, just to test what I've been working on. Thank you.

I have purchased caps from Cerwyn who has kindly been very helpful and saved my bacon but could really do with more at a reasonable scale. Would anybody be able to talk me through the best way of approaching the import. We're running a cap based western event next year and will have potentially several thousand to spend on caps but no practical way of aquiring them at scale.
cheers

I'd actually be interested in finding the best wholesale price from Japan and importing them myself through my company. If I could get a large amount then I wouldn't mind selling them myself to people for a reasonable price because
the demand is definitely there.