HuntingNut » News » Paper cartridges for muzzle loaders

Home • Community Forums • Photo Albums • Register

Modules

• Home - Top 30
• Treasury
• Tell a Friend

Articles: Submit New
• Articles: Topics
• Contact Us
• Community Forums

Members List
• Photo Albums
• PointBlank Ballistics
• PointBlank Online
• Privacy Policy
• Private Messages

Reloading Database
• State F&G Agencies
• Statistics
• Your Account

User Info

Welcome Anonymous

(Register)

Membership:

Latest: IPutMoInYoA

New Today: 0

New Yesterday: 0

Overall: 13131

People Online:

Members: 0

Visitors: 288

BOT: 1

Total: 289

Who Is Where:

Visitors:
01: Forums
02: Home
03: Forums
04: Home
05: Forums
06: Your Account
07: Home
08: Your Account
09: Forums
10: Forums
11: Photo Albums
12: Forums
13: Photo Albums
14: Forums
15: Forums
16: Your Account
17: Forums
18: Photo Albums
19: Forums
20: Home
21: Forums
22: News
23: Forums
24: Forums
25: Forums
26: Forums
27: Forums
28: Forums
29: Forums
30: Forums
31: Forums
32: Forums
33: Forums
34: Forums
35: Forums
36: Forums
37: Forums
38: Your Account
39: Forums
40: Forums
41: Forums
42: Photo Albums
43: Photo Albums
44: Forums
45: Your Account
46: Home
47: Forums
48: Home
49: Forums
50: Forums
51: Forums
52: Your Account
53: Forums
54: Forums
55: Forums
56: Forums
57: Photo Albums
58: Photo Albums
59: Home
60: Forums
61: Home
62: Photo Albums
63: Home
64: Forums
65: Forums
66: Forums
67: Forums
68: Home
69: Home
70: Forums
71: Forums
72: News
73: Forums
74: Forums
75: Forums
76: Home
77: Forums
78: Photo Albums
79: Forums
80: Home
81: Home
82: Forums
83: Forums
84: Home
85: Photo Albums
86: Forums
87: Your Account
88: Forums
89: Your Account
90: Forums
91: News
92: Forums
93: Photo Albums
94: Photo Albums
95: Photo Albums
96: Forums
97: Photo Albums
98: PointBlank Ballistics
99: Forums
100: Forums
101: Forums
102: Your Account
103: Forums
104: Forums
105: Forums
106: Forums
107: Photo Albums
108: Forums
109: Forums
110: Forums
111: Forums
112: Forums
113: News
114: Forums
115: Forums
116: Photo Albums
117: Forums
118: News
119: Forums
120: Forums
121: Home
122: Photo Albums
123: Home
124: Forums
125: Forums
126: Forums
127: Forums
128: Forums
129: Home
130: Photo Albums
131: Forums
132: Forums
133: Forums
134: News
135: Home
136: Forums
137: Forums
138: Forums
139: Home
140: Forums
141: Your Account
142: Home
143: Home
144: Your Account
145: Forums
146: PointBlank Ballistics
147: Home
148: Home
149: Forums
150: Home
151: Forums
152: Your Account
153: Your Account
154: Forums
155: Forums
156: Home
157: Home
158: Forums
159: Photo Albums
160: Home
161: Forums
162: Forums
163: Photo Albums
164: Forums
165: Forums
166: Forums
167: Photo Albums
168: Your Account
169: Forums
170: Forums
171: Statistics
172: Photo Albums
173: Photo Albums
174: Forums
175: Forums
176: Forums
177: Forums
178: Photo Albums
179: Forums
180: Forums
181: Forums
182: Forums
183: Your Account
184: Forums
185: Forums
186: Forums
187: Forums
188: Forums
189: Forums
190: Home
191: Forums
192: Forums
193: Forums
194: Forums
195: Forums
196: Forums
197: Forums
198: Photo Albums
199: Forums
200: Forums
201: Your Account
202: Your Account
203: Forums
204: Forums
205: Forums
206: Photo Albums
207: Your Account
208: Forums
209: Photo Albums
210: Your Account
211: Home
212: Home
213: Your Account
214: Home
215: Forums
216: Photo Albums
217: Forums
218: Photo Albums
219: Home
220: Your Account
221: Forums
222: Forums
223: Forums
224: Forums
225: Photo Albums
226: Forums
227: Forums
228: Photo Albums
229: State F&G Agencies
230: Photo Albums
231: Forums
232: Forums
233: Forums
234: Photo Albums
235: Home
236: Forums
237: Photo Albums
238: Home
239: Forums
240: Photo Albums
241: Forums
242: Forums
243: Home
244: Forums
245: Forums
246: Photo Albums
247: Forums
248: Forums
249: Forums
250: Forums
251: Your Account
252: Photo Albums
253: Forums
254: Forums
255: Forums
256: Forums
257: Photo Albums
258: Forums
259: Home
260: Forums
261: Home
262: Forums
263: Forums
264: Home
265: Articles: Topics
266: Your Account
267: Forums
268: Photo Albums
269: Forums
270: Forums
271: Home
272: Forums
273: Photo Albums
274: Forums
275: Forums
276: Home
277: Photo Albums
278: Home
279: Forums
280: Home
281: Forums
282: Your Account
283: Home
284: Forums
285: Forums
286: Forums
287: Forums
288: Forums

BOT:
01: Home

Staff Online:

No staff members are online!

Coppermine Stats

Photo Albums

• Albums: 308
• Pictures: 2452
  · Views: 824590
  · Votes: 1316
  · Comments: 86

Paper cartridges for muzzle loaders

Paper cartridges for muzzle loaders
by Mike Hines

When I started doing Civil War reenactments in 1981 the first thing I learned was to make paper cartridges for my reproduction 1853 Enfield. Over time I experimented some and found a method that has worked well for me. “Rolling” a live cartridge is slightly different than making up a blank one so I’ll explain both methods.

My tools for rolling paper cartridges consist of a brass tube with a plastic funnel glued into one end and wooden dowel that will slide inside the brass tube. For a .58 or .69 caliber cartridge I use a 0.5” diameter brass tube. I want the cartridge to fit inside the muzzle for easy pouring. For a smaller cartridge I’d use a smaller tube, maybe a 0.375” diameter tube for a .45 caliber. An easy way to cut the paper is suggested, I use an X-Acto cutting board.

The original Civil War paper cartridges consisted of five parts: the bullet, the powder, a paper powder tube, a paper wrapper and a piece of thread to tie off the end of the cartridge. The powder tube was made of a heavy paper; card stock seems to work well. The wrapper needs to be sturdy enough to endure moderate handling but weak enough to be easily torn using the teeth. Newsprint paper works well.

You might have to do some experimenting to determine what size to cut your paper for the powder tube. You want the tube to hold your powder charge with just a little room to spare. For the 60 grain charge (by volume) used in the .58 caliber I found that a 2” by 2.5” rectangle would work. I marked my brass tube with a permanent marker 1.5” from the end so I’d have a powder tube that tall.

The standard wrapper for the .58 caliber cartridge is a trapezoid shape with base measuring 4.33”, the short side measuring 3.0” and the long side measuring 5.25”. The long side runs the length of the cartridge and the pointed end will be the part you tie off. I again marked my brass tube 4” from the end to show the correct position for the wrapper.

Now to get to rolling…

Place the piece of card stock for the powder tube in position on the brass tube and roll it around the brass. Fold the seam across the opening of the brass and then fold the rest of the paper in to close the end. Use the wooden dowel to push down through the brass to help secure this fold.

Position the bullet at the closed end of the powder tube and wrap them both with the outer wrapper. Twist the exposed end to conform to the shape of the nose of the bullet. You can stand this on the funnel end of the brass tube while you tie the pointed end off with a piece of strong thread.

Invert the brass tube and pour your pre-measured powder charge into the cartridge through the funnel. Slide the cartridge off of the brass tube, nose down of course!

Flatten the wrapper tube from the end to just above the powder tube. Fold this flat across the mouth of the powder tube and then up the side of the cartridge. Some like to fold this tail in half lengthwise, or even into thirds, to provide a better grip for your teeth when opening it.

For a blank cartridge I dispense with the powder tube, and obviously the bullet! I cut a 4” square of newsprint and wrap it around the brass tube, leaving about 0.5” hanging off the end. Fold this as you do with the powder tube to close the end. Dump the pre-measured powder into the funnel. For .58 caliber blanks I use 30 grains of powder, all you need is the bang and some smoke. For .69 caliber I have to step up to 50 grains to get reliable ignition. Apparently the smaller charge can lie beneath the path of the spark in the larger bore. Slide the cartridge off of the tube and fold the tail as before, a little above the level of the powder. Note that the cartridge paper is discarded and NEVER placed in the bore for reenactments!

To use the cartridge you hold it in the right hand with the bullet down. Grip the cartridge so you control the powder tube and push the tail up for easy access. Grip the tail in your teeth and tear it off, exposing the open end of the powder tube. Spit the tail out, unless you like chewing newsprint. Dump the powder into the muzzle of the gun. Break or tear the wrapper again to remove the powder tube. This can sometimes be done by striking the muzzle with the tube, right behind the base of the bullet. You should now have just the wrapped bullet in your hand. Squeeze the bullet out of the wrapper into the muzzle, discard the rest of the wrapper and ram it home. A really accomplished shooter is said to be able to fire three rounds per minute. Really makes you appreciate metallic cartridges, doesn’t it!

Posted by Pumpkinslinger on Monday, December 30, 2013 (17:53:00) (3503 reads) [ Administration ]