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Paper Cartridges
- Thread starter bapfreak
- Start date
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Almost all on-line Civil War suttlers do sell "paperladies". You can type in Civil War suttlers in a search engine and get a good selection and price range for them. I bought a bunch at 2009 Gettysburg from James County Suttlery and they do have a website. You can also search for making them and find that info on line and roll your own.
No company I know of makes them now however many re-enactors make their own to duplicate the cartridges that were used back in the day.
There have been several posts about how to make these on the forum.
They require a wooden dowel the same size (or close to it) as the ball, some paper, string, powder, ball and glue.
The "cartridges" used in muskets or rifles are usually torn open with the powder dumped down the bore followed by the ball, sometimes still in the paper wrap and sometimes not.
With Cap and Ball pistols the paper was often treated with Potassium Nitrate (Salt Peter) so it would be totally burned when the cartridge was fired. Some modern folks use cigarette paper to make this style cartridge.
These Nitrated cartridges were usually placed into the chamber with the ball outermost. The ball was then seated below the chamber mouth with the loading lever.
There have been several posts about how to make these on the forum.
They require a wooden dowel the same size (or close to it) as the ball, some paper, string, powder, ball and glue.
The "cartridges" used in muskets or rifles are usually torn open with the powder dumped down the bore followed by the ball, sometimes still in the paper wrap and sometimes not.
With Cap and Ball pistols the paper was often treated with Potassium Nitrate (Salt Peter) so it would be totally burned when the cartridge was fired. Some modern folks use cigarette paper to make this style cartridge.
These Nitrated cartridges were usually placed into the chamber with the ball outermost. The ball was then seated below the chamber mouth with the loading lever.
My load in my Pedersoli Brown Bess for trailwalks, military shoots, and whitetail is 80 gr of 3f. with a .735 Lyman ball ball in a computer print out paper cartridge-yellow pages out of the phone book work well also.
The computer paper mikes at .0035 and two wraps around the mandrel-cartridge stick- bring the paper patched ball to close to the .749 muzzle diameter. Before puting the powder in the cartridge I dip the cartridge with the ball in place in hot paraffin (sp) wax to just cover the portion of the cartridge were the ball is.
To load, the cartridge is torn, the powder is poured and the cartridge is reversed and thumb loaded waxed portion first into the barrel. The portion of the cartidge now above thge crown of the barrel is then torn off leaving a waxed-for lubrication- paper patched ball which is then rammed home on top of the powder charge. If permitted by the event, it is advisable to reload with this type cartridge immediately after firing when the barrel is warm from the previous discharge.
This protcol is something like the British drill for Enfield cartridges.
The computer paper mikes at .0035 and two wraps around the mandrel-cartridge stick- bring the paper patched ball to close to the .749 muzzle diameter. Before puting the powder in the cartridge I dip the cartridge with the ball in place in hot paraffin (sp) wax to just cover the portion of the cartridge were the ball is.
To load, the cartridge is torn, the powder is poured and the cartridge is reversed and thumb loaded waxed portion first into the barrel. The portion of the cartidge now above thge crown of the barrel is then torn off leaving a waxed-for lubrication- paper patched ball which is then rammed home on top of the powder charge. If permitted by the event, it is advisable to reload with this type cartridge immediately after firing when the barrel is warm from the previous discharge.
This protcol is something like the British drill for Enfield cartridges.
This group was fired with a soft lead ball patched normally, a wheel weight ball patched normally and a soft lead paper cartridge load with no patch where a the tapered paper is torn and small end put in the barrel than the paper wrapped ball is seated. Shoots to point of aim to at least 80 yards and recovered paper shows that it has followed the rifling, the paper is well marked by the rifling and the paper has come off the ball at the muzzle. But it will foul in 2-3 shots since there is no lube on the paper.
This a a .662 ball, .008 rifling very narrow lands.
"Forsythe" land groove ratio 80" twists but friends with conventional land groove ratios have reported good luck. These guys got me top make some and try them.
Percussion guns used with a capper and practice can produce 10-15 second 2nd shots they report. I shoot flint and priming takes longer.
Dan
OOPs 50 yards range.
Paper cartridges are made on a pretty sharply tapered dowel. Glued down the side and at the tail, dump in powder drop in a ball (I tumble ball for this to remove the sprure) then twist the top to hold the ball. For this ball and bore size 1 layer of 20 pound printer paper is perfect.
This a a .662 ball, .008 rifling very narrow lands.
"Forsythe" land groove ratio 80" twists but friends with conventional land groove ratios have reported good luck. These guys got me top make some and try them.
Percussion guns used with a capper and practice can produce 10-15 second 2nd shots they report. I shoot flint and priming takes longer.
Dan
OOPs 50 yards range.
Paper cartridges are made on a pretty sharply tapered dowel. Glued down the side and at the tail, dump in powder drop in a ball (I tumble ball for this to remove the sprure) then twist the top to hold the ball. For this ball and bore size 1 layer of 20 pound printer paper is perfect.
