.69 Bore Paper Cartridges

[nkbj]

Are paper cartridges made up with ball and powder ahead out time worthwhile?
Not any way to keep from killing your accuracy?

 

[Enfield1]

Are paper cartridges made up with ball and powder ahead out time worthwhile?
Not any way to keep from killing your accuracy?

I think that it is very worth it. I have cartridges for my Bess and 42 Springfield smooth bores made up and stored in Tupperware containers and ready to go to the range. I have had them stored for two and three years at a time in the past and have had no issues with them. I take them out and load them into the cartridge boxes. They fire well and seem just as good as one's made fresh.

 

[tenngun]

Are paper cartridges made up with ball and powder ahead out time worthwhile?
Not any way to keep from killing your accuracy?

Worthwhile is up to you after you do it. You can get a quick reload in 12-20 seconds depending on how much you practice. Your accuracy will go down but you can get deer killing accuracy at 50 yards.
In the woods you can have a quick reload and after a wait you can go to track your deer and may need to get a second shot. This will be likely much closer then twenty five yards and it will be deadly there.
On a range and your just plinking then it’s just fun, paper is fun to play with.
In an accuracy competition you will loose, but on a woods walk you should be able to hit those sort of targets well and the time you save may get you a few points.

 

[Rat]

For pure at-the-range, shooting off the bench, maybe not. For hunting, hiking, exploring, great to have. They can eliminate packing around a powder horn, patches, measure, other possibles etc.

On accuracy, it all depends on the individual gun. Some are about as accurate with a cartridge, as with a patched or wadded ball. Some may be more accurate. Just depends. Takes experimentation with ball size, powder charge, and paper thickness.

And there's about ten ways to make paper cartridges, any one of which may produce excellent accuracy in your .69". I just roll up a tube out of grocery bag, or sammich bag paper, and dip the ball end in pure hot bee's wax, but there are those among us who do it very professionally, historically, and....very well.

My Bess is noticeably more accurate with patched ball, but I always carry cartridges for reasons stated above by Tenn.

 

[nkbj]

What size balls are you using in the .69 cartridges?

 

[DaveC]

For actual smooth-bore matches you'll want a tight-fitting ball combination. For example, I use a .670 ball with a coat of Alox lubricant in my Model 1842 or my French Charleville. If one adds paper, then you'll need a smaller diameter ball because the paper cartridge will take up some of the interior bore "windage." I can't get an Alox-lubed, paper-wrapped ball down the muzzle of my .69 flintlock, for example.

The service cartridge was a .65 cal. ball, wrapped in paper with a choke string tied in front and behind. French style cartridges were formed over the dowell/former rod and glued shut. One would press a third down against the front of the former, dab some glue or paste on, fold down another third, another dab, and then the last third. Then, the former rod is pulled slightly back and the thumb is used to crimp the front against the former rod such that it looks just a bit like a shotgun shell. Then the ball and the propellant can be added. One could also try to dip the paper wrapped ball into some tallow too, before the powder charge was added. Skirmishers use little plastic tubes, so one can add the powder charge, press in the ball, and transport the sealed cartridge that way, and re-use the plastic tube as often as necessary.

If you want to obsess about accuracy with the smooth-bore, you could get some patches like you'd use with a patched round ball in a rifle. That will obviate or reduce the interior bore "windage" but it'll slow down your loading time.

 

[Rat]

A cartridge holding only the powder, and then a loading block with patched balls in it makes for a fast accurate reload. I often do that when hunting with my Bess, and my rifle. You can then use the paper for an under-ball wad in that case, if the woods are not too dry.

But back to cartridges with both powder and ball, you can make a tight combination, and increase accuracy, or a loose fit for more shots and easier loading. I go for a fast load, and more repeat shots, and sacrifice accuracy, and go with a patched ball for accuracy.

 

[nkbj]

Well, I do have a .650 mold in the fun box. My natural inclination has been to shoot the bare .683's. Been threatening to try a little corn meal to act as a windage wad just to see. Looking forwards to trying out the cartridges and thank you for the input.

 

[Stantheman86]

They are absolutely worth it, in the time it takes for a movie to run on Netflix I can roll up 50 cartridges.

.648 round balls with 100 gr of Old Eynsford 2f, I get excellent accuracy for a smoothbore , using Masking Paper cartridges. I can give you the dimensions of the cartridge paper.

It's a smoothbore, beyond fist sized groups at 50 yards and a pattern roughly the size of "most of them can hit somewhere on a silhouette target " at 100 yards is about as good as it gonna get.

 

[FlinterNick]

Personally I don't roll cartridges, I'm in no rush when I'm shooting. If I ever do it only to have a few handy for fast loads in the field hunting.

 

[spudnut]

What size balls are you using in the .69 cartridges?

The only mould I could find was a 640, when I tear it open I wad that paper down( the tail) pour in the powder ,push the wrapped ,lubed ball in , tear that off at the muzzle ,push the ball in, then use the rest of that paper as an over wad. I then prime from the horn.

 

[Stantheman86]

I like the cartridges so I can use the military muskets the "right" way although many Colonial Army soldiers also used the powder horn-bare ball-wadding method.

The cartridges just feel more streamlined, I can wear everything I need to shoot (cartridge box, cap pouch) and not have all kinds of loose stuff hanging off me

 

[nkbj]

Made up a .65 "beaker" yesterday to measure the column length of different volumes of powder. Found a 5/8 dowel in the ram rod holder to make a polished wrapping stick. Reckon I'd better go check the string, twine and rope bucket!

 

[Stantheman86]

Just rolled up 29 cartridges for Tuesday, for a quick stop at the range to shoot my 1795 Springfield. Just enough to fill my 29-hole cartridge box. I usually roll about 50 just to have extra but it got late.

Also packed up a half pound of powder, and 25 loose balls in case I feel like shooting more. I'll just use some paper as wadding.

Rolling cartridges is something you kinda have to be in the mood for , if you don't enjoy it I guess it could be a chore. I think it's relaxing to put on some whatever manure on Netflix and roll cartridges.

 

[tenngun]

That’s most of our stuff. Can one imagine a tailor,gunsmith,horner, whitesmith, tanner trapper,soldier..... watching us do this for fun????

 

[Stumpkiller]

Worthwhile for me. I make up paper cartridges for my .66 (16 bore) and carry six in a tin when hunting. Don't need a horn that way, and with another small tin for tools & a spare flint I don't need a hunting pouch, either.

 

[FlinterNick]

Just rolled up 29 cartridges for Tuesday, for a quick stop at the range to shoot my 1795 Springfield. Just enough to fill my 29-hole cartridge box. I usually roll about 50 just to have extra but it got late.

Also packed up a half pound of powder, and 25 loose balls in case I feel like shooting more. I'll just use some paper as wadding.

Rolling cartridges is something you kinda have to be in the mood for , if you don't enjoy it I guess it could be a chore. I think it's relaxing to put on some whatever manure on Netflix and roll cartridges.

Agree, its time consuming and tedious. Unless I'm in the mood for historical accuracy I would otherwise I'll pack a powder flask, wads and balls. Paper cartridges are for

Are paper cartridges made up with ball and powder ahead out time worthwhile?
Not any way to keep from killing your accuracy?

I think one important thing to consider is that paper cartridges were not designed for accuracy but more for speed of loading. If you want an accurate shot, patched ball is the best method.

Thats not to say that I've never seen some very creative gents with some 'super' 'fancy' cartridges.

example you can use more expensive paper such as a parchment, and plug a patched ball on the end of the paper roll (as in the baker rifle method).

1817 common rifles were loaded with paper cartridges that were dipped in a mixture of bees wax and olive oil.

 

[Stantheman86]

That said I did just buy a ball flask , powder flask with a strap, and a fixed 100 grain measure so I can just go shooting without rolling up cartridges.

Musket wadding can be anything , I usually just tear a big piece of masking paper off my roll and rip pieces off for wadding.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

Oh yeah man, it's fun. I make carts for my revolver and have made them for my single shots.

 

[Grenadier1758]

That said I did just buy a ball flask , powder flask with a strap, and a fixed 100 grain measure so I can just go shooting without rolling up cartridges.

Musket wadding can be anything , I usually just tear a big piece of masking paper off my roll and rip pieces off for wadding.

Tell us that you are pouring powder from the flask into the separate fixed 100 grain measure before you pour the powder down the barrel.