Making live paper cartridges with "TheTubeFactory" paper tube blanks?

[Spartan64]

I recently came across the Etsy Store "TheTubeFactory" which sells pre-formed paper tubes for various caliber musket and rifle needs at reasonable prices. I've always put off paper tube loading because of the time it would take to hand roll the volume I shoot every month, but don't have the time or patience to hand-roll, tie, and load hundreds of .58 and .44 cartridges.

These tubes say they are sold for blank firing purposes only, but is there any reason they wouldn't work with lead ball in place of a wad of paper? Anyone use these tubes for live rounds?

 

[Stantheman86]

I recently came across the Etsy Store "TheTubeFactory" which sells pre-formed paper tubes for various caliber musket and rifle needs at reasonable prices. I've always put off paper tube loading because of the time it would take to hand roll the volume I shoot every month, but don't have the time or patience to hand-roll, tie, and load hundreds of .58 and .44 cartridges.

These tubes say they are sold for blank firing purposes only, but is there any reason they wouldn't work with lead ball in place of a wad of paper? Anyone use these tubes for live rounds?

I roll 1863 Pattern cartridges, no glue, no string.

I'm not matching 20 miles per day with them in my cartridge box so they hold together more then well enough for range shooting

I tried using the blank tubes doubled up to make cartridges but it was easier to roll them.

I recently stopped using glue and it's way easier. You just cut the trapezoids out of masking paper

Musket cartridges probably wouldn't even work with blank tubes because I doubt the cartridge with a ball in it will happen to be properly sized to slip into the bore.

 

[fgd135]

Minie Cartridges for .58 or .577 Rifle-Muskets

Minie Cartridges for .58-cal and .577-cal rifle-muskets. The most common cartridge used in the American Civil War, by far! These are faithfully constructed according to the specifications from the U.S. Army 1860 Ordnance Manual and contain a 495-grain Burton-style Minie ball sized to the...

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Forth Armoury

Precision templates for making historical cartridges for black powder muskets from antiquity.

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[Stantheman86]

If I can roll 50 complete cartridges in an hour , including lubing and sizing , anyone can

 

[rusticbob]

Before I go out and buy a template for .44 paper cartridges, someone must have a pattern that can be downloaded for free! If not I will make my own by trial and error, that how I usually work things out.
Thanks

 

[Spartan64]

I went ahead and ordered some .58 and .44 caliber tubes. The .58s were perfect for live fire and fit neatly within reproduction cartridge box tins after loading. Fired 25 consecutive shots combat-style, standing and aiming at a steel silhouettes at 100-300 yards. No cleaning between shots. Loading was hard near the end but the accuracy never dropped off (minute-of-rebel at 100 yards) and was far quicker than fiddling with powder flasks. Not a reenactor or a skirmisher, just a guy who really like shooting black powder at dynamic targets.

The .44s were a lot more problematic. The cartridge paper left a lot of soot in the chambers (no embers) and really bad fouling around the forcing cone. Barely managed two cylinders in a Remington before I had to strip and detail clean the weapon. The first cylinder fired reliably. The second cylinder required 2 to 3 caps busted on three of the chambers to get a bang.

 

[Ghost of Forrest]

I rolled tons of them using a trapezoid, and a cardboard coat hanger tube for support. Fold at the bottom, then advance 1/8 inch off the tube and crush to crimp... fill and fold.