CharlesZ said:
My main problem has been placing a lubed minie into the same tube with the powder. The powder tends to stick to the lube. When you dump the charge your grains are less and when you ram the bullet it's contaminated with powder grains. Should 2 separate tubes be used?
I would say it depends on what system you use and how much lube you use.
I never lube my minie’s so much that the base or the nose is ”žsticky“.
As for the system as far as I know there were at least two systems.
1) English Minie (Pritchard bullet with / without boxwood cap in the base .575 cal) with no lube grooves. The Minie was placed face down in the paper tube. After biting / tearing off the end of the paper cartridge and the powder poured in, turn the empty cartridge around, place the minie in the muzzle, rip off all acess paper and ram it down.
2) Paper cartridge (Minie undersized .010 cal) paper was attached to the Minie. Some makers attached the paper to the base of the Minie (the nose peeped out). Both were ”žpaper patched“ Minie’s. Powder and Minie packaged as so they would be loaded. Rip cartridge, pour powder, set and ram Minie and fire the works.
The problem with both is why and when they were made. 1850-1860-1870. Combat conditions, wet weather, no modern shell casings, trying to produce massive and fast rates of fire. Accuracy was at this time secondary. The thinking then (and sometimes nowadays was the mostest, the fastest = I win)
It was the Military’s way of providing the most with as little as possible. No powder horn, no loose bullets that need a bag / pouch and somewhat waterproofed (through waxing). The soldiers save time through this system of loading which increases the rate of fire.
This was the first war in that riflewas used with the outdated way of making war (smoothbore innacuracy = stand up next to each other and shoot at the enemy at short distances) against rifled barrels, high rate of fire (i.e. paper cartridges) short distances = high death toll.
Snipers didn’t use this system. If you want accuracy IMO forget this. If you want to do this for fun, have at it.
You shouldn’t have a problem with the second system if you use an undersize Minie. Make the tube, fill with powder, drop the Minie in twist the top, done. If powder sticks on it, so what?
You’re hopefully not forgetting on how these were carried?
