Bare Ball Shooting Smooth Bore

[Grenadier1758]

The borax is used as fire retardant. Embers are quickly extinguished and fire hazard is minmized.

 

[Leadball loader]

0


What is the purpose of the Borax?
I am sure I am not the only one wodering.

It is a fire retardant for the wads. I boil water add borax stir it in to dissolve and
Soak newspaper in the solution , lay paper over a rack to dry, which does not take very long. When I have soaked all my solution and dried pages I fold the paper and store in a extra large resealable food bag.
When I make wads I use a heavy wood rule and fold a strip of paper against the rule then tear it along the crease against the rule. I tear strips until page is used. Strips are about 2 1/2 “ wide and one strip can make 6 wads 3 1/2” for my 20 ga tulle. You can make them what you want to hold the shot or ball.
The wads will not start a fire in my experience and they hold grease off the powder. The op wad holds the grease ball and ob wad is used to ram the load to powder.
I load strictly from the shooting bag.
I usually can make enough to go a year of shooting in one session depending on my usage. I will strip up enough for a couple of sessions at a time.
LBL

 

[Leadball loader]

It is a fire retardant for the wads. I boil water add borax stir it in to dissolve and
Soak newspaper in the solution , lay paper over a rack to dry, which does not take very long. When I have soaked all my solution and dried pages I fold the paper and store in a extra large resealable food bag.
When I make wads I use a heavy wood rule and fold a strip of paper against the rule then tear it along the crease against the rule. I tear strips until page is used. Strips are about 2 1/2 “ wide and one strip can make 6 wads 3 1/2” for my 20 ga tulle. You can make them what you want to hold the shot or ball.
The wads will not start a fire in my experience and they hold grease off the powder. The op wad holds the grease ball and ob wad is used to ram the load to powder.
I load strictly from the shooting bag.
I usually can make enough to go a year of shooting in one session depending on my usage. I will strip up enough for a couple of sessions at a time.
LBL

 

[smoothshooter]

It is a fire retardant for the wads. I boil water add borax stir it in to dissolve and
Soak newspaper in the solution , lay paper over a rack to dry, which does not take very long. When I have soaked all my solution and dried pages I fold the paper and store in a extra large resealable food bag.
When I make wads I use a heavy wood rule and fold a strip of paper against the rule then tear it along the crease against the rule. I tear strips until page is used. Strips are about 2 1/2 “ wide and one strip can make 6 wads 3 1/2” for my 20 ga tulle. You can make them what you want to hold the shot or ball.
The wads will not start a fire in my experience and they hold grease off the powder. The op wad holds the grease ball and ob wad is used to ram the load to powder.
I load strictly from the shooting bag.
I usually can make enough to go a year of shooting in one session depending on my usage. I will strip up enough for a couple of sessions at a time.
LBL

What is the mix ratio of the water and Borax?

 

[Robert Judge]

To all the point was shooting with out patch. As I was told Civil War acting has to shoot bare balls only. That is a rule they have to follow. N-SSA

The Civil War muskets used paper cartridges. You would open one end pour the powder then put the paper and ball into the barrel ram it home cap and fire. The paper cartridge acted like a patch. But no arches are used. No bare ball loaded if you are following the military loading techniques. Paper cartridges not bare ball.

 

[Leadball loader]

What is the mix ratio of the water and Borax?

2 1/2 tablespoons borax per cup of water. I use a tote cover that will take newspaper unfolded unopened a double page at a time. Two or three qts of water heated in pan with a handle.
LBL

 

[johnraleksa]

That is not true. The Civil War smoothbore muskets were fired with musket cartridges using undersized balls. The paper was not separated from the balls before loading, and in fact acted as “windage”.

do you know
how much powder they used in those cartridges ?

 

[Ohio Rusty]

I use borax in the laundry and for blacksmithing I use borax as a flux to forge weld two pieces of metal into one piece.
Ohio Rusty ><>

 

[Ian Straus]

The Civil War muskets used paper cartridges. You would open one end pour the powder then put the paper and ball into the barrel ram it home cap and fire. The paper cartridge acted like a patch. But no arches are used. No bare ball loaded if you are following the military loading techniques. Paper cartridges not bare ball.

Not so. The Brits' load for the Enfield was a paper wrapped smooth bullet. But the American load for rifled muskets (for both sides) was a greased Minie with grease grooves, no paper. Yes the cartridge was paper but the paper was not rammed.
It was different for smoothbores with round ball, for which ramming paper was optional.