Blank cartidges

[three]

I am going to a 1757 event. This is a definate NO LEAD event. Does anyone have a good method for making Blank charges for a specific gun size. Mine is a .50 cal. I saw one years ago that had some thing to do with rapping a triangle piece of news paper around a dowel but I cant remember the details. ::

 

[Muggsy]

You can use triangle, or even just a square. If you use a cartridge box you want a section of wood dowel just a bit small than the holes in the box. If you are not using a box, then get a dowel about 5/8" thick, around 6-8 inches in length is good, and start at one side of the triangle or square, and roll across to the other side. I prefer to use a liquid paper glue that kids use in school to seal it. Too heavy of glue and you wont be able to rip it open. Make sure you fold the end over to seal the bottom, then slide it off the dowel and fill it with the appropriate amount of powder. Here is a link on rolling cartridges- its a civil war site, but the process is the same:

http://www.3rdalabama.org/roll_cart.htm

The main key is to make sure the cartridge is big enough that the powder comes out quickly when you pour it down the barrel. One more important piece of info: FOR REENACTMENTS DONT PUT THE PAPER DOWN THE BARREL. If it is a reenactment they enforce that rule heavily.

Hope that helps.

 

[three]

:master: Squisdi Wado (thank you very much) That was just what I was looking for.

:thumbsup:You da man

Joey KT

 

[Forestwalker]

Hey thanks for the info, there isn't a paper coin place on top of powder charge in barrel, isn't that kind of dirty and possible to loose your charge if you lower muzzle.

 

There is no paper rammed on top of the powder. You just keep your muzzle elivated to contain the charge. At most reenactments they will not allow you to take a ram rod onto the battlefield. Normally they will not allow edged weapons either. Too much falling down going on, someone always gets hurt.

Usually, if all else fails, someone will run into a tree and wind up breaking some vital body part!

It they let us have ramrods, knives and 'hawks we could do ourselves major damage!

:crackup:

 

[2nd artillery]

Heres an other idea, take a peace of copper pipe like 1/2 in. or so. Cut it the lenght of your other former and when you wrap the cartridge instead of tieing it you push it up into the tube and it will hold its self. But after a while they might come apart but it works great for just that one weekend.

 

[Twisted_1in66]

I am going to a 1757 event. This is a definate NO LEAD event. Does anyone have a good method for making Blank charges for a specific gun size. Mine is a .50 cal. I saw one years ago that had some thing to do with rapping a triangle piece of news paper around a dowel but I cant remember the details. ::

Hi Joey,

I also use a .50 cal rifle for reenactment and typically roll 70 to 100 of these cartridges for a weekend event. I hate to run out, because even if your gun is working great, if you run out of cartridges, you have to die. I like to live.

Here's how I do it:

I made a pattern out of a piece of a file folder. I cut a 5" square out of the folder and then put a mark along one side 3" from one end. Then, I make a diagonal cut from that 3" mark over to the opposite corner. Lay it up against the edge of some unlined paper (cheapest printer paper works great) and run a pen or pencil around the edge. Then flip it over to line up the diagonal edge of the pattern with diagonal edge you just drew on the paper and outline it again. Now you've got a rectangle with a diagonal line through the middle of it.

Cut along all the lines and you will have two sets of cartridge papers. If you've got access to a paper cutter, use it to cut this out of about 10 sheets at a time. With scissors it's more like 4 or 5 sheets of paper.

For a .50 cal, use about 6"-8" of 1/2" dowel to roll the paper around. Start from the FLAT EDGE of the paper and roll to the diagonal edge. Roll it tight and then pull the dowel out about 3/8" or so (measurement's not critical) and twist the bottom together. Then pull the dowel out about 1/4' more and push the twisted bump up inside so the bottom's flat. On the link to the pictures of doing this, you

 

[three]

:RO:Siyo, I started rolling and it gets tedious real fast. I think I'll make a couple dozen and stop there. At this event we're allowed to use our ram rods and use the paper as wadding. It makes a better BANG. It's a semi private event and so far common sense has been the rule. Shooting at a distance and over head etc. It'll be a good break from the books.

Gunna kill me some redcoats!!

 

[Twisted_1in66]

:RO:Siyo, I started rolling and it gets tedious real fast. I think I'll make a couple dozen and stop there. At this event we're allowed to use our ram rods and use the paper as wadding. It makes a better BANG. It's a semi private event and so far common sense has been the rule. Shooting at a distance and over head etc. It'll be a good break from the books.

Gunna kill me some redcoats!!

Out here in the Northeast, none of the reenactment groups allow you to pull your ramrod from the tubes, outside of the safety check prior to the start of hositlities (required to "bounce" the ramrod to show there is nothing in the barrel). We're also not allowed to push the paper down the barrel. It'll sometimes come out in little ignited pieces, so they don't want that flying around the battlefield, especially if it's a dry summer. It definitely does make a bigger bang if you can use it.

 

[FearNot]

Somewhere I heard that a small piece of tinfoild could be wadded up for use over the powder. Anyone else heard of or tried this?

 

[mike alexandre]

We wrap our cannon cartriges in foil, they disintergrate on firing.