Lost Accuracy with rolled paper cartridges, either 36 cal. Or 44 cal.

[rodwha]

I’m perplexed that you guys are seeing significant loss of accuracy. I shoot offhand at 15 yds. I’m no pistolero but I averaged 3-3.5” with my ROA and 3.5-4” with my NMA, which was often better than what I see with young shooters with newfangled autos at 7 yds. I see no discernible difference.

 

[Whughett]

I’m perplexed that you guys are seeing significant loss of accuracy. I shoot offhand at 15 yds. I’m no pistolero but I averaged 3-3.5” with my ROA and 3.5-4” with my NMA, which was often better than what I see with young shooters with newfangled autos at 7 yds. I see no discernible difference.

Are you speaking to paper cartridges use vrs conventional loading.

 

[Red Owl]

If you read a bit about the old Western lawmen (Wild Bill, Etc.) they all carried combustible cartridges as emergency, back up ammunition but they started the day using balls packed over as much powder as they could get into the cylinder. I think they had the sprue forward, which made the ball a poor relative to a modern Semi-wadcutter- that is, a flat surface hitting the target. The conicals back then were extremely tapered (pointy tips).

 

[Tenring]

You learn something new every day I did not know this, I guess there lives could be called out at any time.

 

[rodwha]

Are you speaking to paper cartridges use vrs conventional loading.

Yes.

I use American Spirits flax rolling papers. Mine have a twisty tail at the base that I trim. It leaves little paper shards in a couple of chambers each cylinder full. I started off with a tiny pair of needle nose pliers removing the he tiny debris but then tried leaving it to see if it caused problems. I only had enough for 3 more cylinders but encountered no ignition issues. And my targets looked the same as the ones loaded individually, and I went through 10 cylinders that day.

 

[Tenring]

That’s cool I was using a pair of pointed tweezers to pick any paper particles Out of the cylinder. I also was having no ignition problems. I am glad your accuracy was still holding, what grain powder charge were you using if you don’t mind me asking, I forget from your last post if you said you were using round ball or conicals.

 

[rodwha]

That’s cool I was using a pair of pointed tweezers to pick any paper particles Out of the cylinder. I also was having no ignition problems. I am glad your accuracy was still holding, what grain powder charge were you using if you don’t mind me asking, I forget from your last post if you said you were using round ball or conicals.

My NMA does best with 30 grns (3F Olde E weighs 33 grns) and my ROA with 35 that weighs 38 grns, and this was despite the projectile. These were mostly made with my 195 grn WFN bullet, but also with my 170 grn version. I’ve tried RN and SWCs in the Ruger too.

 

[bobthemotorcycle]

Target practice for matches at 25 & 50 yards not so much

What do you mean matches? Are there bp revolver matches? Where and what are they about?

 

[Tenring]

My New model army at 30 gr. With Goex 3F and round ball is stellar. During the war between the states I wonder what charge they used when not loading with paper and did they use round or conical. Your loads and projectile choice are right there and work great for you.

 

[No second place]

What do you mean matches? Are there bp revolver matches? Where and what are they about?

Their are BP percussion revolver matches and Championships at the state and national level each year...I only shoot in the NRA and NMLRA events. Their are also revolver matches in Cowboy Action Shooting and NSSA national and state level events. You could spend all week shooting revolver matches and most Cap-lock matches where revolvers are allowed.Two types of slow fire 25yd targets, one slow fire 50yd target and a limited time fire 25yd target (1min. per shot) . Special match for Colt type open-top same 4 targets 25 & 50yds...Info at " NMLRA.org " Sept. 11th. to 19th ...c

 

[rodwha]

My New model army at 30 gr. With Goex 3F and round ball is stellar. During the war between the states I wonder what charge they used when not loading with paper and did they use round or conical. Your loads and projectile choice are right there and work great for you.

It seems one filled the chambers with powder when loading a ball, and that makes sense when we see the numbers with sporting grade powders, it looks like they’re fast enough to expand and produce the stopping power we read about.

 

[jefair1]

N-SSA also has revolver matches

 

[Tenring]

Rodwha a round ball is brutal, I would guess in the heat of battle what ever charge went in the cylinder was it. You read tails about men double charging weapons from pure fear and anguis.

 

[rodwha]

Rodwha a round ball is brutal, I would guess in the heat of battle what ever charge went in the cylinder was it. You read tails about men double charging weapons from pure fear and anguis.

A ball is brutal if it’s going fast enough. I’m beginning to wonder if that’s not why the .36 was so revered and made up for its smaller size. Get the ball down around in to 900 FPS range and we see that in gel it cuts a caliber sized hole due to the blunt nose. At revolver velocities those pointy conicals will cut a smaller than caliber hole since it allows the flesh to stretch and likely why we read of the soldiers not too impressed with them on men.

In the heat of battle paper cartridges would have been used if they had them, so conicals. I don’t have a clue as to what was common as far as self cast projectiles. It seems molds came with both cavities. A ball seemed more potent and used less lead so I’d suppose it more likely loaded when things were calm. It’s what I’d certainly do.

 

[Red Owl]

If you look at photos of a lot of dead western outlaws, most have a bullet hole through the head. Now a days we all aim for the chest area. In any event a percussion ball through the head pretty much ends it.

 

[rodwha]

If you look at photos of a lot of dead western outlaws, most have a bullet hole through the head. Now a days we all aim for the chest area. In any event a percussion ball through the head pretty much ends it.

If originals also shoot so high making a well aimed shot under fire seems rather difficult. But it seems like the pics you describe are of an are beyond percussion.

 

[Tenring]

The conical bullet moving slower from a revolver would definitely leave a narrow wound channel due to the pointy shape of it so I guess the soldiers were not to impressed by them, so true rodwha.

 

[Red Owl]

Yes. some of those photos had to have been from the cartridge era, what I was trying to express was that during that era it was more common to aim for the head rather than the torso and as such, the percussion projectile would have been more lethal. I think Mark Twain described a man shot six times in the leg, etc. that he encountered upon moving to Nevada and the man survived.

 

[Tenring]

Wow six times and lived. But the cap and ball rules the day.

 

[Red Owl]

According to Twain, he saw the guy around town living it up as if nothing had happened. Twain went west with a pepper box and said every time he fired the thing all the barrels went off at the same time. "Roughing it" is the name of the book.