My HomeMade Shot Cups

[DanChamberlain]

This is a pretty simple idea and hopefully my description will suffice. Hopefully it will be better than nylon panty-hose.

I scribe a circle on a 3x5 index card that measures the interior diameter of my bore or the point of its tightest choke.

I scribe a second, outer circle using the same center point. The distance of the second circle will be determined by the amount of shot you want to pour. Experimentation will determine this.

Now, I cut the card on the outer circle line. When it's cut out, I make quartering cuts from the outer circle's circumfrence to the center circle line. Then I make eighths the same way. Now, I have a small circle with 8 wings that are slightly delta shaped.

Make a bunch of those.

When you've loaded your powder and over powder cards, work one of these into the bore so that the wings begin to overlap each other, leaving the inner circle flat on the bottom. It may be slightly bowl shaped, but that will flatten out when you seat the charge. When the edge is flush with the muzzle, pour your shot into the cup and seat it.

When it exits the bore, the wings open up and the shot is away. I've never had one burn on me, but you might look out in a fire prone area.

The card can be lubricated too.

Another way to make the cuts are at an angle to the center circle. When the flaps overlap, they sort of form a spiral. I haven't seen an advantage either way.

Dan

 

[roundball]

This is a pretty simple idea and hopefully my description will suffice. Hopefully it will be better than nylon panty-hose.

I scribe a circle on a 3x5 index card that measures the interior diameter of my bore or the point of its tightest choke.

I scribe a second, outer circle using the same center point. The distance of the second circle will be determined by the amount of shot you want to pour. Experimentation will determine this.

Now, I cut the card on the outer circle line. When it's cut out, I make quartering cuts from the outer circle's circumfrence to the center circle line. Then I make eighths the same way. Now, I have a small circle with 8 wings that are slightly delta shaped.

Make a bunch of those.

When you've loaded your powder and over powder cards, work one of these into the bore so that the wings begin to overlap each other, leaving the inner circle flat on the bottom. It may be slightly bowl shaped, but that will flatten out when you seat the charge. When the edge is flush with the muzzle, pour your shot into the cup and seat it.

When it exits the bore, the wings open up and the shot is away. I've never had one burn on me, but you might look out in a fire prone area.

The card can be lubricated too.

Another way to make the cuts are at an angle to the center circle. When the flaps overlap, they sort of form a spiral. I haven't seen an advantage either way.

Dan

Dan, I experimented with a few styles of paper shot cups rolling papers around a dowel as a mandrel, etc, and they gave excellent performance...when they worked...but no matter what I did I could not eliminate the occasional one that would go through the target like a slug !!

I'm very impressed with your idea and appreciate you sharing it...I have a 15/16" x .54cal flint smoothbore barrel that I'd like to use for small game but have always been hampered by the limited effective patterns from the cylinder bore...I won't use modern plastic wads but the settlers could have made paper ones just like yours so they're fair game as far as I'm concerned...so I'll try some soon.
:thumbsup:

 

[DanChamberlain]

I'll post a photo of one tomorrow. I use shutterfly and photobucket. Do either of those hosting sites work here?

Dan

 

[white_tail]

Dan,

Could you post a picture of your tube?

 

[Rebel]

Photobucket works.

 

[MSW]

sounds great- i'm contemplating a .62 cal/20 gua drop in barrel, and i'd like to see the shot cp thingy.

 

[DanChamberlain]

Ask and ye shall receive.

Descriptions of how these are made are in other threads. I like to use the wax paper/sticky label method because it water proofs...or at least makes the powder loaders moisture resistent. It would be much faster just using paper, but the water resistence makes the effort worth while for me.

The shot cups are not a pain to make, but they are mildly time consuming. The result is difficult for me to gauge since my gun has chokes and the patterns are pretty good as they are. For someone with no chokes, they might help.

Dan

 

[Deadeye]

This works for me.

I've shot 100s of these and never had one that didn't open up. These are 20 ga. and just a slip fit in the barrel then seated tight on the powder.

 

[Bearbait2]

Mr. Deadeye,
Any particular type of paper?
Best Wishes

 

[roundball]

I've shot 100s of these and never had one that didn't open up...........then seated tight on the powder.

That's really a neat looking package for sure and easy to carry/handle.
Seeing that the shot end is also glued shut..what would you say the reason is for never having had one fail to open...are they probably splitting when you seat them firmly ?

 

[Razorx]

Hey Dan,

Thanks for the great tips. :thumbsup: I triied to make one shotcup this morning. I would say it looks like it will work. I like the idea that it is made for the shot. I also agree, It is more traditional. The plastic cups are to long and are hard to keep the bottoms straight. I shot a 12ga that has no chokes if I get time this weekend and it is 40 below. I give them a shot and let you know how they worked for me.

Nolan

 

[DanChamberlain]

Roundball

They are probably splitting when the charge hits them in the pants on the way up!

Dan

 

[DanChamberlain]

Razor

Hope it works for you.

Dan

 

[Capt. Jas.]

Whay not add the powder to the back end and you will have a pre-measured amount to pour down the barrel?
Anyone ever made any like that?

 

[roundball]

Whay not add the powder to the back end and you will have a pre-measured amount to pour down the barrel?
Anyone ever made any like that?

I believe that's how military ball cartridges are made...tear the paper, prime the lock, pour the rest down bore, then stuff the remaining paper with the ball captive at the top into the bore, letting the paper serves as a wad.

 

[Grizzled Roberts]

I do not shoot very many shot loads out of my traditional flintlocks. This is an idea I had once but never tried it out.
1. Push your fiber wad about 4 inches down the barrel. Take two strips of paper as wide as your bore and 5 inches long, form an X with them over the muzzle.

2. With a starting device close to the bore diameter push these down until they contact the fiber wad.

3. Pour in your shot, cut or tear off the excess paper, put your over shot card in and push the load down.

It just seems to me that two loose non connected
pieces of paper or other material, would peel off
after exiting the barrel and not effect the shot pattern.

If I ever shoot more than 3 shot load a year I might actually try this!

 

[pmwest]

http://books.google.com/books?id=cUcCAAAAQAAJ is a link to an 1862 publication that details the construction and use of several “speed loaders”. The description starts on page 245. This of course applies to traditional percussion guns. I can not find any reference to anything other than shot pouches or snakes in the flintlock era. I would welcome some direction if you know of a pre-1865 publication that discusses the topic. This book is a very interesting read, anyone care to attempt to duplicate the “cartridges”?

 

[AkDan]

Dan,

The top pic is the shotcups...is the bottom pic the shot cups loaded and sealed with shot, pre slitted then?

To bad my double is in Mn still. Left it there for this springs turkey season. Havent had the chance to run any shotcups of any kind through it. Got an idear given to me awhile back I'm chomping at the bit to try. I'll be adding this one to that list of things to do with it....

 

[DanChamberlain]

No, the top picture is the shot cups. The second photo shows the "speed loaders" I make with the computer lables and wax paper from another post. Sorry, but the mods combined the photos into one post so it got confusing.

Dan

 

[Deadeye]

Windwalker- I used to use regular typing paper but now use 3" "post it" pads. They come in different colors that I can use for different shot sizes.

Roundball- I think your probably right, I seat it
hard enough on the powder that I'm fairly sure it ruptures. It should be small enough that it slides down without much effort. About 10 or 12 yrs. ago there was an article in one of the muzzleloader mags. about some guys hunting grouse
and this was the way they loaded, I've been doing it ever since. If anyone wants pre-measured powder
I'd suggest making separate paper capsules for that. These shot capsules are very sturdy and can be packed around for yrs. without any damage to them.