Paper Cartridge Danger?

[tenngun]

Grease your paper or tow,hemp,felt ect with a heavt solid grease like mink oil or lard ect it won’t burn.
Greasy paper should burn great, but the greasy Ed’s slows the time it take the paper to get to ignition temp.

 

[Sidney Smith]

I have greased the shot cups and sometimes put some lube on the over powder paper.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I guess that they didn't have American Tin Boxes in the civil war.

Actually they have documented "ammo cook off" in cartridge boxes in the ACW. I read one account where one soldiers box also touched off those around him.
Also the procedure for a smoothbore musket cartridge is to bite off the end of the paper cartridge. The Sharps inserted the whole cartridge in the rifle. This is important as ingesting Potassium Nitrate on a regular basis will lead to erectile dysfunction.

LD

 

[Crow-Feather]

Actually they have documented "ammo cook off" in cartridge boxes in the ACW. I read one account where one soldiers box also touched off those around him.
Also the procedure for a smoothbore musket cartridge is to bite off the end of the paper cartridge. The Sharps inserted the whole cartridge in the rifle. This is important as ingesting Potassium Nitrate on a regular basis will lead to erectile dysfunction.

LD

And you know that because .......................................... ?? (chuckle)

 

[sportster73hp]

Dah.... it’s called salt peter

 

[beyu]

I have been shooting paper cartridges in my Model 1777 Charleville for some time now. I make my cartridges from 30 lb (.0033 inch) newsprint. It is just strong enough and soft enough to fold and crimp without tearing.

I HAVE seen smoldering bits of paper land on the ground in front of me...a few times — but usually there is nothing visible on the ground.

I do have some concern over smoldering bits of paper or embers that could be left in the bore, even though I have not seen evidence of it.

After firing, I blow three times down the barrel, watching for smoke exiting the vent. The first blowing drives out smoke, the second a little bit, the third, none at all.

I usually brush out the pan and often use a pick on the vent.

After about five rounds, I swab out the bore with a patch soaked with spit.

I am never in a hurry, so the extra time I give it also helps in avoiding a cook-off.

 

[Irishmusket]

Cleaning patches, bought as such or cotton flannel or cut up old t shirts tend to be too thin and too soft to serve well as patching. Ticking makes good patching. Some hard cloth in about 6 oz weight. A light duck is good.
cannon were loaded with cloth bags and a wet swab was run down between shots. The danger here was bits of bag underneath and behind the powder that wouldn’t be blown out.
Shooting a paper cartridges you want to dump the powder then run the crumpled paper and ball down. This way it’s a wad that is blown clear when you shoot.
In a military setting a soldier had to shoot fast or die. You don’t have to.
Even shooting live cartridges ( with ball) slow down and take your time. Speed is the device of Satan.

smooth bore muskets are not rifles never Patch a ball in a real musket it will not help accuracy or increase your range what it will do is make it harder to load and require lots of swabbing the bore wich defeats the whole advantage of the musket.The Brown Bess in the day bores were verried from 740 to 78 cal standard issue ball was 680 to 690 .In combat or training paper cartridge were used and loaded in the following way you secure the cock in its half dog what call today safety half cock assured that secure you would bite open if you have teeth or rip The powder end of the cartridge and used some it to prime your Musket close pan frizzen.Pour the rest of the powder down barrel place the ball and cartridge paper in the muzzle ball end first draw your drivel (ramrod) drive the ball and paper home firmly against the powder charge .The paper cartridge at this point only serves to hold the ball in place (tampion).with muskets it is desirable to Have some blow By the explosion of the powder and plazma it produces with proper charge will help stabilize the ball in the first four or five calibers so they shoot better than a patched ball and a British regular was trained to shoot a minimum of three shots a minuet effective range volley fire was150 yards absolute slaughter at 75 yards and very accurate 50 yards

 

[tenngun]

Patching a ball is recorded as early as the 1840s in smooth bores, including muskets.
While the military did fire paper cartridges loaded as above it’s not completely accurate to say PRB wasn’t used.

 

[Crow-Feather]

I wonder if patching didn't start because somebody worried about the ball rolling down his barrel.

 

[toot]

I hate that when your balls roll down the barrel. it is very dangerous!

 

[tenngun]

I wonder if patching didn't start because somebody worried about the ball rolling down his barrel.

Rifles were invented around 1500 patches are know from at lest 1600. I’m of the opinion that when someone starts writing down a practice of doing x he is doing it years after it’s first done. Unless he proudly publishes ‘ a new way of x’
The number of relatively thin wooden ramrods seen in old European rifles tells me they were not hammering down over sized ball sans patch in them.
I don’t doubt that someone cleaning a rifle and noted that the wad of cleaning tow turned as he was pushing it down and got the light bulb moment
They knew the danger of a load becoming loose in the old days. When doubled barrel prices became common we see advice to shoot barrel alternating.

 

[Pete G]

I hate that when your balls roll down the barrel. it is very dangerous!

'specially on a cold morning.

 

[toot]

I f think any morning.

 

[RB POWELL]

Some are too big to roll down the barrel.

 

[LSU520]

smooth bore muskets are not rifles never Patch a ball in a real musket it will not help accuracy or increase your range what it will do is make it harder to load and require lots of swabbing the bore wich defeats the whole advantage of the musket.The Brown Bess in the day bores were verried from 740 to 78 cal standard issue ball was 680 to 690 .In combat or training paper cartridge were used and loaded in the following way you secure the cock in its half dog what call today safety half cock assured that secure you would bite open if you have teeth or rip The powder end of the cartridge and used some it to prime your Musket close pan frizzen.Pour the rest of the powder down barrel place the ball and cartridge paper in the muzzle ball end first draw your drivel (ramrod) drive the ball and paper home firmly against the powder charge .The paper cartridge at this point only serves to hold the ball in place (tampion).with muskets it is desirable to Have some blow By the explosion of the powder and plazma it produces with proper charge will help stabilize the ball in the first four or five calibers so they shoot better than a patched ball and a British regular was trained to shoot a minimum of three shots a minuet effective range volley fire was150 yards absolute slaughter at 75 yards and very accurate 50 yards

Not sure why you’d never patch a ball in a smoothbore, I’ve been patching my shots in my fowlers for years, it cuts back on the windage and is more accurate then a paper patch or cartridge.

Paper cartridges were not designed for accuracy, it wasn’t even a concern in the 18th century. Speed of loading was the main concern. Most paper cartridges were not greased too and the muskets would foul out even quicker.