Paper cartridges - how to make

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freeborn5

32 Cal.
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Does anyone know how to make paper cartridges.

I have a smooth boar percussion 68 cal and would like to make my own cartridges where I use the paper in place of the patch.

Anyone done this before if so can you explain.
 
Well What I do is use typing paper cut in half at 6.5 X 5.5 then I have a wood dowel that is slightly larger then the ball. I then roll the paper at the 5.5 side. Once rolled I will crimp and push two times at one end. Then slide the ball in and carefully twist tube below the ball one full turn and if you want you can take some cotton thread and tie off at the crimp then pour measured powder charge and fold the end over and crimp folded end. The crimped end will help keep cartridges upright in cartridge box. There are several examples shown in different CW web sites as well I'll see if I can find them. Hope this helps you out.
 
Well it all depends on how historically accurate you want to be. If your making ones for civil war reenacting, as compared to ones you wish to use at a local range or just tubes to carry powder and ball. If your into Civil war there is a couple of videos on U-tube on how to make them, there is also a couple of web sites that shows you step by step. You don't want to use nitrated paper (why waste the money since the paper doesn't go down the barrel), and a moddern more accurate paper I am told is to go to a box store and buy some of that off white painters window edge paper by 3M or such. Personally what I use is a childs plain unruled drawing pad you can get 500 tubes out of a tablet. Or you can go to E-bay and buy some premade. I just saw some for 25 bucks, with that you get 500 tubes.
 
Poor Private said:
Well it all depends on how historically accurate you want to be. If your making ones for civil war reenacting, as compared to ones you wish to use at a local range or just tubes to carry powder and ball. If your into Civil war there is a couple of videos on U-tube on how to make them, there is also a couple of web sites that shows you step by step. You don't want to use nitrated paper (why waste the money since the paper doesn't go down the barrel), and a moddern more accurate paper I am told is to go to a box store and buy some of that off white painters window edge paper by 3M or such. Personally what I use is a childs plain unruled drawing pad you can get 500 tubes out of a tablet. Or you can go to E-bay and buy some premade. I just saw some for 25 bucks, with that you get 500 tubes.

The ones on E-bay are for blank loads for reenactors.

Duane
 
As noted by Ranger on the linked page, a cartridge for a U.S. style minie requires a seperate chamber for the powder. Later Civil War cartidges were two piece. The first consisted of a tube formed by wrapping paper around a mandrel. The top end was twisted and tied off while still on the mandrel. A lubed minie was placed on top of the first tube and and a second layer was wrapped around, with the top extending past the bullet nose. The paper was twisted and tied off above the bullet and powder was poured into the
inner tube. The end was folded into a "tail" that was bitten off in order to pour oput the powder. The bullet was unwrapped from the remaining paper
and run home. Enfield cartridges were more complex.

Duane
 
This video shows how I make my .58cal Enfield cartridges - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZXLv5u1JSA

It IS labour-intensive, but it is also the way the ladies of the day made them for the troops.

The video, in two parts, also shows the correct way of loading them and re-using the powder cartridge part up to 30+ times. I've only managed about 25 uses before they disintegrate, usually after picking them up from the wet gound.

tac
tac
 
Last edited by a moderator:
This is the method I use to roll my cartridges for my Brown Bess.


Cut your cartridge paper to size. The paper should be a trapezoid. You want the short side of the paper to be about twice the circumference of your ball (2*0.69*3.1416 = 4.33)or 4.5" and the long side about three times the circumference or 6.5"
Cartridge01.jpg

Apply glue along the slanted edge and roll the paper around a mandrel made from a dowel rod turned to the diameter of your ball. For best fot the tube should just slide into the bore of your gun.
Cartridge02.jpg


Pull back the dowel and insert the ball so there is sufficient paper to tie the ball into the tube.
Cartridge03.jpg
Cartridge04.jpg


I fold and glue the paper over the ball and tie the ball into position. With the ball in place, you can dip the ball into a a lubricant. such as a mixture of beeswax and olive oil (1 part bees wax and 4 to 6 parts of olive oil or what ever lube you want to use)

Cartridge06.jpg


Measure and pour you powder into the top of the cylinder.
Cartridge07.jpg


Fold the paper to hold the powder and you now have a cartridge ready to use.
 
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