Paper Cartridges

[rodwha]

Yeah I got it a few years ago in a trade for cheap and just a lee .375. I think next cap and ball I will buy will be a Uberti

It might be that your Pietta has a slow twist meant for a ball anyway. It seems most of their revolvers are rifled that way. When I got my Rem in 2013 I created very short bullets for it as I was told it had a 1:30” twist. After creating these bullets I one day checked the twist and found it to be more like 1:16”. So I had been working on creating a universal bullet for my Rem and ROA.

 

[ernbar]

I have tried nitrated coffee filter paper, cigarette paper and curling paper. From all three I prefer the curling papers. They are SUPER cheap, thin yet strong and burn better than the other two.
Yours failed to ignite probably because they either had too much paper material at the ignition point, caps were not fully seated on the nipples or because the paper cartridge was not fully seated on top of the flash hole in the cylinder chamber.

 

[rodwha]

I don’t make my paper cartridges in a traditional fashion, and mine have a twisty tail I trim a bit at the base. I’ve never had a failure to fire or a delayed ignition despite so much paper there my the nipple. I use American Spirits flax seed papers.

 

[n.h.schmidt]

Hi I am just starting in making paper cartridges. Is there a favorite glue stick? I see that Dollar Tree has glue sticks 8 for $1.25 I like so many have getting older problems and my abilities with my hands are not so good anymore. What stick might have a longer working time?

 

[D Yager]

Elmers school glue stick.

 

[Freedom]

Hi I am just starting in making paper cartridges. Is there a favorite glue stick? I see that Dollar Tree has glue sticks 8 for $1.25 I like so many have getting older problems and my abilities with my hands are not so good anymore. What stick might have a longer working time?

Water-glass. ..So happy, the day that I threw out that stupid glue-stick!

 

[Pete453]

Water-glass. ..So happy, the day that I threw out that stupid glue-stick!
View attachment 391798

What paper are you using that gets that transparent?
I've used a nitrocellulose glue on mine, I wonder if I could get a similar effect?

 

[Freedom]

These are my favorite. Picked up this box from Amazon. It's enough to do over 3,000 cartridges, for $24 bucks.

 

[n.h.schmidt]

Where do you get water glass? how do you use it? Will it burn? I like the look of your cartridges. Elmers glue sticks I can get anywhere,thanks.

 

[russellshaffer]

If you try Spectricide stump remover be sure to read the label carefully. The new formulation does not use potassium nitrate and it will not burn. I obtained some black powder made with the new stuff and it would not light. I heated it with a propane torch until little melted sulfur balls rolled around and still no fire. Just saying.

 

[Freedom]

Where do you get water glass? how do you use it? Will it burn? I like the look of your cartridges. Elmers glue sticks I can get anywhere,thanks.

It's called sodium silicate, you can get it from Ebay, ect. I just apply it with a small paintbrush, and it's water soluble (until dry) so you can keep your brush functioning through the process with a little dish of water.

I put over 100 paper cartridges through my 51 Navy, without cleaning, and the amount of paper I dug out of that cylinder would seem to be endless.. but it never affected the performance at all. So I don't even worry about the unburnt paper now.

I paint all my cartridges with water-glass, (sodium silicate) and that probably hinders the fire from consuming the paper. But the water-glass makes them waterproof and look great. Plus it really inhances their durability.

It sure increased my enjoyment of making the cartridges when I threw away the silly glue stick. The water glass dries fast and works awesome as glue. And it was traditionally used in making original paper cartridges.

Suppose it'd ruin your day if a piece of paper was still smoldering as you loaded a new fresh cartridge. But I've never had smoke rolling off of an unburnt piece of cartridge treated with water-glass... but I have seen smoldering a lot of times in a paper-cutter Sharps with nitrated papers.

 

[sheriff john]

Dixie Gunworks sold loaded paper cartridges ack in the day. I still have a package of those in .31, but shot up the other package 50 years ago. Best as I remember, they all went off. It was an option. Don't suppose they still sell them.

 

[Leatherbark]

I used to nitrate the coffee filters back in the day, but now I like using "Guns of the Old West" cartridge papers. I use "Cap-n-Balls" tools and make my own boxes except the 44 box in the bottom picture I bought from a guy on Etsy. (I can't find them anymore). These all have been surefire, but you must get some of the paper ash out of the chambers before loading. I have shot several cylinders without doing that and it tends to get gobbed off. Both projectiles are the Colt 36 and the Johnston and Dow 44 from guy down south. The Guns of the old west papers are sure fire just like the lower ones which are made from nitrated coffee filters

Bob

 

[n.h.schmidt]

A lot to consider here.As to helping the paper to burn. I have a suggestion. I make my own percussion caps. I use a binder made from a pinch of fast pistol powder (700x) in a teaspoon of acetone. It not only works well as a binder but it also burns with power. I have put some on paper and lit it off.It all burns and quickly too. Perhaps this could be used as a overcoat .