Paper patch roundball in a civil war musket?

[jrweis1997]

I have an 1861 springfield that I really enjoy shooting but it does get kind of boring shooting alone after a while id say. There are a bunch of shoots by me in western PA that I would like to shoot at that are roundball only which puts me in a bit of a bind with my 1861. Has anyone ever fired roundball paper cartridges out of a civil war musket? I had some .570 balls I tested it with that were basically impossible to get down the bore with paper around them. Reading about the 1842 rifles it looks like they shot .662 balls out of a .69 cal bore so I was thinking maybe I should try a .550 ball. Just curious if anyone here has given this a try I think ill pick up a box of balls and test out and if it goes well ill have to get myself a mold.

 

[Nobade]

Why not use cloth patches? My '61 shoots great with a. 570" ball and ticking patch. Or is this a speed competition where you need to use cartridges?

 

[Rifleman1776]

I once had an original CW musket I shot patched round balls from very successfully. No need to reinvent the wheel.

 

[jrweis1997]

Why not use cloth patches? My '61 shoots great with a. 570" ball and ticking patch. Or is this a speed competition where you need to use cartridges?

ive done patched as well i think it would just be neat to be able to shoot cartridges too

 

[dave951]

I have an 1861 springfield that I really enjoy shooting but it does get kind of boring shooting alone after a while id say. There are a bunch of shoots by me in western PA that I would like to shoot at that are roundball only which puts me in a bit of a bind with my 1861. Has anyone ever fired roundball paper cartridges out of a civil war musket? I had some .570 balls I tested it with that were basically impossible to get down the bore with paper around them. Reading about the 1842 rifles it looks like they shot .662 balls out of a .69 cal bore so I was thinking maybe I should try a .550 ball. Just curious if anyone here has given this a try I think ill pick up a box of balls and test out and if it goes well ill have to get myself a mold.

Hook up with the N-SSA if you want to shoot competition with a team.

 

[rmark]

The round ball paper cartridge was used with smooth bore muskets, the paper held the ball in place on the powder and took up some of the excess windage between the ball and barrel. It didn’t impart spin to the ball since there was no rifling.

IIRC, the 1841 Mississippi rifle was loaded with separate cloth patch and ball.

 

[rmark]

I think some of the later 1842 Springfields were rifled but used a .69 minie bullet.

 

[HamptonBogs45]

I have an 1861 springfield that I really enjoy shooting but it does get kind of boring shooting alone after a while id say. There are a bunch of shoots by me in western PA that I would like to shoot at that are roundball only which puts me in a bit of a bind with my 1861. Has anyone ever fired roundball paper cartridges out of a civil war musket? I had some .570 balls I tested it with that were basically impossible to get down the bore with paper around them. Reading about the 1842 rifles it looks like they shot .662 balls out of a .69 cal bore so I was thinking maybe I should try a .550 ball. Just curious if anyone here has given this a try I think ill pick up a box of balls and test out and if it goes well ill have to get myself a mold.

Like others said, shoot patched round balls. Lots of NSSA shooters do. Try lubed pillowing ticking patches.

 

[nkbj]

I think some of the later 1842 Springfields were rifled but used a .69 minie bullet.

The lands are dang near 3/8" wide and grooves are shallow. A round ball can tend to ride on those lands about like it was in a poorly machined smooth bore so some inventive loading techniques may be called for. At one point I tried hard cast and they actually shot better than what had been tried with soft lead.

 

[HamptonBogs45]

The lands are dang near 3/8" wide and grooves are shallow. A round ball can tend to ride on those lands about like it was in a poorly machined smooth bore so some inventive loading techniques may be called for. At one point I tried hard cast and they actually shot better than what had been tried with soft lead.

Yeah 14,000+ were brought back to the arsenal and rifled. They actually manufactured them with thick barrels purposely knowing they’d be rifled later. Murphy's muskets has a good video shooting his with the minie ball and a paper cartridge round ball(smoothbore ammo). They seemed similarly accurate at 100 yards.

 

[HamptonBogs45]

I think some of the later 1842 Springfields were rifled but used a .69 minie bullet.

Whoops that reply was meant for you.

 

[HamptonBogs45]

The lands are dang near 3/8" wide and grooves are shallow. A round ball can tend to ride on those lands about like it was in a poorly machined smooth bore so some inventive loading techniques may be called for. At one point I tried hard cast and they actually shot better than what had been tried with soft lead.

That last reply was meant for rmark

 

[jrweis1997]

Yeah 14,000+ were brought back to the arsenal and rifled. They actually manufactured them with thick barrels purposely knowing they’d be rifled later. Murphy's muskets has a good video shooting his with the minie ball and a paper cartridge round ball(smoothbore ammo). They seemed similarly accurate at 100 yards.

this is actually the video that inspired my question!

 

[HamptonBogs45]

this is actually the video that inspired my question!

I would ask some NSSA guys why size ball and thickness patch they you and play around to see what yours likes.

 

[hawkeye2]

The N-SSA doesn't use round balls in rifled gun competitions, only in smoothbore, revolvers and sometimes in breech loading carbines where the ball is in a brass or plastic container (cartridge). Smoothbore pistols and muskets can only use roundballs and patching material is prohibited in all matches (includes loading paper cartridges).

You can successfully shoot round balls from a 61 but the shallow rifling will make it sensitive to ball and patch size.