Paper Shot Cups

[Old Sarge]

A while back I read a post about making paper shot cups for smoothbores. I searched until my fingers got sore and couldn't find it. If anyone knows of that post please give me a hand. Thanks in advance...Tom

Also any additional info on this subject would be greatly appreciated. Squirrel season is right around the corner.

 

[Claude Mathis]

Do a boolean search for "shot cups" (make sure you put it in quotes). Be sure to choose "show topics", not "each post". You'll get 247 hits.

I have no idea which discussion you were looking for, but here's a couple of the results.
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/221241
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/223625

 

[ohio ramrod]

I make my own paper shot cartiges from news paper. I roll a strip of newspaper around a 5/8 doll rod (for the 69 cal ) and tie off one end with thread after folding it over. Then fill the tube with the shot charge, fold over the remaining paper and tie it again.This is the same priniciple as the paper cartriges used from the colonial days right up through the civil war. I also make powder charges the same way using heavy wax paper. The origional paper cartriges had both paper and ball (or shot charge ) in one paper tube but with my arthritic hands I find it easier to use seperate tubes. I use one powder charge,one felt wad , followed by a shot charge.Their was an article in muzzle blasts about ten years or so ago that detailed how to make a paper cartridge.

 

[roundball]

I've tried various ways to carry powder and shot charges and always keep coming back to paper as my preference.

And while I always carry any litter back out of the woods with me, at least paper is faster at the moment because I can temporarily just drop it on the ground and not worry about losing a vial or a cap to a vial, etc.

Never thought about wax paper...what do you mean when you say "heavy" wax paper?

 

[Old Sarge]

Thanks for your assistance. I got it. :hatsoff:

 

[B.Habermehl]

I use a dowel about .040 under bore dia. then wrap a "Post It" sheet around it, fold over the end like a coin wrapper, and seal it with a drop of glue using a low temp hot glue gun from the craft store your wife might frequent. Then dump your measured shot charge into the tube. Fold the open end over and add a drop of glue.
In my guns I put my powder charge down the barrel then one or more cardboard wads. Then I put my shot cup in, tear the excess paper off even with the top of the shot. Then ram it home with a thin over shot card. (.015). The top of the paper shot cup must be completely open or the cup will often go down range as a slug.

 

[Deadeye]

BH, What are you doing to keep the shot together as a slug. I make mine about the same way except I put an over shot card in side the tube on each end of the shot and glue the post it note over it.
I don't tear it open and I've shot hundreds of these and never had one go down range as a slug.
The weight of the shot leaves the paper as soon as it exits the barrel. Lately I've been gluing an
over powder card to the bottom of the capsule and
seating it as one piece onto the powder. Works great.