Period correct round ball loads

[duelist1954]

I’ve been playing around with different, period correct loading methods for round balls. I included cloth-patched balls, even though there doesn’t seem to be any documentation for the practice, but I find it hard to believe that it wasn’t done, especially in areas where rifles were common.

Here is a video I did on the subject
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8AtaQGYQDk

This is the Tulle fusil de Chasse I’ve been shooting lately



Loading material



A little shooting







Patched round ball group



Bare ball groups with 90 grains/110 grains of 2Fg and paper or tow wads

 

[sb 54 cal.]

Really like your videos and look forward to the next one. Thanks
Pappy

 

[George]

Good video, Mike, thanks.

A couple of questions, if you please. You said there is documentation for using paper wads with round ball. I have good documentation for their use with shot, but never found any reference to paper for balls. Can you point me to that?

You used 3/4" x 1 1/2" paper wads for your 20 gauge, said 1" x 2" would be used for 12 gauge. In his book "The art of shooting flying" in 1767, Thomas Page described the use of brown paper wads with a 20 gauge and said he used the 1"x2" wads. May I ask why you chose the smaller ones? I've used paper wads in my 20 gauge quite a bit, I follow Page's recommendation and find the loading process less fussy than yours seems.

Spence

 

[duelist1954]

Spence, I'll have to go digging to find it, but the context is this. Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Gage was writing about skirmishers being more accurate shooters when loading with loose powder and ball than when loading with prepared cartridges. However, that required them to be equipped with either cut paper or tow. I'll try to find it.

I found that the larger paper square was enveloping the tip of my jag when I rammed it down, and I ended up pulling it right back out of the barrel when I withdrew my ramrod.

In the past, even in the field, I always used a 20 ga. jag on my ramrod when loading wads, to keep them from turning. My new fusil has a neat ramrod tip that is broad, but not quite as broad as the 20 ga jag. It may be more amenable to the larger paper wads.

 

[George]

Thanks, I'd appreciate it. I'm particularly interested in historic wadding systems.

If you use paper wads the ramrod needs to be of a particular configuration, straight sided at least as far as the paper folds up along the bore, and very near bore size. I use an all wood ramrod, no tips and with the proper profile in my flintlock smoothbore, and it works very well at that job, never have a problem. On the other hand, I have a double flintlock 20 gauge which I've used paper wads in, and it is a PITA, if I use the ramrod for that gun. That ramrod is smaller in diameter all the way to the big end, then has a very short, wide permanent metal button at the tip. As you said, you can depend on it, the paper folds over that short button and is pulled right back up with the ramrod.

Here's Page on the ramrod:

"This being doubled, put it into to the muzzle, and close the corners up about the rammer (the end of which ought to continue of the same bigness for at least half an inch, or rather somewhat smaller just at the end) and thrust the paper thus put into the barrel gently down upon the powder. Your rammer will come back without danger of drawing the paper back, and will leave it closed against the sides of the barrel like a half cartridge."

Spence

 

[duelist1954]

Spence, can you post a picture of that ramrod end. I think I'd make one, but I want to be sure of what it needs to look like.

Thanks,

Mike

 

[George]

Sure, glad to, but there isn't much to see. Mine is just made from a 1/2" hickory blank, and I left it at 1/2" for about 2" on the big end.

I put that ramrod for the double which is absolutely what you do not want for loading paper in the shot, too, FYI.



Spence

 

[bpd303]

Here is a shot of what I think is an original rammer from the mid 1800's. It's on my 13 ga smoothbore and the brass ferrule is pretty close to bore size and held on with wood wedges. I have another original .600 smoothbore with the same type of rod. The other end of both rods are just tapered to fit the RR pipes.