Rollin' your own?

[CaptainKirk]

How many of you percussion C&B shooters "roll your own" paper cartridges?
This is something I've been itching to try, just never got around to it yet.

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

Nobody I shoot with does it, so I've never seen it done. Will ask at the next League Shoot on Sunday if anybody else has tried to.

Dave

 

[token tory]

I just finished experimenting with them.
The details are in the thread here: http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/.../250723/fromsearch/1/hl/paper|cartridges/tp/1/

 

[Poor Private]

I have "rolled" my own cartridges from good ole cigarett paper. I have done both .36 and .44. I used them for civil war reenacting for reloading in the field on the move, takes just a few seconds to load the cylinder, but easy to drop in the grass and hard to find due to coloration and small size. From a stable place it's fine. I found that it's best to use a piano wire nipple pick to pierce thru the nipple otherwise you can have a delayed reaction snap-pause-pause boom. But if your taking that long to load you might as well just make pre-made tubes like a musket and rip and pour in the chamber then ball it. Or just carry an extra cylinder loaded but uncapped(like I do now). If you can't get the job done with 10-12 shots you might as well quit. If your at a range just do the powder, felt wad. bullet of choice, and then cap it off. A fast time reloading usually is not needed unless your in some kind of speed reloading competition. Not only that how long does it take you to make a individual cartridge 5 minutes? How about a pack of 6? I can reload my .44cal, powder, felt, bullet and cap in less than 5 minutes for the whole cylinder. I don't want to spend a couple of hours makeing cartridges before I go out to the range, it takes the pleasure out of it for the day when I know I have to spend an hour or more just in prep. I owuld rather grab my stuff from the cabinet load it in the range box and head out the range.
I don't carry a single shot pistol so it might work out better, making cartridges.

 

[Mort Scott]

before I got a smooth bore for my renagade I tried it with shot , I saw no need to by another gun to shoot a grouse once in awhile. It worked OK and shot a few birds. I also tried it in my pistol and had good results for birds at close range.

 

[CaptainKirk]

I have "rolled" my own cartridges from good ole cigarett paper. I have done both .36 and .44. I used them for civil war reenacting for reloading in the field on the move, takes just a few seconds to load the cylinder, but easy to drop in the grass and hard to find due to coloration and small size. From a stable place it's fine. I found that it's best to use a piano wire nipple pick to pierce thru the nipple otherwise you can have a delayed reaction snap-pause-pause boom. But if your taking that long to load you might as well just make pre-made tubes like a musket and rip and pour in the chamber then ball it. Or just carry an extra cylinder loaded but uncapped(like I do now). If you can't get the job done with 10-12 shots you might as well quit. If your at a range just do the powder, felt wad. bullet of choice, and then cap it off. A fast time reloading usually is not needed unless your in some kind of speed reloading competition. Not only that how long does it take you to make a individual cartridge 5 minutes? How about a pack of 6? I can reload my .44cal, powder, felt, bullet and cap in less than 5 minutes for the whole cylinder. I don't want to spend a couple of hours makeing cartridges before I go out to the range, it takes the pleasure out of it for the day when I know I have to spend an hour or more just in prep. I owuld rather grab my stuff from the cabinet load it in the range box and head out the range.
I don't carry a single shot pistol so it might work out better, making cartridges.

Point taken. However, I like to spend my winter evenings reloading metallic cartridges, and thought this might make an interesting sideline addition to that...um..."sport".
Loading metallic can get expensive very quickly. Casting your own and rolling in dollar-a-pack cigarette papers......that's more like it! :grin:

 

[CaptainKirk]

Those of you who do roll....do you use Wonder Wads (or equivalent) without lube, or do you still lube over the end of the cylinder after loading? (chainfire protection)
Smearing the Crisco on is one of the messier downfalls of shooting the C&B.....and one of the things I wouldn't miss.

 

[token tory]

I've tried both methods. I've also documented the advantages & disadvantages in the other thread I linked you to. It even has pictures.

 

[Poor Private]

I just received my copy of "The Backwoodsman" deja vue on page 44 starts a story/article on making cartridges using aluminum foil. so those of you interested take a peak.

 

[CaptainKirk]

I've tried both methods. I've also documented the advantages & disadvantages in the other thread I linked you to. It even has pictures.

Thanks for the link....lotta questions answered there!
Now all I need to do is try it out! :wink:

 

[token tory]

I can mail you a couple of partial packets of "rolling papers" if you want! :rotf:

 

[TnRebel]

Here is how I make mine and where I learned it.
:thumbsup: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1ul-ba_R1Q

 

[Pete Gaimari]

Those of you who do roll....do you use Wonder Wads (or equivalent) without lube, or do you still lube over the end of the cylinder after loading? (chainfire protection)
Smearing the Crisco on is one of the messier downfalls of shooting the C&B.....and one of the things I wouldn't miss.

I think you'll find that chain fires happen at the nipple. Loose nipples. As long as you have a tight fitting ball that leaves a ring when loading. I wouldn't worry about chain fires.
Now, to keep everything soft and lubed. Lube over the ball helps a lot, but it's messy.



As for paper cartridges? I'd use them if I was in a war. I'm not.

 

[Bear Rider]

I've made cartridges for my '58 Remington. I used cigarette papers rolled on a tapered dowel, and use a glue stick as an adhesive. I do them in batches while watching the **** tube.

I make up about 50 tapered tubes and let the glue drie. Then I go back, glue a ball in each one, and let them dry. On a third pass I fill them with powder and use a fold similar to that on a grocery sack to secure the end.

After they are dry, I heat up some beeswax in a double boiler and dip the ball end of the cartridge, down to the equator. This firmly secured the ball in the cartridge and provides some lube. My final step is to make up packets of 6 cartridges, wrapped in foil. This makes a surprisingly durable packet which can be tossed in a pouch.

The tapered shape of the cartidge makes it easier to load in the cylinder and causes it to split when the ball is rammed home, making ignition more reliable. I found that the hotter remington caps gave reliable ignition. The CCIs requred that a nipple pick be used to pierce the cartridge for reliability.

Making paper cartridges is no harder than reloading metallic cartridge, just different. It is a far more portable operation -- all the gear can be stored in a cigar box.

 

[CaptainKirk]

I've made cartridges for my '58 Remington. I used cigarette papers rolled on a tapered dowel, and use a glue stick as an adhesive. I do them in batches while watching the **** tube.

I make up about 50 tapered tubes and let the glue drie. Then I go back, glue a ball in each one, and let them dry. On a third pass I fill them with powder and use a fold similar to that on a grocery sack to secure the end.

After they are dry, I heat up some beeswax in a double boiler and dip the ball end of the cartridge, down to the equator. This firmly secured the ball in the cartridge and provides some lube. My final step is to make up packets of 6 cartridges, wrapped in foil. This makes a surprisingly durable packet which can be tossed in a pouch.

The tapered shape of the cartidge makes it easier to load in the cylinder and causes it to split when the ball is rammed home, making ignition more reliable. I found that the hotter remington caps gave reliable ignition. The CCIs requred that a nipple pick be used to pierce the cartridge for reliability.

Making paper cartridges is no harder than reloading metallic cartridge, just different. It is a far more portable operation -- all the gear can be stored in a cigar box.

So, does this mean you don't have to pierce the paper through the nipple hole, as many have suggested?

 

[David Teague]

Not with Remington caps.

A vid of me shooting 6 paper cartridges at the range out of my 61 Navy

[youtube]qJOet6W6JL0[/youtube]

 

[token tory]

I tried 2 sets, one with pierced paper, one without. It seemed to make little difference,if any at all I had hang-fires with both. I wonder if this is why the original foil ones were designed to have the rear torn away before loading?

I was using CCI #11 mag caps BTW, not the Remingtons he was.

 

[CaptainKirk]

I see you had six in the hole. Range only, right? :grin:

I saw no hangfires there. How are they for ease of loading?

 

[CaptainKirk]

I would be worried about the tinfoil jamming the gun. It wouldn't be consumed, and certainly wouldn't all exit the muzzle.

 

[David Teague]

I used the tapered method, ball ends dipped in beeswax. They loaded just fine.

I don't carry c&b around on my hip anymore like when I was a lad so 6 works for me at the range.

The batch I worked up and shot that day did just fine with no hang fires.

Used P grade pyrodex, cigarette rolling papers and Remington #10 caps.

Cheers,

David