paper cartridges

[oldknotty]

I watched a video on youtube of a fellow making his own paper cartridges for his cap and ball revolver , he used a dowel and some glue and I think cigaret papers ??? .I was wondering if i could do the same with my Traditions 1851 .44 cal pistol ?? It looks fairly easy to do even for a raw beginner like me any suggestions or input please ???

[wogpotter]

Either cigarette papers, or ladies hairdressing papers work.
I tried it but it was more trouble than it was worth.
Its also hard to make a paper cart using any kind of wad or grease, so that adds to the inconvenience.

[spitpatch]

Once you get on to it paper cart are great to use and fun to produce. The only problem I am having using paper is that each range session I am shooting much more than I was before. I am concerned about my cap supply as I am now shooting as much as 60 or 70 shots each visit. When shooting paper I shoot with 2 cylinders alternating. Cig papers works best for me.

[oldknotty]

Thanks wogpotter , where do you come from ?? some of your quotes are familiar to me ???

[oldknotty]

Thanks spit patch , do you use the dowel method and if so what size dowel works for a 44 ???
Martin

[spitpatch]

I use a tube I made from a plastic pen. The pens from my vet work perfect for the 44s, smaller pens from my bank work best for 36. I found shooting paper loading off the gun is best. You want to make sure it's not still hot. Why I like using alternating cyls. I will try to post pics later. I have a heck of a time with photos on this site.

[wogpotter]

Bristol, U.K.

[oldknotty]

Thought as much i come from Stoke on Trent Staffordshire , only a brit would use the term wog potter LMAO

[oldknotty]

Spitpatch what is the size of the pen for the 44 cals ??? or the make maybe :-)

[DD4lifeusmc]

Actually once you get the hang of it, it is easier to do then explain it.
7/16 dowel works good.
About 8 inches long. Sand one end down to a taper, leaving the end about
5/16 thick. varnish it and wax it to make it smooth.
I use refular zig zags. you can pre trim or do after.
Start with the glue strip up and facing you. Leave just enough paper extended past the end of the dowel so you can completely fold the paper over to seal.
With paper completely rolled around the dowel, lick the glue strip and use it to seal. When wrapping the paper, leave slightly loose so it will slide off easily.When you slide it off you should have a sealed tube.
I use a loading block. A piece of 2x2 with 6 or 7 holes drilled in it. Drop the tune in the holes sealed end down.
Pour your pemeasured powder charge in. I use a very small funnel and a off the shelf measuring spoon to speed things up.
Now you can just twist the open end and trim with scissors or tie with cotton thread and trim. I tie stays sealed better.
When I tie. I start like tying your shoe but add one more twist through, like a timber hitch.
I place this over the open end against the powder. Pull tight, and then do the same tie, again on the back side. one the second tie I make a square knot.
Trim excess paper and string.
drop the cartridge in the chamber gued end first against nipple.
If you want you can use a dry wad or lubed, with a dry "pill" against the cartridge. I use lubed conicals so normally no wads.
You can prick the cartridge through the nipple if you want. I don't, it has always gone boom.
You can use curler rolling papers too but you will need a glue stick

[emishi]

I've tried the rolling papers and found them too thin, too fiddly and the final product too loose and 'squishly' when trying to insert and ram home.


So, thinking about how to improve the process, I realized I needed to pay a bit more attention to my Ubertis, over my Piettas, since their chambers are tapered. Having done that...

It took me about 20 minutes to taper a .375" dowel, round the nipple end and sand it slightly smaller than my Uberti's chambers. I inserted the dowel into the chamber and marked it with a Sharpie, then tapered the dowel a bit more to ensured the finished paper tube at the Sharpie mark would barely accept a .380 projectile.

I decided to use coated tracing paper, cut to rolling paper size (with a scrap-booking cutter). This paper is thicker than rolling papers, can take a bit more force when tamping the powder, grits, wads before finally squeezing in the lead and combusts faster than rolling papers. I don't glue any ends. Rather I center the paper on the rounded end of the dowel and pull both the ends up to the depth mark.

Using white glue, I glue the edges together length-wise up the dowel, doing a military style bed crease at the bottom of the paper, forming an enclosed tube (much like the rubber finger tip used to count paper money)... the open neck of which is .380" due to the taper (same as the round ball and conicals I use). The now formed, empty tube is the exact depth as my cylinder chambers.

With this setup, I don't have to worry about misfires as there is only 1 layer of paper (and no glue) for the cap to blow thru. I load 22 grins of powder, 12 grains of grits, a wax wad (tamping them down tightly with the flat end of the dowel) and slowly work a waxed .380 ball or conical into the tube to finish it off. The round ball obviously goes in easier than the conical, as the air escapes the tube more easily around a ball versus the waxed grooves of the conical and I find I don't destroy as many cartridges when I load them as I previously did with the rolling papers, tea bags and other methods of producing the paper tubes.

This makes for a nice, tightly packed round (similar to a brass cartridge) and easily loaded without the worry of 'squishing', tearing or spilling. Also. I find no paper remains at the bottom of the cylinders after firing. The paper either fully combusts or the white-glued bits are blown down range.

However you decide to do it, make sure no glue is holding the cartridge together at the nipple end or you'll find yourself 'pricking' each nipple to ensure ignition.

Another thing about paper cartridges no one seems to make mention of... they help to ensure no chain fire, since there is no loose powder... either at the nipple or as a residue at the mouth, readily available to ignite while blazing away at your chosen target..

[spitpatch]

I make a tube from the pen. You want a tube that just fits in the cylinder of what ever cal you are loading for. I could text photos of the process if I had the #..