good use for paper powder cartridges

[Cliff6]

I'm brand new to this black powder shooting. I recently purchased a Pietta 36 cal Navy and have only been able to shoot it a couple times here with the Ohio weather.

Anyhow, I loaded a couple dozen paper "powder only" charges to use. Yesterday, the temperature was 71f, but the winds were 35 to 50 mph! I can't imagine trying to pour black powder in those winds, but the bags were so easy, Just drop them in, add wad, ball and primer....and shoot.

They worked perfectly.

Using them because of wind may be old news to a lot of people, but it was new to me and I just thought I'd pass it only to any other new BP shooters.

Cliff

 

[Eyrie G. Dogg]

Well, yes.

 

[AlexanderA]

Use nitrated paper, or nitrate your own paper.

 

[hawg]

Use nitrated paper, or nitrate your own paper.

Why? There wont be enough paper left behind to matter.

 

[Cliff6]

I used those hairdresser papers. I trimmed the papers down so that there is mostly only one layer of paper and trimmed the twisted ends. There was NO paper left in the cylinders....none.

The first few seemed to be almost impossible to make, then the learning curve kicked in and I just pump them out now with no effort.

I do know that the nitrated - no nitrated debate will never be ended

 

[Jackrabbit1957]

I made a tool to make the cartridges for my stuff. I also changed from cigarette papers to those end papers. I use a kids glue stick to put the bottom on the cartridge. I then fold the top to finish it off. The only thing left after shooting is a small ring where the glue was for the bottom. It doesn't interfere with anything so not a problem.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Yep, cartridges made of nitrate paper are very easy to use and you can roll your own.

 

[Appalachiannative]

I've been wanting to try my hand at making paper cartridges with powder and ball. Cigarette paper makes sense because it is designed to burn up completely. What is this nitrate paper?

 

[Rustmangler]

Cigarette paper is made to burn no faster than the tobacco. Their might be some retardant in some.

 

[hawg]

I've been wanting to try my hand at making paper cartridges with powder and ball. Cigarette paper makes sense because it is designed to burn up completely. What is this nitrate paper?

It's paper soaked in potassium nitrate and dried. Cigarette paper has a retardant in it to slow down the burn plus it's more fragile. Hair curling paper is a better choice. You can nitrate it if you so desire but it's really not necessary to do so. If it leaves a bit of paper in the chamber it won't matter.

 

[Appalachiannative]

It's paper soaked in potassium nitrate and dried. Cigarette paper has a retardant in it to slow down the burn plus it's more fragile. Hair curling paper is a better choice. You can nitrate it if you so desire but it's really not necessary to do so. If it leaves a bit of paper in the chamber it won't matter.

Interesting. I've got nitrate for making powder I could give that a try. I wonder if gift bag tissue paper would work. My wife has a lifetime supply of this

 

[Cliff6]

I tried gift bag tissue, and it did work....BUT, for about $3.25 you can buy a pack of 2,000 hair perm end papers at any beauty supply store. Those papers are MUCH easier to work with and I cut each piece into 3 pieces, so that is 6,000 cartridges.

 

[hawg]

My first ones were made out of cheap tea bags and they worked really well but curling paper is a lot cheaper and stronger than tissue paper.

 

[.38 Special]

Some cigarette paper is treated, some isn't. It can be difficult-to-impossible to determine which is which, though.

I use end papers, which are cheap and plentiful.

I used to nitrate, but no longer do. I do prefer nitrated paper as it leaves less residue in the chambers, but have discovered that nitrated paper can become crumbly and useless after months or years.

 

[Appalachiannative]

Some cigarette paper is treated, some isn't. It can be difficult-to-impossible to determine which is which, though.

I use end papers, which are cheap and plentiful.

I used to nitrate, but no longer do. I do prefer nitrated paper as it leaves less residue in the chambers, but have discovered that nitrated paper can become crumbly and useless after months or years.

Months or years!? I reckon I wouldn't have to worry about that since I'd probably be loading these the day before I go shooting but that is good to know in case I got crazy with it, as I am one to do, and just obsessively made one after another on and on in the middle of the night till I had more than I'd ever shoot. Not even joking

 

[hawg]

Months or years!? I reckon I wouldn't have to worry about that since I'd probably be loading these the day before I go shooting but that is good to know in case I got crazy with it, as I am one to do, and just obsessively made one after another on and on in the middle of the night till I had more than I'd ever shoot. Not even joking

You just made a good point for not nitrating.

 

[Appalachiannative]

You just made a good point for not nitrating.

Yeah... I reckon so...

 

[Roverguy]

None of the cigarette paper treatments are relevant to use in black powder cartridges. The treatment is designed to retard a linear burn in a cigarette. At the temperatures of black powder combustion and the speed of combustion the retardant effect of ringed paper, which I believe is a regulatory requirement for manufactured cigarettes in any event, it is utterly irrelevant. Black powder combustion is happening from the inside out and is by orders hotter than tobacco combustion.

 

[Cliff6]

I've got a hundred made up and ready for when I get to a range. They are just powder only and fit very nicely in one of those plastic 9mm cartridge cases. To me, this is so much easier than trying to measure and pour loose powder at the range....especially in 40 mph winds

Cliff

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

For what it's worth I have never bothered making paper cartridges for a Cap & Ball revolver. The beauty of Cap & Ball is you don't have to prepare anything before hand, as you do if you are shooting cartridges. You just show up with powder, caps, and balls and load while you are at the range. I have never had a problem with powder blowing away using a powder measure like the one at the top of this photo. I place my index finger over the tip of the nozzle, point it down at the ground, then push the spring loaded plunger in with my thumb. That pours a controlled amount of powder into the nozzle. Then I release the plunger and turn it right side up. I can then pour a measured charge of powder directly into a chamber, and it would take a very strong wind to blow the powder out.

 

[Cliff6]

Thanks for the info Driftwood. I did purchase a brass powder measure like that and plan on using it this summer. I just got bored one day and decided to make up some paper cartridges. I have to say that I really do like the ease of just plopping a paper cartridge of powder into the cylinder though. Sometimes I do things just because I can, LOL

 

[hawg]

I tried making paper cartridges but found it too tedious.

 

[Jackrabbit1957]

For me it's kinda like a reloading session. It can be a bit tedious but I really like the convenience and speed of reloading with the cartridges. Using the end papers works well because they are so much tougher than cigarette papers.

 

[hawg]

Reloading brass cartridges on a single stage press doesn't bother me. I don't know why paper does and brass doesn't. I sold my 63 Sharps because I wasn't shooting it anymore because I couldn't make myself make cartridges for it.

 

[Ethan Verity]

I use magician flashpaper, and roll them like a tootsie roll so I don't even need glue. Works perfectly, and is faster to make than having to glue each one. The ball is wrapped in the top. You don't have to worry about the primer spark being blocked by the twist when using flashpaper, as you would with cig or curling paper. It comes in a little booklet too, so I don't even have to cut the paper to size. If you want to whip up a lot of reliable paper cartridges quickly, this is the way.