Paper Cartridges for 50 and 54 Caliber?

[Steel Horse Rider]

Since the weather here has not been suitable for shooting I decided to make some buck and ball paper cartridges for my Brown Bess. I watched Mike Beliveau's video and rolled a few of my own just for the experience, which then got me thinking about some of the other front loaders I have. Is it practical or worthwhile to make paper cartridges for 50 or 54 caliber rifles? I have a lathe and it was easy to make a mandrel for rolling the tubes out of a wooden dowel rod and I borrowed a tape runner from my wife's craft room to seal the edge, which worked great. The paper will definitely not fill the gap between the ball and the rifling like a patch but it would definitely make it both easier and faster to reload. Thoughts and opinions? Especially if you have tried it.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

A big giant absolutely YES. I make "fast load" paper cartridges for all my rifles, and my Plains Pistol. Dip the end in pure bee's wax. Accuracy is "good". Not "as good" as cloth patch and ball, but you will be surprised. If you make the tube so that the ball is a tight fit, you don't need to go through all that hokey-pokey about tying the tube above the ball and all that. I had to chase a wounded bear around in the brush not too long ago, and boy was I glad I had these.

Depending on the size of the ball, experiment with both sammich bag paper, and grocery bag paper.

I have a Bess, but buck and ball has never worked so well for me. The ball goes where I want, but the buck takes off to parts unknown, sometimes only one striking the back-board. In my guns, would only be useful (and that's debatable) at 25 yards or less.

 

[Steel Horse Rider]

Did you put the shot below or above the ball? Mike put it above the ball but I have read that the original buck and ball load for the British Army was with the shot between the ball and the powder. Mike also used 00 buckshot but my trigonometry skills indicates that there is room in the bore for 3 .265" diameter balls. I figured on using #3 buckshot (.250 dia) if I could find some. No luck at either Scheels or Sportsman's this morning. Thanks for the beeswax hint!

 

[hawg]

The shot goes behind the ball.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Did you put the shot below or above the ball? Mike put it above the ball but I have read that the original buck and ball load for the British Army was with the shot between the ball and the powder. Mike also used 00 buckshot but my trigonometry skills indicates that there is room in the bore for 3 .265" diameter balls. I figured on using #3 buckshot (.250 dia) if I could find some. No luck at either Scheels or Sportsman's this morning. Thanks for the beeswax hint!

I think I've tried both ways, I forget what I tried in 12 gauge shotgun shells, but really, I don't think buck-n-ball has much use unless you are shooting at a bunch of guys standing in a line, which is how it was use, or at close range (very close) in a deep thick dark forest. I think it just gave the soldier more confidence than anything. And yeah, sometimes the buck did hit someone. But of course, your results may vary! I believe a double-ball load is much more useful for any modern purpose, such as angry-bear defense.

Now a double ball load, in a paper cartridge works well also. I can't find a pic, but do them the same way as pictured above. I put a wool wad (not lubed) between the balls. Double ball loads stick together amazingly well, and one or the other does not go shooting off into the next county.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

 

[armoredman]

OK, I am going to look stupid - to use those you unbend the flap, pour in the powder, reverse the paper and ball and ram it is lubed end first, with all that excess paper handing out the top? I was interested in paper cartridges for the 54 as well, even though I am using the modern "speed loaders" for now.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

OK, I am going to look stupid - to use those you unbend the flap, pour in the powder, reverse the paper and ball and ram it is lubed end first, with all that excess paper handing out the top? I was interested in paper cartridges for the 54 as well, even though I am using the modern "speed loaders" for now.

Naw, you are just trying to over-complicate it! Pull out the flap, tear it off, insert in muzzle powder end first, push it down into muzzle, draw ram-rod and ram. The excess paper will be the wad. Don't need to tap or jiggle the powder in, it will drain out of the cartridge and fall down the bore faster than you can draw the ram-rod. (I see people do that with paper cartridges...tap and jiggle)

No need to reverse the cartridge. I've tried them both ways, and it makes no difference, other than being much faster to NOT reverse it.

No, you don't want to be seen using plastic speed loaders. I'm not a historical nazi (or any kind of nazi) but you have to draw the line somewhere! And with paper cartridges you don't have to save anything or put a plastic gizmo back in your pocket. Or leave it on the ground. All the paper will be consumed, I've never found any on the ground. (your results may vary!) I stick the torn off end in a pocket, but in a true hurry, like when chasing wounded bears in the bush, leaving that little piece of brown-bag paper on the ground will not stick out like a candy wrapper, cigarette butt, or other trash, and will bio degrade pretty fast.

 

[armoredman]

That does seem to be rather simple...and I like simple. Thank you.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

That does seem to be rather simple...and I like simple. Thank you.

Try it, you'll like it. !!!!!

 

[Steel Horse Rider]

I went all in today. I bought beeswax, a candle warmer, and a small metal canister with a lid (in a 4 pack) today at Hobby Lobby using one of my wife's discount coupons. I used some of the brown craft paper and a tape roller from her craft room to seal the edge of the tube. I used a 1/2" dowel to roll a 2.5"x 3.5" piece of paper into a tube. After inserting the ball and powder I had melted the beeswax in the metal container using the candle warmer and dipped the ball end in the melted wax and then pushed it down on a piece of wax paper to seal the crimp. I made 10 cartridges and they fit nicely in an empty Speer .40 caliber bullet container. Hopefully the weather will moderate in the next few weeks and I will go try them. When finished I put the lid on the container and will be ready to make more once I find the #3 buckshot for my buck and ball loads. Everything from Hobby Lobby cost me less than $20.