Omnivore
Member
I made up about 75 cartridges using Zig-Zag "1 & 1/4" rolling papers. The standard size papers were a bit difficult to wrap around the .457 balls I use in the Remmie and the 1 & 1/4 size is really easy. I read through a lot of the thread on the subject, and I wanted to try the consumables. Not having ready access to the KNO3, I took a small sample of BP, put it in a small shot glass with some water and heated it (yes-- I put black powder in the microwave, but it was at the bottom of a glass of water and it was a very small sample)
Letting that settle out and dry over a few days, I got a nice clean sample of KN03 crystals around the glass, with all the carbon at the bottom. Where the sulfur ends up, whether it also dissolves or stays with the carbon, I have no idea. Maybe you chemists can tell me.
I laid out the papers in a food dehydrator and brushed them with a solution of the KNO3 and water. They take only a few minutes to dry.
I made about 75 cartridges with the treated paper and several with un-treated paper as a control. 30 grains FFF and .457 ball. I was rolling them by twisting both ends and cutting as flush as I could with scissors. A form is used to get a tapered paper tube. Ball at the large end, stuffed in tight, powder at the small end, so they look like icecream cones when finished. That makes them plunk right down into the Remmie chambers.
At the range I started with six shots of the treated cartridges. All fired without a hitch. Loading consists of ramming in the cartridge and topping the cylinder with Bore Butter. There were a few little flakes of paper left in a cylinder or two.
Then a cylinder full of the un-treated cartridges. Every other shot was a missfire. Two of the chambers would not fire after capping three times and poking through with a nipple pick. Had to remove the nipples and scratch the paper. Still only one of the problem chambers fired. Looking at the removed nipple on the remaining chamber, there was a very tight wad of paper jammed into it, and it was impossible to push it out either direction with a pick. I tried powder inside the nipple three times and that fiinally cleared it out enough to fire.
Next came about 40 shots using the consumables again. Nary a single hitch. All fired with no perceptable delay, just as with loose powder.
I then tried at 25 yards shooting NRA 25 yd slow fire targets, 'cause I'd not fired this new-ish gun for accuracy. Standing, two-hands, my best score out of three seperate five shot groups was 20 of a possible 50. I've done much better with the Pietta Colt, but this Remmie is considerably heavier and its trigger has more creep.
Also noticed that the rounded, polished Remmie front sight has glare on the top, even on an overcast day. If I'd been thinking, I'd have whipped out the Zippo and given it the carbon black treatment (I've done that on the brass front sight for the Colt, and it can really help in some conditions).
Cleaning it after all this, there was a considerable amount of little paper bits in the water, and one nipple had one of those paper plugs in it. However, not one of the treated cartridges failed to fire normally.
Conclusion: Treating your paper with KNO3 disolved from BP works (at least to some extent-- I've never tried using pure KNO3) and it's easy. Rolling the cartridges by tightly twisting the back (nipple end) of the paper is probably not the best way to go. After all is said and done, the time it takes to make the cartridges, compared to the time it saves on the range, is a matter of opinion as to whether it's worth it. It is interesting, but as a purely practical matter; that will depend on one's priorities. Shooting BP guns isn't purely practical in the first place. It's just fun!
Addendum: I should mention that when reloading, I was concerned that one of those little flakes of paper could still be burning. I found myself loitering a bit and checking the chamber before dropping another cartridge in and ramming it home. Having a full load like that go off while ramming could be, uh, nasty. But then, loading from a flask and having a live ember in the chamber could be unpleasant as well.
Letting that settle out and dry over a few days, I got a nice clean sample of KN03 crystals around the glass, with all the carbon at the bottom. Where the sulfur ends up, whether it also dissolves or stays with the carbon, I have no idea. Maybe you chemists can tell me.
I laid out the papers in a food dehydrator and brushed them with a solution of the KNO3 and water. They take only a few minutes to dry.
I made about 75 cartridges with the treated paper and several with un-treated paper as a control. 30 grains FFF and .457 ball. I was rolling them by twisting both ends and cutting as flush as I could with scissors. A form is used to get a tapered paper tube. Ball at the large end, stuffed in tight, powder at the small end, so they look like icecream cones when finished. That makes them plunk right down into the Remmie chambers.
At the range I started with six shots of the treated cartridges. All fired without a hitch. Loading consists of ramming in the cartridge and topping the cylinder with Bore Butter. There were a few little flakes of paper left in a cylinder or two.
Then a cylinder full of the un-treated cartridges. Every other shot was a missfire. Two of the chambers would not fire after capping three times and poking through with a nipple pick. Had to remove the nipples and scratch the paper. Still only one of the problem chambers fired. Looking at the removed nipple on the remaining chamber, there was a very tight wad of paper jammed into it, and it was impossible to push it out either direction with a pick. I tried powder inside the nipple three times and that fiinally cleared it out enough to fire.
Next came about 40 shots using the consumables again. Nary a single hitch. All fired with no perceptable delay, just as with loose powder.
I then tried at 25 yards shooting NRA 25 yd slow fire targets, 'cause I'd not fired this new-ish gun for accuracy. Standing, two-hands, my best score out of three seperate five shot groups was 20 of a possible 50. I've done much better with the Pietta Colt, but this Remmie is considerably heavier and its trigger has more creep.
Also noticed that the rounded, polished Remmie front sight has glare on the top, even on an overcast day. If I'd been thinking, I'd have whipped out the Zippo and given it the carbon black treatment (I've done that on the brass front sight for the Colt, and it can really help in some conditions).
Cleaning it after all this, there was a considerable amount of little paper bits in the water, and one nipple had one of those paper plugs in it. However, not one of the treated cartridges failed to fire normally.
Conclusion: Treating your paper with KNO3 disolved from BP works (at least to some extent-- I've never tried using pure KNO3) and it's easy. Rolling the cartridges by tightly twisting the back (nipple end) of the paper is probably not the best way to go. After all is said and done, the time it takes to make the cartridges, compared to the time it saves on the range, is a matter of opinion as to whether it's worth it. It is interesting, but as a purely practical matter; that will depend on one's priorities. Shooting BP guns isn't purely practical in the first place. It's just fun!
Addendum: I should mention that when reloading, I was concerned that one of those little flakes of paper could still be burning. I found myself loitering a bit and checking the chamber before dropping another cartridge in and ramming it home. Having a full load like that go off while ramming could be, uh, nasty. But then, loading from a flask and having a live ember in the chamber could be unpleasant as well.
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