Just put the finishing touches on my 1860 Colt. I remember as a kid I visited the Gettysburg Battlefield museum, saw some wooden bullets from larger caliber rifles, but don't know if they were ever used in revolvers. Has anyone ever heard of this? And would they get ripped apart in transition from the cylinder to the barrel causing catastrophic deconstruction of everything forward of my elbow? Just wondering because the bullet mold is taking a really long time to make and I'm getting an itchy trigger finger.
Wooden projectiles
- Thread starter Ian83
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WestKentucky
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With proper alignment there should be little if any issue at cylinder gap. The issue I can see being a big deal is centrifugal force ripping a wooden bullet apart, or the lack of mass making it slow down so quickly that it's no fun. I've never done it, and never seen it done, so take my thoughts as pure conjecture.
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
Wooden 'bullets' were generally not bullets at all.
They were used as shot containers for foraging ammo, because the wooden shell would disintegrate when fired and release the birdshot charge.
Wooden bullets were also used later on in blank training & signaling ammo, for the same reason.
The force of firing would shatter the wood bullet into splinters and limit the danger zone in front of the firing position.
You had best hold off for the bullet mold to get there.
rc
They were used as shot containers for foraging ammo, because the wooden shell would disintegrate when fired and release the birdshot charge.
Wooden bullets were also used later on in blank training & signaling ammo, for the same reason.
The force of firing would shatter the wood bullet into splinters and limit the danger zone in front of the firing position.
You had best hold off for the bullet mold to get there.
rc
NineMilePete
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As an interesting aside, I have a couple 7.7 Japanese rounds in my collection that have wooden bullets.
kBob
Member
Back when Lewis was at the head of Gun World, he did all sorts of weird stuff. Because of the Lone Ranger, he did silver bullets in a SAA for instance. About the time the first Night Stalker made for TV movie came out he did wooden bullets in I believe a .357 S&W. He did several types of wood. Some did not fair well at all, flying to pieces in the barrel or in the air it seemed. Others were hard and dense enough that at close range they worked just fine. Biggest issue seemed to be that they frequently stripped through the rifling IIRC. I have wondered if double paper wrapping with a good lube might not help with that.
I believe that he actually got one load up to near 2000fps in a 6 inch barrel using African Iron Wood.
If I lived in the small, fictional California town of Sunnydale I think I would carry anyway and at a minimum a J frame loaded with African Iron Wood bullets.....Buffy might like it.
I wish someone would gather all Lewis' "Lewisly Speaking" Back page columns about the magazine and movie businesses' personalities and offer them as I tossed what remained of my magazine collection a few years back. Gathering his weird stuff like the wooden bullet article would be neat as well.
-kBob
I believe that he actually got one load up to near 2000fps in a 6 inch barrel using African Iron Wood.
If I lived in the small, fictional California town of Sunnydale I think I would carry anyway and at a minimum a J frame loaded with African Iron Wood bullets.....Buffy might like it.
I wish someone would gather all Lewis' "Lewisly Speaking" Back page columns about the magazine and movie businesses' personalities and offer them as I tossed what remained of my magazine collection a few years back. Gathering his weird stuff like the wooden bullet article would be neat as well.
-kBob
elhombreconnonombre
Member
I have used paper wrapped undersized (.43) plastic Barnett slingshot practice balls and paper wrapped 7/16 glue stick slugs with some .44 revolvers, using just the percussion caps, no powder, garage shooting.I haven't checked velocity, but I wouldnt want to get hit by one...ditto for cast wax bullets.
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wooden bullets
wood and paper bullets were used in machine guns by the japs, Germans, and in KRAG rifles for training so they would feed in the gun and cut down on live ammo needed for combat. when vets brought them back the erbin legend was bourn, they were shooting our troops with wooden bullets as a last ditch measure and to inflict maximum injuries!!.
wood and paper bullets were used in machine guns by the japs, Germans, and in KRAG rifles for training so they would feed in the gun and cut down on live ammo needed for combat. when vets brought them back the erbin legend was bourn, they were shooting our troops with wooden bullets as a last ditch measure and to inflict maximum injuries!!.
desidog
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Yes, because they were unable to import metals like copper, lead, and steel.
A while back we had a thread about making rubber / glue-projectiles with a hot glue gun. I can't find it now; but i posted this picture in it...
I found that they all key-holed pretty quickly, and the ones that were gas checked were so heavy in the back that they turned 180 degrees in flight. I don't remember more specific results; but it was underwhelming enough i haven't done it since.
/The hot glue projectiles worked better than the wooden ones...
Sunray
Member
1600 x 856 is too big.
As mentioned, wooden bullets are training ammo. BFA usual had some way of breaking 'em or there would have been hordes of troopies killed in training.
As mentioned, wooden bullets are training ammo. BFA usual had some way of breaking 'em or there would have been hordes of troopies killed in training.
elhombreconnonombre
Member
For the fun of it I dropped a .36 prb in a .450 Lee conical mold and squirted hot glue in on top. Makes for a lighter than usual .44 round that appears to be stable in flight with very small bp load, but never measured m.v. Practical no...interesting maybe YMMV.
dickydalton
Member
I have several boxes of Swedish Mauser 6.5X55 wooden bullet cartridges. I also have the trap that screws onto the barrel to shred the bullet. I have never shot any but believe that they probably give a realistic recoil to the rifle when fired.
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