Making Paper "Cartridges"

[Adam Helmer]

When trekking afield, I have found it easiest to reload using nickel coin wrappers filled with a measured charge of BP or Pyrodex. I get a big handful of nickel coin wrappers free from the local bank. I put a small piece of scotch tape on one folded over end, pour in a meaasured charge of powder and put a piece of scotch tape on the folded over open end. After making up 20 or 30 charges, I put them in a plastic baggie and label the contents with a magic marker on the outside of the baggie.

At the local cap & flint gun club, all muzzleloader matches are fired from the "horn or bag," meaning one fires all required shots from the possibles bag and/or powder horn (and pockets) at the firing line. The most popular event is the "Cherokee Run" where one fires a few rounds, runs a distance, tosses the 'hawk, runs some more and tosses the blade and then runs a bit and starts a fire with flint and steel and then runs back to the start line. A female longhunter won the last Cherokee Run event. Ah, but I digress.

My point is: I have 6 labeled baggies in the gun room to accomodate whatever arm or projectile I am going to shoot. I just grab the gun, toss the appropriate baggie into the possibles bag along with the projectiles and off I go. Coin wrappers are biodegradeable and cheap.

Adam

[skeet]

Ya outta patent that Idea. Tried rollin my own one time. Wan't smart enuff to think of the coin rollers

[Mr. 16 gauge]

I carry my charges in small, glass vials that I get from work (I'm in the medical profession) and stop them with a small cork. I have a thin buckskin strap that attaches the cork to the vial, so it cannot get lost.
I tried to do the paper thing with birdshot for my trade musket...premeasured charge of shot that I could just dump the whole thing down the barrel (no pouring) and be good to go....the idea was that the set back from the ignition would rupture the paper sack and let loose the shot charge. Unfortunately, it is inconsistant.....sometimes it works, sometimes it almost works, and sometimes it doesn't work at all, and I have a big, gaping, cylinder sized whole in the patterning board.
guess it's back to pouring shot.......

[Adam Helmer]

skeet,

I liked your post, LOL. I noticed the coin wrappers at Walmart are $1.99 or whatever for a baggie of coin wrappers a while back. I had to stop by my local bank on the way home and chatted with the teller about my need to make up coin wrapper charges. She gave me a big bag of penny, nickel, dime and quarter wrappers for free.

I have found the nickel wrappers best suit my needs. At our reenactment "battles", coin wrappers are requested for powder charges sinces the brown paper is biodegradeable.

Stop by your bank and ask for some coin wrappers. You can still get the scotch tape at Wally world, but get the coin rollers free from now on. Be well.

Adam

[Mad_Jack]

Try these pages for instructions for making them:
http://www.najecki.com/40thfoot/Cartridge1.html

http://www.najecki.com/40thfoot/Cartridge2.html

In PA, at F&I reenactments, The States' safety inspector will disqualify any cartridges that have tape fo bind a cartridge. If you need to reinforce the cartridge, you can get glue sticks for next to nothing at hobby and craft places as well as school supply places. These work great and aren't affected by temperatures (unless they burn).

[Adam Helmer]

Mad_Jack,

Welcome to the Forum.

What are "F&I reenactments?" Might that be French & Indian?

Who is the "State Safety Inspector" and why are cartridges "bound with tape" disqualified? I have never heard of anyone disqualifying any blank reneactment cartridges if tape is used. I would like to know the reasons tape is a safety problem.

Thanks for the link to making rolled blanks. My Civil War unit of PA Bucktails uses coin wrappers because they are easy to make and we use lots of them.

Adam