How to make paper cartridges for revolvers?

[maillemaker]

Hi all,

My Christmas present arrived today - an 1858 Remington New Army revolver.

I have been working on making authentic cartridges for my muskets, I would like to also make them for the revolver.

Does anyone know of any good tutorials for making authentic cartridges for revolvers?

Thanks!

Steve

[maillemaker]

I found this video that seems to end with an end result that looks reasonably authentic:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUBrI0jKiuQ

Still looking for more input.

Steve

[Curt-Heinrich Schmidt]

Hallo!

As good as any for live rounds.

For reeenating or living history blanks, it is a bit harder. DEPENDING upon event restrictions, some lads tack a "Kix" cereal "ball" in place of the bullet.

Curt

[the other nathan]

This question has been asked and answered elsewhere but with lots of different responses. I'll provide my 2 cents if you'll humor me. Below is my method that works for me. It is based on my research, consultation, and experience. Dan Chmelar also has really good instructions.

Supplies:
Paper: I use perm end paper (http://www.sleekhair.com/gra01-end-paper.html?gdftrk=gdfV25188_a_7c1551_a_7c6162_a_7c gra01_d_end_d_paper or get them at a local beauty supply shop), some folks use cigarette rolling papers
Powder: FFFg (the FF is for your rifle and is bigger than revolver FFF which is bigger than priming powder, FFFF)
Filler: Cream of Wheat (CoW)
7/16th Dowel - cartridge form – you’ll want to taper this slightly so that the final cartridge slides into the cylinder easier (and the originals had a taper too)
Exacto Knife - to cut papers
Glue stick

My method:
1) Roll the paper around dowel rod leaving about ¼ inch hanging off the tapered end.
2) Fold the end to close (some people twist it) I fold it by taking the sides | | and making indents in the middle of each side as such >< then it folds over similar to a gift. Use a spot of glue to close the fold. No need for glue if you twist. The fold or twist should be flush to your dowel form.
3) Now measure 1.5 inches up the dowel from the end. (If you Premark your dowel with a Sharpie, you’ll be able to see your mark through the paper each time.)
4) Remove the paper from the form and add 15 to 30 grains of powder. I use about 17 grains and you can’t tell the difference from my blanks to those with 30 IF you properly pack the powder and filler. If you have an extra powder measure, you can calibrate it to the appropriate amount of CoW to make filling easier.
5) Add cream of wheat to the cartridge up to the line and then twist to finish off the cartridge and cut excess paper. I have found that I can get 2 cartridges out of one paper if I am careful and cut the paper in half before starting. But they are cheap so don’t fret about waste.

Additional things I do:
Use a nipple pick once I load my cylinder before priming to puncture the cartridge
Experiment with different loads of powder
I filled a 2x4 with 9/16” holes so that I can make a bunch of papers, fill them all with powder, fill them all with CoW and then finish them off.
I make a small roll of caps (6 in each) for every 6 rounds I roll.
I can fit about 12 rounds a musket cap tin. There are also options to make period paperboard boxes or wooden blocks. That is how they were most commonly distributed.

This is my process and I use safe practices regarding black powder and firearms. I am not responsible for how you may or may not follow my process.

Yours,
the other nathan
_______
1st Minn Vol Inf

[vamick]

For paper Ive had good luck using "curling papers" for want of a better term?..they're used on womens hair curlers Im not sure if they're nitrated but they burn like it and usually leave no residue..the problem I have with blanks tho is occasional chain fires so after watching that vid I think Im gonna R&D experiment with a coco puff in the end/then maybe COW ect where theres a will and a long winter ahead...theres a way!

[S.D.Swart]

I know many a fellow that puts a dab of Peanutbutter on the end to keep chain firing away.

[shooter13]

Kiks and Cocopuffs are not a good idea. The sugar content will crystallize under the heat of the powder's burning temps. This will create a "projectile" of hardened material. Try it against a sheet of typing paper and look at the results.

[Boyd Miles]

I think he is asking about live rounds again, the video isn't too bad for commercial rounds, the CS Ordnance manual gives the paper sizes for .44 and .36 which are just tiny little paper rounds like long arm ammo. You can see why commercial ammo was so popular. I have used cigarette papers, they have some nitrite in them and had no problem with spark making it through, they are fragile but the "store bought" rounds had boxes that were designed to protect fragile little rounds.

[TheQM]

One word of caution. I have a friend who made up some blank cartridges for his revolver. He had chain fires almost every time he tried to shoot the revolver. There is a big difference between blank and live pistol cartridges. The ball in a live cartridge is slightly oversize. When you ram it home, a thin slice of lead is cut off the ball, making a gas proof seal in the cylinder. That doesn't happen with a blank. I was mentioned earlier, you need to put some type of sealer in the cylinder after you ram your blank.

[Pvt Schnapps]

That friend was me, experimenting at Ridley Creek. I was trying to meet USV and ANV safety SOPs by reloading the cylinders in the field *from cartridges with powder on the bottom and COW on top, rather than loading the cartridges themselves. In loading from the cartridge the powder and COW got mixed up. This would be far less likely to happen if you loaded the cartridge itself, but then you'd be firing paper, which the SOPs forbid.

Among other things I learned that fitting those tiny caps on the nipples is as time-consuming as loading the cylinders and, on the whole, cap and ball revolvers really are more trouble than they're worth, at least for any reasonable application I might have. Fortunately it was a borrowed pistol. If I ever got one for myself it would be a single shot muzzle loader or a Smith and Wesson Type 2. Everything in the middle is just too much hassle.