ARmy Rumour SErvice

Pics of your cannon - do it now.

Let them stand and count each time you load it, they need the overtime.

Discussion of beards, patched weskits, and steam engines is also allowed!

HE117 have you tried berdan primers in the chassepot cartidges? Tried them in the Dreyse and I get far more reliable ignition.

I've got engines that will remove your arm never mind your eyebrows. And one of them blackens anything within 10 yards. And it goes BANG every five seconds or so. Can I play?

Originally Posted by TheIronDuke

And it goes BANG every five seconds or so.

Five seconds? Good grief, that's even better than three shots a minute in any weather. Welcome to the club.

Originally Posted by Croque_Monsieur

Discussion of beards, patched weskits, and steam engines is also allowed!

HE117 have you tried berdan primers in the chassepot cartidges? Tried them in the Dreyse and I get far more reliable ignition.

No ... just top hats..

Berdan primers are not that easy to get this side of the old trousers.. I tend to keep my stash for .310 cadet and obsolete nitro express rounds..

Originally Posted by TheIronDuke

I've got engines that will remove your arm never mind your eyebrows. And one of them blackens anything within 10 yards. And it goes BANG every five seconds or so. Can I play?

Hmm - got the Wankel to fire up last night.. did a very good impression of a Deltic by filling the workshop with black smoke...

HOWEVER - this is NOT for this thread... heerrumph..

After scanning a few traditional paper cartridge making methods for minié rifles I decided to give it a try myself go have an idea of how it is to load with paper cartridges without seeking historical exactitude. The method and measurements are for my particular .69" conical which is a replica of the French 1863 minié:




Materials:
•1 pencil
•1 ruler
•2 rectangles of standard newspaper 110mm wide x 120m long
•1 metal sleeve 20mm diameter x 120mm long (sawn off bit of old broom handle)
•2 miniés
•BP
•BP grease warmed to a liquid state

A) On both rectangles, draw a line 20mm from a short edge. On only one of rectangles, turn it over and draw a line 35mm from the same short edge.


B) Turn the two line rectangle over again and place the minié at one edge lined up with the 20mm line and put the sleeve over the nose of the minié.


C) Roll it up and twist the 20mm of paper protruding and push the twist into the minié base cavity. This then forms the outer cartridge case and paper patch (two layers).


D) Take the second rectangle, line the end with the 20mm line and roll up. Once again twist the 20mm of paper protruding and use the second minié to push the twist into the sleeve. This forms the powder tube with its distal end shaped to the nose of the minié once inserted in the cartridge..



E) Insert the powder tube, still mounted on the sleeve, into the cartridge tube, pushing it down firmly onto the minié. Remove the sleeve.


F) Dip lube the cartridge base and let dry. The 35mm line is visible on the outside of the cartridge, this is a handy visual reference to allow you to dip the cartridge into the warm tube to the right depth (beginning of the ogive curvature).

G) Once dry, fill the powder tube with your charge and fold the top over. In my case 65grm of de Swiss#3 (approx. service charge)



One thing to notice is that the edge of the cartridge paper tube is not glued down. This is not out of laziness...see below

On the range:
-Open powder tube (preferably with ones pearly whites)
-Pour in powder.
-Reverse cartridge and push it in the muzzle until the grease is level with the muzzle rim.
-Take the edge of the paper tube and turn your hand as if to unwind the paper, this causes the excess paper to tear neatly at the muzzle rim.
- Ram the minié home (nice greasy friction fit).
-Cap on and fire!

Here are the results at 50m with a few test cartridges:


Shot from my big Swiss M1777/42/59 Minié rifle (.69").


You can get a good rythm going and imagine yourself as part of the thin red line!

The measurements are obviously particular to the projectile being used.