1863 Paper cartridge sharps

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JasonYuke

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Well I broke down and bought one of these old guys, but in a new gen rifle.

Does anyone know teh tricks and trdes of the paper used, and what type of black powder they used for them.

It appears that the paper in a nitro type, and the powder gets rolled into the paper like a cigar and sheered off on the falling block as it closes.

I am sure there is a special bullet
for it too!
 
The bullet used was called a "ringtail" bullet, which has provision to tie the paper cartridge to the base of the bullet. Their were a lot of diff. sizes for these and they only differred by a few thou., for more info check out the NEI lineup of bullet molds as they have a good handle on the bullets needed.l
 
I used news paper mixed a slurry solution of black powder and water painted it on with a brush let it dry it seemed to mostly burn out but was a pain in the butt to make them I found it easier to take a lubed bullet drop it in tap with a wood dowl just to hold bullet in the rifling the poured in some cream of wheat to take up a bit of space then 60gr ffg to fill the chamber close her up and away you go just make shure no air space . mine is a 54 cal. will post a few pics of the bullets when I get a chance
 
its KMNo3 (salt peater) but i hear you can buy potassium nitrate in solution or make a solution.

I figure rolling paper is the best way to go, but the darm real paper is hard to come by.

I would like to try to make it.
 
Cigarette paper would be too fragile for rifle cartridges. Probably too small as well. Might be OK for a caplock revolver if handled very carefully. Edit - did some research, some folks have used papers for Sharps cartridges. A protective carrier would be needed for field use.
Paper can be soaked in a potassium nitrate solution, and then dried.
I need to make cartridges for my Starr carbine. Starr cartridge is quite different compared to a Sharps, though. Uses a nitrated head for the flash to penetrate, breech doesn't shear like a Sharps. I've been shooting it with loose powder, but would like the convenience of cartridges.
 
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there are brass cartridges made for paper cart. rifles.
I seen sev. ads in an European mail order catalouge.
will take a look when I get home and up-date.
 
Bullet dia.?

ben hunchak said:
The bullet used was called a "ringtail" bullet, which has provision to tie the paper cartridge to the base of the bullet. Their were a lot of diff. sizes for these and they only differred by a few thou., for more info check out the NEI lineup of bullet molds as they have a good handle on the bullets needed.l
Click to expand...

I went on thier website. They seem to have a good selection of molds but how does one determine which diameter, therefore model of mold to select?

I have heard of "slugging" the bore. I think it is done by pushing a bullet down the bore and then measuring the outside(?) diameter of the projectile.

I tried some projectiles similar to the ringtails (they were called "christmas tree bullets") and they did shoot the best of all the types I had tried (3-4" @ 100 yds.).

Is the paper from the cartridge meant to act as a type of paper patch?
It makes sense as it would have to stay on the bullet when it is loaded. If this is the case then the paper diameter would have to be taken into consideration when the bullet dia. for the mold is selected. Right...?

Yours in obvious confusion. Steve (on a good day).
 
As far as I know, the bullet is lubed like normal and the charge tied to the bottom of the cart. around the ringtail, hence , the smaller dia. there. The paper should not go up any further then this smaller base. It's actually quite easy to slug a bore provided you use a slug/ball that is very soft and just over bore dia.,some fishing weights work for this as well.
 
It depends on which make of Sharps you have .The Shiloh version has a straight chamber so a Ring tail bullet is not needed.I use a flat bottomed bullet and it works perfectly.Some Sharps made by other makers such as Garret and the Sile version have a tapered chamber like the originals and they do their best with the christmas tree type of bullet
 
i have made nitrate paper. i used onion skin paper. salt peter was bought from a local chemical supply store hear, no prob. now after 911 you may have to sign your life away, who knows.

all you need to do is get a ceramic or glass ( no metal containers) container that will hold the sheet of paper laying flat.i use a glass rectangular cake pan

fill the container half full of water and set it to boiling, start adding salt peter.
the more you can get in the water to saturation point, the better.
put in the paper, only one sheet at a time.
the longer you leave it in the boil, the faster it will burn.
with wooden tongs( no metal again) remove the paper and hang to dry.
and thats it.
 
1863 Sharps

I just got one in a 54 cal and have been reading up on these on the shiloh sharps forum the brooks mould has a ringtail that takes the new Charlie Hahn paper tubes that are avail from Shiloh or Charlie Haun himself .
I have ordered the Brooks Mould and the tubes from Shiloh Sharps i will get a range report somtime in July when i get everything together.
 
Taken from the North-South Skirmish Association forums

I use rolls of adding machine paper and it works very well. I roll the paper into 6 feet long strips in a wall paper pan and hang them up to dry on a horizontal line with clothes pins. Using single sheets of 8 1/2 by 11 paper is a big waste of time.

I make sheets from the nitrated paper that is long enough to make a double thickness tube.

The result is a very strong cartridge. If someone asks me how durable the round is, I throw one on the ground. They never come apart.




First you do not need to use hot water; cold will work. Stir the water - potssium nitrate mixture as you add the saltpeter. When you get enough saltpeter that some settles out in the bottom of the pan, adding more saltpeter will not make a difference.

Making sure the paper is wetted completely, on both sides is important. If you use rolls of printer paper in a wall papering pan, you can start by putting some paper in one layer, then folding the paper, and folding again. So each strip is about 6 feet long. As you put each strip in, make sure it is wetted by pushing down the paper into the water as you fold it . This is easier than it sounds. I put in about 8 strips, each 6 feet long, before hanging any to dry.

Take strips out and hang them on something like a clothes line. Use a clothes pin on each strip to hold in to the line. Double the end of the strip by folding it over to prevent tearing where the clothes pin holds the strip. Don't try to dry the strips outside. The slightest wind will tear them.

As you make the strips add more water and saltpeter.

You can check how the paper will work by taking out some small pieces to try. Light them and they should burn completely except for ash. Using these papers will leave ash or glowing paper in the barrel. I never had a paper cartridge catch fire while loading a round in the chamber. I think I have used at least 30,000 paper cartridges without a problem.

I make cartridges that are cut off by the breechblock.

Use the hottest caps you can get even if you make rounds that the breechblock will cut off. It helps to prevent a hangfire, if before you fire your first shot, put the muzzle up, and tap on the side of the stock to help powder get into the hole in the breech. After the first shot there usually no problem with hangfires.
Click to expand...
 
Black powder is 75% KNO3, so just dissolve black powder in water until you have a concentrated solution and soak the paper in that. The charcoal will settle out as a black powder on the bottom of the bowl.
For Tiriaq, I suspect you will have to use something like cigarette paper for the very back of the paper cartridge. I know that the Westley Richards Monkeytail had to use a special more powerful primer to penetrate their paper cartridges. In the case of the monkeytail, the flash hits the middle of the cartridge/powder charge.

cheers mooncoon
 
To help with ignition of your paper cartridges in the '63 Sharps, make yourself a wooden seating tool with a sharpened point for making a hole in the seated paper cartridge. Such a tool can be fashioned from a 5 or 6 inch piece of 1/2 inch wooden dowel that has a sharpened, cut off, wood screw put into its centre.

As I recall, Shiloh doesn't recommend cutting off the end of the paper cartridge with the breech block (even though that may have been the original intent behind the design of the '63). Instead, if you use the "dowel with the spike", you'll find that the bullet gets seated properly and the charge becomes easy to ignite consistently.
 
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