how to load powder patch bullets?

JTF#

JTF#

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hello

i just got a martini henry rifle and i have a cupple of brass but how do you re load with the powder patch bullets? i cant find any normal bullets only ones with the powder patch on them. what do you do to load them any different then the norm?
 
You just need to make sure that after sizing, that the cartridge mouth is belled enough that it does not catch the paper. What are you using for a load?

If you are going for repeated shots with black powder, be sure to incorporate a grease cookie with a couple of cards. With 85 grains of black powder I use kapok filler with the cards and grease cookie with a .468" 480 grain paper patched bullet.
 
british militaria fourm in the place to go

i remeber pming you about this too if you got a british made martini then a .468-.470 bullet in the 480gr is needed your not going to find pre paper patched bullets in canada(cant just order from the US)

85gr fg goex is a good start with a few grains of 100% cotton ball on top of the powder then a few wads(felt) if using a grease groove bullet or if you use a paper patch bullet a thin card wad or two and then a BP lube cookie then one or to more thin card wads and the bullet

you dont need dies especially the lee .577-450 dies suck any way the work the brass too much as they full length resize brass(needed for the CBC/magtech cases) but they also size the neck for a .457" bullet way too small for the MH. i use a .480 ruger sizing die to size just the neck (i take the deprime rod/expander ball off as it will bring the neck ID to .475" ) i also anneal my brass after every third time it shot.

clean up of the brass i deprime put it in hot water and use a bottle brush to clean it. clean up of the gun i disassemble the gun taking out all the internals i then use a funnel pour boiling hot water down the barrel from the breech end and then use the cleaning rod with the muzzle guide i made this protects the muzzle from wear
 
JTF# said:
hello

i just got a martini henry rifle and i have a cupple of brass but how do you re load with the powder patch bullets? i cant find any normal bullets only ones with the powder patch on them. what do you do to load them any different then the norm?
Click to expand...

I have to assume that you are actually talking about paper patched bullets. I don't recall ever seeing any sold in the patched form (bullets or slugs only). When I shoot paper patched bullets, I cast smooth slugs that are about .002" below bore diameter then wrap them with two wraps of 100% rag content paper dipped in cool water and let dry. I then run them through a sizing die to compress the paper to about groove diameter or slightly larger. The paper patches are cut out using a template and the longitudinal seam is diagonal across the bullet. It is important that the sizing die has a taper from the entrance hole to the exit so that the paper is crushed down and not stripped off.

You want to load the powder with a drop tube and probably compress it a little; some sources claim a drop tube by itself is good enough. You also might want to use a corn meal filler between the powder and the slug so that you don't have to load so much powder (not to mention recoil reduction). Probably use 2F powder. While 1F would certainly work, it is also a pain in the bum to pour. I have a couple of martinis which I have shot but not much and most of my paper patching has been done with a Sharps 45-120 (which I sold mostly because of recoil)

cheers mooncoon
 
mooncoon said:
I have to assume that you are actually talking about paper patched bullets. I don't recall ever seeing any sold in the patched form (bullets or slugs only). When I shoot paper patched bullets, I cast smooth slugs that are about .002" below bore diameter then wrap them with two wraps of 100% rag content paper dipped in cool water and let dry. I then run them through a sizing die to compress the paper to about groove diameter or slightly larger. The paper patches are cut out using a template and the longitudinal seam is diagonal across the bullet. It is important that the sizing die has a taper from the entrance hole to the exit so that the paper is crushed down and not stripped off.

You want to load the powder with a drop tube and probably compress it a little; some sources claim a drop tube by itself is good enough. You also might want to use a corn meal filler between the powder and the slug so that you don't have to load so much powder (not to mention recoil reduction). Probably use 2F powder. While 1F would certainly work, it is also a pain in the bum to pour. I have a couple of martinis which I have shot but not much and most of my paper patching has been done with a Sharps 45-120 (which I sold mostly because of recoil)

cheers mooncoon
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with the martini its common to use a .457-.458 slug and patch it with 2 raps of paper to .468-.470 or so. the original rounds used a .450-.455 bullet patched to around .465 i dont think there is a template for the MH rifles

and drop tubes are not used normaly with the martini henry you want to powder to take up as much room as possable fg is best in this cartridge it is a big bottle neck with more internal capacity then needed your not going to compress the powder any time soon
 
antiqueguy said:
\ i dont think there is a template for the MH rifles

and drop tubes are not used normaly with the martini henry you want to powder to take up as much room as possable fg is best in this cartridge
Click to expand...

You don't buy a template, you make it by wrapping 2 or more layers of your patching paper around the bullet and cutting it diagonally with a sharp knife. You use that to make a sheet metal template.

About the only shells you might not use a drop tube with, are small pistol shells because there is such a short powder column. If black powder is not lightly to moderately compressed, you will not get a uniform burn from shot to shot. I think it is Paul Mathews in one of his books who says that compression is not necessary after a drop tube but I have always felt a little compression after the tube does not hurt

I should also mention that I make my own paper patch molds (from smaller diameter second hand Lee molds) rather than hunt for the closest commercial mold to what my theory of the day is.

cheers mooncoon
 
mooncoon said:
You don't buy a template, you make it by wrapping 2 or more layers of your patching paper around the bullet and cutting it diagonally with a sharp knife. You use that to make a sheet metal template.

About the only shells you might not use a drop tube with, are small pistol shells because there is such a short powder column. If black powder is not lightly to moderately compressed, you will not get a uniform burn from shot to shot. I think it is Paul Mathews in one of his books who says that compression is not necessary after a drop tube but I have always felt a little compression after the tube does not hurt

I should also mention that I make my own paper patch molds (from smaller diameter second hand Lee molds) rather than hunt for the closest commercial mold to what my theory of the day is.

cheers mooncoon
Click to expand...

you will never get compression with the .577-450 and drop tubes are alot not used most of the time with the fg powder at 85gr then a few grains of cotton ball then wads and or grease cookie then the bullet
 
antiqueguy said:
you will never get compression with the .577-450 and drop tubes are not used most of the time with the fg powder at 85gr then a few grains of cotton ball then wads and or grease cookie then the bullet
Click to expand...

for someone with seemingly so much experience at shooting and reloading, I have to wonder how much reloading you actually do.

cheers mooncoon
 
mooncoon said:
for someone with seemingly so much experience at shooting and reloading, I have to wonder how much reloading you actually do.

cheers mooncoon
Click to expand...

ive reloaded for the martini for years now ive had 3 of them. go to british militaria not too many mentions of drop tubes and everyone there knows its impossable to get powder compression if you do get it that means you have powder all the way up to the neck thats well over 100gr of powder
 
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