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Jim
02-02-2011, 10:21 AM
In a current thread, Boz330 mentioned using kapok as filler. I was introduced to this in the late 70's by a man that was old enough to be my father. I don't hear much about it anymore. I have 3 large coffee cans stuffed full of it that I salvaged from an old US Coast Guard life jacket. I use it off and on and it works fine for me.

I got to thinking about it when I saw it mentioned and went snoopin' around lookin' for it. Lo, and behold, I found THIS PLACE (http://www.bamboofiber.com/.sc/ms/dd/ee/103/Kapok%20Fiber) that sells it for $5 a pound.

Just to give you some idea of what a pound might look like, that's a gallon zip-lok bag on the scale and, with the bag, it weighs 3.55 ounces.
http://fgsp.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/pics-038-e1296656502578.jpg

stubshaft
02-02-2011, 02:30 PM
I used it also in the days before Hollowfill. Works great and it was easier for me to pull a tuft of this stuff than Dacron.

Olevern
02-02-2011, 02:45 PM
Hey, Jim
never used the stuff, what did you use it for, small charges in 45-70?
Do you weigh the filler?
This last storm hit you there in Floyd? BTW, ck ur email.
Olevern

Jim
02-02-2011, 04:06 PM
I have used it in .45-70 cases for filler, but mostly in bottlenecks where I wanted to keep the charge back against the flash hole. The stuff burns incredibly fast with nothing more than a lit match applied to a tuft of it between your fingers. All I've ever used went to la-la land on firing. There's not even a hint of it in the air out beyond the barrel. It just disappears.
I didn't weigh it for the .45-70 loads 'cause I was just makin' up some "recreational" loads, but I do weigh it when working up loads for bottleneck calibers.

Horace
02-03-2011, 12:53 AM
Picked up 2 -3 pounds of Kapok 2 years ago..i`ll never use it all in my next lifetime.Found out my old futon is stuffed full of it.

Horace