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Thread: Anyone use bullet blocks for cap and ball?

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy fishingsetx's Avatar
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    Anyone use bullet blocks for cap and ball?

    Just curious if anyone uses bullet blocks to make loading cap and ball rifles easier in the field. I have been working on a design for one for my .32 cal squirrel rifle but havent had a chance to test it out. Here is what I have so far.

    Guns have only two enemies: rust and politicians!

  2. #2
    Boolit Grand Master

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    I use a simple hard wood block with holes for the patched ball and a recess for the muzzle end of the barrel to center. These hold 5-10 balls. The wood is finished with a hard epoxy finish soI can run patched ball or a lubed bullet with out staining the wood.

  3. #3
    Boolit Buddy fishingsetx's Avatar
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    Yea I thought about making a wood block, but this was easier (3D printer). I also thought about recessing the block in the design but im hoping the ball sticking out of the block helps center it. Trying to make it robust enough to beat around while stalking squirrels but quick enough for fast follow up shots if needed. Its a work in progress for sure.

    Guns have only two enemies: rust and politicians!

  4. #4
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Maybe add a small blind holes along the edge for the caps also. Since the next step after seating the ball is capping this might be handy also.

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    i always use ball boards, but since plastic isn't an 18th century material, i use that nifty all purpose substance we call wood.

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  6. #6
    Boolit Buddy fishingsetx's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by country gent View Post
    Maybe add a small blind holes along the edge for the caps also. Since the next step after seating the ball is capping this might be handy also.
    Thats a good idea!

    As for plastic vs wood, i do make my own powder and cast my own round ball, but when im hunting, Ive got rubber boots, a baseball cap, synthetic clothes, blaze orange, plastic water bottle, etc etc. Chances are, my rifle has been chemically blued and ployurathane coated. Dont bother me a bit to have a plastic bullet block! Once perfected, Ill print it with wood PLA, stain and seal it to match my wood stocked crockett rifle!

    Guns have only two enemies: rust and politicians!

  7. #7
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by rfd View Post
    i always use ball boards, but since plastic isn't an 18th century material, i use that nifty all purpose substance we call wood.

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    Yup!! and while the printer is foolin around trying to figure out how to turn itself on after old mate pressed the go switch - we would have our piece of wood drilled and ready to go

  8. #8
    Boolit Master
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    I've made a bunch of them for my .50 caliber ML's out of walnut. Drilled the half inch holes in some 3/4 x 1 1/4 inch scrap and ripped it down the middle to 3/8 thickness which allows the patched ball to stick out just enough to align in the muzzle. They come in handy doing a wood walk.

  9. #9
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    I made one a looooong time ago. I do believe it's still in the woods somewhere close to Eufaula.....I ended up getting some Butler Creek and I think some Blue & Gray tubes....
    Tom
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    Did I ever mention that I hate to trim brass?

  10. #10
    Boolit Grand Master pietro's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by fishingsetx View Post

    Just curious if anyone uses bullet blocks to make loading cap and ball rifles easier in the field.

    Just a friendly FYI : In over 55 years, you're the 1st person I've ever heard mention something called a "cap & ball (C&B) rifle" - a term (C&B) usually reserved for percussion repeating revolvers.

    .
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    Quote Originally Posted by pietro View Post
    Just a friendly FYI : In over 55 years, you're the 1st person I've ever heard mention something called a "cap & ball (C&B) rifle" - a term (C&B) usually reserved for percussion repeating revolvers.

    .
    What would be appropriate? Cap lock vs Flint lock or just muzzle loader? I noticed that one of the suggestions was for where to put percussion caps on the ball holder so the method of ignition does matter at least somewhat to the discussion. I don't recall hearing the term C & B used with long guns either but it was relevant. Just curious on how to express.
    Scrap.... because all the really pithy and emphatic four letter words were taken and we had to describe this source of casting material somehow so we added an "S" to what non casters and wives call what we collect.

    Kind of hard to claim to love America while one is hating half the Americans that disagree with you. One nation indivisible requires work.

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  12. #12
    Boolit Buddy fishingsetx's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by pietro View Post
    Just a friendly FYI : In over 55 years, you're the 1st person I've ever heard mention something called a "cap & ball (C&B) rifle" - a term (C&B) usually reserved for percussion repeating revolvers.

    .
    Noted so maybe I wont sould like such a newbie.

    Being new to the whole muzzleloader game, that was the best way I could come up with to describe a caplock rifle (if that is the proper term). Still uses a percussion cap and a round ball, so technically it is a cap and ball. I do have a pietta repro of 1858 new model army that would be considered a cap and ball!

    I also found out a couple years ago that shooting the pistol at an indoor gun range on a busy saturday morning was pretty frowned upon even if you were using smokeless powder! I cant imagine how they would have reacted if I was using my home brew black powder!

    The bullet blocks work great both at the range and in the field. Took a couple to the squirrel woods last weekend! I am going to redesign the base with a slot rather than individual holes. That way I can slide the bullet block out to load a ball without having to pull the whole thing apart.

    Had a few misfires so now I just gotta figure out a way to make the caps ignite the powder more reliably without having to pour a little powder under the nipple.

    Guns have only two enemies: rust and politicians!

  13. #13
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    Caplock and Flintlock are common ways to describe the ignition mechanism which is reflected in the hammer design.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lock_(firearm)

    Funny that Wikipedia page explains where the term lock, stock, and barrel came from. The rifle consists of those three parts. All three are a "complete" unit, thus "bought it lock, stock, and barrel" is a way of saying they bought the whole thing. Much the same as hook, line, and sinker.

    Those 1858 new model army revolvers are fun. Indoor range eh? Bet you were one popular fellow. I also like the 3D printed design you have going. There is a technology that is really opening up some possibilities. Nice to see those possibilities applied to shooting sports. And no I don't mean printed guns. I could make better out of scrap metal in the garage. Reloading parts such as powder baffles, or micro charge disks, or guides and hangers for press accessories. Now your round ball loader. Cool beans as they say. Keep us posted as you refine.
    Scrap.... because all the really pithy and emphatic four letter words were taken and we had to describe this source of casting material somehow so we added an "S" to what non casters and wives call what we collect.

    Kind of hard to claim to love America while one is hating half the Americans that disagree with you. One nation indivisible requires work.

    Feedback page http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...light=RogerDat

  14. #14
    Boolit Buddy fishingsetx's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by RogerDat View Post
    Caplock and Flintlock are common ways to describe the ignition mechanism which is reflected in the hammer design.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lock_(firearm)

    Funny that Wikipedia page explains where the term lock, stock, and barrel came from. The rifle consists of those three parts. All three are a "complete" unit, thus "bought it lock, stock, and barrel" is a way of saying they bought the whole thing. Much the same as hook, line, and sinker.

    Those 1858 new model army revolvers are fun. Indoor range eh? Bet you were one popular fellow. I also like the 3D printed design you have going. There is a technology that is really opening up some possibilities. Nice to see those possibilities applied to shooting sports. And no I don't mean printed guns. I could make better out of scrap metal in the garage. Reloading parts such as powder baffles, or micro charge disks, or guides and hangers for press accessories. Now your round ball loader. Cool beans as they say. Keep us posted as you refine.
    Thanks and yes, there are a lot of items coming out of the 3d printing world that are pretty innovative! Im a complete novice on that too, but I still dabble in it. The bullet block was my first ground up design, but I have printed a few items that someone else came up with.

    I also agree on the 3d printed guns! Much ado about nothing. They have the uncanny ability to self destruct! There are some folks making 10/22 uppers and AR lowers that are getting some serious round counts, but it would be MUCH simpler, cheaper, and safer to just buy an 80% lower and finish it.

    A couple other gun related items ive printed (angled fore grips, ammo boxes and speed loader).

    Im having some issues with the printer right now, but once I get it going again, im going to do some more modifying on the bullet block. Eventually I want to get to the point where the powder charge, cap, ball, and patch are all in one. Basically you set it up with 10 rounds and all you do is push the load into the bore, ram it down, cap it and fire. Still havent quite figured the powder out but I have some ideas!

    Guns have only two enemies: rust and politicians!

  15. #15
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    I think the tubes with a charge would be hard to beat but there are a lot of ways to solve the ball, patch and primer issue. With room for improvement and innovation.

    The tapered rod used to roll paper cartridges combined with a strip that held caps would be the cats whiskers. People make those rods out of wood dowel sanded down, or there was at one time a brass rod with handle sold as part of a very expensive kit.

    Enfield Mandrel shown here. Has fairly straight sides
    https://www.papercartridges.com/auth...artridges.html

    But revolver paper cartridges they have a taper. People do assorted work around or home brew solutions for.
    http://www.mathcs.duq.edu/~vergot/civilwar/

    Always planned to try paper cartridges one day. Pistol cartridges originally came with a strip of some sort that held primers.
    Scrap.... because all the really pithy and emphatic four letter words were taken and we had to describe this source of casting material somehow so we added an "S" to what non casters and wives call what we collect.

    Kind of hard to claim to love America while one is hating half the Americans that disagree with you. One nation indivisible requires work.

    Feedback page http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...light=RogerDat

  16. #16
    Boolit Grand Master pietro's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by fishingsetx View Post

    Noted so maybe I wont sould like such a newbie.

    Had a few misfires so now I just gotta figure out a way to make the caps ignite the powder more reliably without having to pour a little powder under the nipple

    You shouldn't have to put powder under the nipple, unless the main charge doesn't ignite for whatever reason, and you need to get it emptied w/o resorting to a ball puller/worm.

    It looks like your rifle's nipple seats into snail built into the breech - which means that the ignition spark has to turn some corners before it reaches the main charge.

    Reliable ignition requires a clear/clear ignition channel, the proper cap fully seated on the nipple, and no crud build up in the hammer nose.



    I may be preaching to the choir, but since you said you're a newbie...…………………………


    IME, presuming the ignition channel got properly cleaned when you last cleaned the gun,the best way to load your rifle is:

    1) Dump the powder charge downbore w/o (mouth) blowing down the barrel to see it the ignition channel's clear (breath contains moisture - NG for powder/ignition).

    2) Before loading the PRB (patched round ball), hold the rifle vertically with the muzzle "up" with one hand and smack the side of the snail area with the other hand to "urge" a little of the main charge to migrate from the powder chamber into the lower part of the snail.

    3) Seat the PRB after starting it downbore with a long, steady, smooth stroke until you feel the PRB hit the powder.

    4) Perform the final PRB seating while the RR's still in the bore via pressing the PRB down with a hard squeeze (do not pound on the RR)



    Now, when you cap the nipple, you should be GTG.



    If you're doing multiple shots at a range, I would suggest keeping a small plastic bottle of Windex or T/C's Ox-Yoke #10 bore cleaner (aka: Moose Milk) & a few cleaning patches - so the bore can be wiped every few shots. (slightly wet a patch, then dry the bore with dry patches B 4 loading again)


    Please keep us posted on your progress with your ignition issues.

    .
    Last edited by pietro; 11-16-2018 at 01:37 PM.
    Now I lay me down to sleep
    A gun beside me is what I keep
    If I awake, and you're inside
    The coroner's van is your next ride

  17. #17
    Boolit Master Baltimoreed's Avatar
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    I used a circular piece of 1/8 inch rubber gasket material to hold my caps. Just punched undersized holes in it near the edge and pushed the caps in. Hung it on a lanyard with a bigger hole. Also made bullet loading blocks out of oak but had plastic tubes for my powder that lived in a cartridge pouch on my belt with a wood insert that held 6 tubes.

  18. #18
    Boolit Grand Master pietro's Avatar
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    .

    I've long used an inline cap holder, with a leather thong, for capping my rifles.




    .
    Now I lay me down to sleep
    A gun beside me is what I keep
    If I awake, and you're inside
    The coroner's van is your next ride

  19. #19
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    I was taught that first thing before loading fire a cap at a leaf, some pulled grass, or a pile of dust lying on the ground. Insures that you have a clear primer channel through to the bore before the powder and ball go in. I think after a bit you would be able to spot the reduced movement of the debris or dirt and know you needed to run a cleaning tool through or wash it better.

    Thanks pietro for that well described step by step set of instructions. There were a few take-away items in there for sure. Still learning new stuff about BP firearms.

    I know some people change nipples to use a more common percussion cap. Has anyone done a compare of say #11 and musket caps (w/wings) as to which produces more flash?
    Scrap.... because all the really pithy and emphatic four letter words were taken and we had to describe this source of casting material somehow so we added an "S" to what non casters and wives call what we collect.

    Kind of hard to claim to love America while one is hating half the Americans that disagree with you. One nation indivisible requires work.

    Feedback page http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...light=RogerDat

  20. #20
    Boolit Buddy fishingsetx's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by pietro View Post
    .

    I've long used an inline cap holder, with a leather thong, for capping my rifles.




    .
    That is the same capper I use.

    I also fire a cap before loading the first round. The only difference in my loading sequence is I dont tap on the snail before I load the PRB. Makes perfect sense and Ill start doing that. Id say out of 15 or so rounds, I may have 2 or 3 misfire (cap pops but doesnt ignite the powder) and once it misfires, consecutive caps still wont ignite the powder. When this happens, I normally pull the nipple, pour a bit of powder in the snail, reinstall the nipple and it fires.

    Guns have only two enemies: rust and politicians!

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check