Rolling paper cartridges for harpers ferry flintlock rifle info needed.

[Neo]

I have been doing a bit of reserch on the web and some of what I have been reading says you can use paper rolled cartridges in a 1803 harpers ferry flintlock, like the ones used in the 1861-1865 civil war. Dose any one know of this and has any one tried using them. The tear type open the rolled cartridge put the powder charge in barrel use paper to patch the ball and ram home.prime pan with powder horn.This I basically some of what I did read on the web.

[curator]

Neo,

The original 1803 Harpers Ferry rifle was .54 caliber, not the .58 caliber of modern reproductions. The original was designed to shoot a patched round ball. Paper cartridges were available that held the powder/priming charge. Ball and patch were in a separate compartment. Initially, the balls were issued already patched with a linen string where the lightly greased material was gathered into a little pig-tail. The modern 1803s that I have seen were designed for patched ball or minie-type bullet. A "Civil War-style" paper cartridge could be made for these guns with powder charge and minie bullet in a paper tube. Generally, flintlocks rifles are not the best for shooting hollow-based minie bullets.

Smooth-bore muskets were loaded with paper cartridges where the paper ball wrapping was pushed down the bore to help hold the ball in place. The loading sequence allowed for the priming pan to be filled first (something I do not recommend) before the main charge and ball were loaded. You could make paper cartridges like these with .560 diameter balls but accuracy would be about equal to shooting a smooth-bore. The standard load for the Military issue 1816 and 1836 .69 caliber flintlock musket was a .66 caliber round ball and 110 grains of "musket grade" (FFg) black powder. When percussion caps were adapted the charge was reduced to 85 grains since there was no need for extra to prime the flash pan. Accuracy with this load is about "minute of man" to a little more than 50 yards and the broad side of a barn after that.

Friend who has the Pedersoli replica 1803 rifle generally uses .575 diameter round balls and .015 thick canvas patching along with a load of 70 grains of FFg black powder. He can shoot 8" pie plates at 100 yards from the standing position with this load but it is tight to load. The shallow 3-groove rifling requires a tight ball/patch combination for any kind of accuracy.

[Neo]

Neo,

The original 1803 Harpers Ferry rifle was .54 caliber, not the .58 caliber of modern reproductions. The original was designed to shoot a patched round ball. Paper cartridges were available that held the powder/priming charge. Ball and patch were in a separate compartment. Initially, the balls were issued already patched with a linen string where the lightly greased material was gathered into a little pig-tail. The modern 1803s that I have seen were designed for patched ball or minie-type bullet. A "Civil War-style" paper cartridge could be made for these guns with powder charge and minie bullet in a paper tube. Generally, flintlocks rifles are not the best for shooting hollow-based minie bullets.

Smooth-bore muskets were loaded with paper cartridges where the paper ball wrapping was pushed down the bore to help hold the ball in place. The loading sequence allowed for the priming pan to be filled first (something I do not recommend) before the main charge and ball were loaded. You could make paper cartridges like these with .560 diameter balls but accuracy would be about equal to shooting a smooth-bore. The standard load for the Military issue 1816 and 1836 .69 caliber flintlock musket was a .66 caliber round ball and 110 grains of "musket grade" (FFg) black powder. When percussion caps were adapted the charge was reduced to 85 grains since there was no need for extra to prime the flash pan. Accuracy with this load is about "minute of man" to a little more than 50 yards and the broad side of a barn after that.

Friend who has the Pedersoli replica 1803 rifle generally uses .575 diameter round balls and .015 thick canvas patching along with a load of 70 grains of FFg black powder. He can shoot 8" pie plates at 100 yards from the standing position with this load but it is tight to load. The shallow 3-groove rifling requires a tight ball/patch combination for any kind of accuracy.

Thank you for some great information it's much appreciated.