Dacron alternatives

[mongo40]

I've got a couple bottles of Blackhorn 209 I was going to try in a couple different cartridge loads and on there web site they have metallic cartridge load data posted and it states to use Dacron filler on top of powder. I've read all the threads I care to on here and a few other places on the use of Dacron and Dacron is a Dupont product and the store I went to had probably 20 different brands of pillow filler or stuffing material and it all is 100% polyester which I'm assuming Dacron is, so I bought a small bag of another brand that will last a lot longer than the Blackhorn will. I'm assuming any pillow / stuff toy filler will work it doesn't necessarily have to have Dacron stamped on it am I correct or not???
Reason I'm assuming this is I saw guys on the internet pages saying they couldn't find Dacron and guys were telling them to just get an old pillow or stuffed toy and remove the stuffing and use that. On Blackhorns website they show a load for 45 colt, 45-70 and 45-100 that required Dacron filler on top of powder that I want to try this weekend in a few rounds to see how it does.
Thanks
Chris Wilson

[barrabruce]

Go to
CB Loads, Your Favorite Cartridge
There is a sticky there about using fillers.

I use a sheet of polyester filler.
It’s about 3/8" thick.
Bought a square metre years ago.
They seem to change every time I need new stuff.

The strands are fine and you can tease a light fluffy tuft out of it like cotton wool but fluffier and a bit thicker strands and doesn’t stay in a wad if you compress it.

I tried the toy stuffing but it has thick hair like threads that seem to want to stay individual when teased out.

That probably sounded as clear as mud.
Anyway.
Read the sticky.

[Larry Gibson]

Dacron isn't a "product" but is a trade name (Dupont's) for polyester fill or "batting" (the sheets barrabruce mentions). The polyester, as long as it is 100%, you have will work fine. Although I also use the "batting" sheets and cut into squares as I've found it much easier and quicker.

[mongo40]

Yea I guess I went the long way around in just asking is Dacron simply 100% polyfill? like all the others on the shelve? Thanks
Chris Wilson

[mehavey]

Blackhorn 209 doesn't need full-fill/compression like BP ?

[Rcmaveric]

I use the guys from old pillows.

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[waksupi]

Go find some cattails, and shred the heads. Instant kapok.

[mongo40]

I'm not compressing the 209 I'm just using a filler on top like the web site says. I read the sticky recommended by barrabruce, lots of info but I just wanted to make sure any 100% polyester backing / fill would work that it didn't have to specifically be Dacron. Thanks guys.

[Freischütz]

Don't forget good old kapok.

[beagle]

There was a big push on using the green foam that florists use for a while. Haven't seen any mention of it lately. Maybe somebody will chime in here. When I want dacron, I go to Walmart and buy a bag of the quilting sheets they sell. Easy to cut, fold and stuff in case with the right sized dowel./beagle

[charlie b]

I would just make sure it says dacron or polyester.

FWIW, the quilting batting my wife uses is cotton, not polyester. Might not make a difference.

[mehavey]

Go get some starch packing peanuts (https://www.amazon.com/Biodegradable-Packing-Peanuts-Shipping-Loose/dp/B07N382T5D) from Staples. Use a piece to stabilize the powder column.

Upon firing...merely a translucent white ball of thin dust about 12" in diameter surrounding
the muzzle.

[webfoot10]

Just empty the lint from your dryer, works just as well as dacron and you
have a never ending supply. Cost is nothing, talk about cheep.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

In the last month, one ebay shipment of tools I received was packed with sheets of polyester fill ...SCORE !

[mehavey]

unfortunately, polyester ...melts.

[Larry Gibson]

unfortunately, polyester ...melts.

Never found that to be the case when used properly as a filler in cartridges. In larger cartridges such as in the 45-70 I've observed small shards floating down (especially noticeable if the wind is in your face) after the shot. Never found any indication/trace of any "melted" dacron in the bore or on the base of any recovered GC/bullet and I have literally shot thousands, if not a hundred thousand+, of cast bullet loads with dacron in them.

[NEKVT]

Same here...have never seen a trace of dacron left after a shot . If you are seeing any then you are probably using too much. The light puff of it needed to take up space between bullet and powder is easily consumed within the barrel.

[Rcmaveric]

Never seen a trace either of the dacron... but I could also smell the burnt plastic.

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[robg]

i use toilet paper in my 45-70 .quarter sheet pushed down with a pencil ,nothing left after firing.

[mroliver77]

My young Lab female lives to "liberate" filler from stuffed animals. I have a few totes upstairs full of the things. Some is more coarse than others but I have never seen any performance difference.

[charlie b]

unfortunately, polyester ...melts.

Yes, it does melt. Just take a tuft of it in a pan and touch a lighter to it. How much is left? And it all blows out the barrel.

Yes, if you stuff a case full of it then you could create a small plug of melted goo, but, that's not how it is used. If you compress it you are doing it wrong. You want it to be 'fluffy' inside the case. Look up the sticky on fillers.

[mehavey]

Look up the sticky on fillers.Did that long, long, long ago.
Decided to stick with kapok...
and lately with puffed starch peanuts.
(Peanuts far & away best in straightwalls)

[Larry Gibson]

No one is saying you're wrong using those fillers. You don't want to use dacron/ polyester then don't. Last I heard we still can make some choices.

[mehavey]

Gee Larry.... no offense was intended.

[Uncle Grinch]

I’ve got a gallon bag of kapok I saved from an old like vest from many years ago, if anyone is interested. All I need is shipping cost, which can’t be much.

[mehavey]

Notwithstanding UncleGrinch's kindness above,
Amazon's got a (probable) lifetime kapok supply
for $20 if all else fails.

[charlie b]

Yep, $20 worth of any of this fillers will last a LONG time.