Pouring powder down the barrel on revolvers

[rodwha]

I’ve considered the pre made powder pouches. I was watching a YouTuber who put together some really nice looking paper cartridges with cigarette rolling papers. The only thing I didn’t like was the paper went around the ball too, so when he’d press the ball in it would leave pieces of paper around the cylinder that he would have to fidget with to get out of the way. Not much of a time saver, but still more convenient than packing everything separately.

I also bought a bunch of reusable rubber tubes meant for this purpose. But you use a lead ball as the stopper. I don’t use balls in my pistols and the lube wouldn’t work well.

 

[TheOutlawKid]

Much easier to make paper cartridges without the ball or conical. Cigarette paper round a mandrel, fill with powder, top with a card wad and a dollop of BP lube, twist and done. Push into the cylinder, load ball or conical on top. Finished. If light loading, top powder off with a little corn meal to get the same column depth.

Mr.docrock, exactly. Im a huge fan of self containrd paper cartridges that include lube and card without ball/bullet .they work great.

 

[LaneP]

Mr.docrock, exactly. Im a huge fan of self containrd paper cartridges that include lube and card without ball/bullet .they work great.
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That's inspirational. I'm going to do a lot more cartridge rolling when black powder weather returns (spring). Thanks for these tips.

 

[whughett]

On a weekly bi/ weekly trip to the range I’ll shoot up to 96 shots a visit. Generally 48 thru two different revolvers.
I’ll also take at least one revolver with a conversion cylinder also and shoot 50 thru that.

Retired, nothing but time on my hands but the idea of making fiddly paper cartridges in that quantity got old quickly. I did give it a go though, like I said retired with time to spare. Never timed it but how long would it take to roll say between one and two hundred paper cartridges a week.

 

[C Younger]

Have to consider when making things to make loading easier if the time it takes to make them could just be dedicated to the actual loading.
"Paper cartridges make loading easier in the field." How many here have shot all 5 or 6 rounds "out in the field?" Might if squirrel/rabbit hunting but then taking time to reload at that point is just a break.
Spare cylinder(s) make reloading easier. Excuse, too heavy. If you are that weak you don't belong "in the field."
If loading bothers you that much get a conversion cylinder.

Spare cylinders are great when the cost is reasonable. I’ve got a spare for the 58’s, but a spare for the ROA is pretty costly. The 60 Army isn’t the most convenient to change the cylinder in, so I don’t have a spare for it. I’ve got plenty of cartridge firearms for packing in the woods. The weight of a spare cylinder certainly isn’t a problem.

 

[woodnbow]

My adjustable measures have a funnel attached. I also cut a .270 Win case to help with the angle but have contemplated purchasing a small brass funnel.

One could make paper cartridges that contain only powder much like the old battle ship powder bags. It allows for whatever projectile one might decide upon if various projectiles are a thing for you.

@TheOutlawKid has an excellent tutorial for just such a powder, lube and card wad cartridge...

D’oh!! Should have read the entire thread before posting!

 

[skeeterfogger]

Spare cylinders are great when the cost is reasonable. I’ve got a spare for the 58’s, but a spare for the ROA is pretty costly. The 60 Army isn’t the most convenient to change the cylinder in, so I don’t have a spare for it. I’ve got plenty of cartridge firearms for packing in the woods. The weight of a spare cylinder certainly isn’t a problem.

Then use the 58. I have a Rogers and Spencer so I know about expensive yet near impossible to find. So it's the 58 I go with. Over the years with coupons, watching sales and checking pawn shops and small LGS I've collected 7. Maybe sell that over priced ROA to support more affordable shooters.

 

[C Younger]

Then use the 58. I have a Rogers and Spencer so I know about expensive yet near impossible to find. So it's the 58 I go with. Over the years with coupons, watching sales and checking pawn shops and small LGS I've collected 7. Maybe sell that over priced ROA to support more affordable shooters.

Selling the ROA is probably not going to happen. I started shooting on one of them and regretted selling it. I’ve never shot another revolver as accurately as I did that one. Besides, two 58’s is plenty for me for now.

 

[Jackrabbit1957]

If you have that over priced ROA keep it, save some loot and pick up the 58 of your dreams, 2 birds in the hand and none in the bush.

 

[C Younger]

If you have that over priced ROA keep it, save some loot and pick up the 58 of your dreams, 2 birds in the hand and none in the bush.

The ROA is the C&B of my dreams and is still cheaper and stronger than some of the spruced up 58’s I’ve seen. The two 58’s I’ve got do me just fine.

 

[C Younger]

Mr.docrock, exactly. Im a huge fan of self containrd paper cartridges that include lube and card without ball/bullet .they work great.
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I really like the look of those cartridges. What kind of paper are you using?

 

[TheOutlawKid]

Mr.C Younger...i explain all material needed in the tutorial. I posted a link earlier...should answer any questions you have

 

[AJumbo]

A plastic straw may work as a drop tube if it can be slipped right over the charging spout of a flask or attached to a funnel stem.
Some may be wide enough, easy to replace, can be swapped with different lengths and shouldn't accumulate powder or oxidization that can clog.
Or maybe a straw would fit a cartridge case that can then be used as an adapter to fit a funnel.
And they're often free so it would be easy to try it out.
The one I measured is 8" long.

Plastic can harbor static electricity, and that's why I was thinking brass or copper.

 

[C Younger]

Plastic can harbor static electricity, and that's why I was thinking brass or copper.

I was thinking the same thing. Even if it didn’t throw a spark, powder would cling to the inside of the straw.

 

[woodnbow]

I really like the look of those cartridges. What kind of paper are you using?

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/31-36-and-44-ammo-box-labels.859019/page-2

 

[TheOutlawKid]

Thanks for posting the link mr.woodnbow. for those interested in the cargridge tutorial just click the link and it starts on the second page.

 

[Michiganmuzzy]

Normally I'd look at this idea and accuse the OP of over-thinking something that really isn't much of a problem, but somehow this has gotten some traction in my mind.

Make your funnel with a long enough tube that it passes through the barrel and and into the chamber mouth so you don't lose powder through the cylinder/barrel gap; it wouldn't need to extend more than 1/8" into the chamber. My preference would be for the powder to travel down the tube and into the chamber without being disturbed when I withdraw the tube from the chamber. Leave the revolver at half-cock in the stand so you can index it between dumping charges. Dump powder, lift funnel, index cylinder, drop funnel, dump powder, repeat as necessary. This would give you somewhat of a drop tube effect, settling the powder as it's poured, beside not losing grains of powder to the sticky interior of the barrel. Dang. I gotta make one now, just as soon as I find a brass or copper funnel and some copper tubing. 5/16" tubing would charge .36s and .44s without sticking in the barrel.

In fact, now that I'm overthinking it properly.... if the copper tubing is a slip fit on the funnel, it would give you the option of charging revolvers with differing barrel lengths by swapping to a longer or shorter tube. OR..... one longer tube, with some sort of ring on the tube to slide up and down to accommodate for the barrel length. Even a rolled-up rubber band would suffice in that role.Too long a tube might make the whole loading stand prone to tipping.

Great. Lord knows I needed another project.

Flintlocks etc has brass loading funnels. A 15" for $40 and their 32" on sale for $35. Cut em down to your needed length.
http://www.flintlocksetc.com/specials_pistols.htm

 

[damoc]

A system I use mainly for bench loading multiple cylinders. Consist of of a 6 round powder measure.
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An non static plastic bowl or a bowl with grounding lead.
Dip or ladle fill the measure. Place cylinder on measure.
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Flip to fill.
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Place remaining components to cylinder and into the bench press.

Thats one of the best ideas ive seen in a long time.

 

[Armored farmer]

(Shakes head)...Back to the OP: Use pre-measured charges. Or at least a powder measure. Loading from the flask is a major safety issue.

My preferred tubes are Speer shot capsules. The .38s will hold about 18 grain of powder, the .45s about 30. No, you don't load the capsule, you put your powder in it and pour it into the chamber. As for loading stands and such, I don't bother. It's just one more thing to carry. I hold the gun in my left hand, perform all loading functions with the right.

I sometimes shoot my '58 in nmlra competition. The stand makes things much nicer when loading in the timed events. It seems like it might be a requirement, but I cant remember for sure.

 

[C Younger]

Well, I’ve rolled some cartridges. I did some with 35gr Pyro P and some that are 20gr Pyro P topped with about 15gr cornmeal. I separated the two ingredients with a cardboard disc so they wouldn’t mix together. It wasn’t the most fun I’ve ever had, so I’ll still be trying the funnel thing. Now I’ve just got to wait for some shooting weather to try these things out.

 

[TheOutlawKid]

If you make your cartridges tight you dont need cardboard to seperate powder from filler....but if u want to keep them apart i recommend you use a thin disc of wax paper. Any cardboard cards should be placed just under the bullet and over the powders, lube waxes, and fillers...especially to keep the wax lube discs from sticking to the bullet and causing bad accuracy. Cards also help seal the barrel and profect the bullet from blow by/gas cutting.

 

[rodwha]

If you have that over priced ROA keep it, save some loot and pick up the 58 of your dreams, 2 birds in the hand and none in the bush.

I wouldn’t swap my ROA for any of those repros, nor would I sell it at any of those outrageous prices I’ve seen them go for. In fact I wouldn’t take the selling price plus any of those repros. Well, maybe if the repro proved my sorry shot could hit the X every single time at 50 yds with an honest load. But I can’t do that anyway...

 

[C Younger]

I wouldn’t swap my ROA for any of those repros, nor would I sell it at any of those outrageous prices I’ve seen them go for. In fact I wouldn’t take the selling price plus any of those repros.

Yep, I sold my first Old Army and regretted it. It was blue with fixed sights. Now that I’ve got another (stainless with fixed sight) there’s no chance I’d get rid of it.

 

[C Younger]

If you make your cartridges tight you dont need cardboard to seperate powder from filler....but if u want to keep them apart i recommend you use a thin disc of wax paper. Any cardboard cards should be placed just under the bullet and over the powders, lube waxes, and fillers...especially to keep the wax lube discs from sticking to the bullet and causing bad accuracy. Cards also help seal the barrel and profect the bullet from blow by/gas cutting.

I’m still kinda in the tinkering stage. I didn’t think they’d mix, but threw the discs in there anyway. I quit using bullet lube for BP a long time ago. I was told by someone that Bore Butter was the best. Then I’d go camping in -20 degrees and find that stuff frozen solid, so I’d just shoot without it. Always had good accuracy and no leading without the grease.

 

[rodwha]

I’m still kinda in the tinkering stage. I didn’t think they’d mix, but threw the discs in there anyway. I quit using bullet lube for BP a long time ago. I was told by someone that Bore Butter was the best. Then I’d go camping in -20 degrees and find that stuff frozen solid, so I’d just shoot without it. Always had good accuracy and no leading without the grease.

I did the same when shooting a ball. However my shorty bullets (.400”) don’t shoot well without lube in the groove.