Sharps 4570 and have been loading various bp and smokeless rounds to get a feel of what may work well in the rifle. Shooting a paperpatched bullet in your inline muzzleloader, using blackhorn 209 powder behind it, opens up a whole new way to shoot your rifle. A bit over is not too bad, you can always size the patched bullet. The gods must have been smiling when i put the load together as it would shoot into about one inch at 100 yards in several 308s i had, loaded to.
When dealing with a batch of 100200 bullets its nearly impossible to weigh them using an older balance beam scale and. That last part is so simple i just dont understand the effort by so many to make it. From what ive written about paper you can see its imperative to know the paper thickness before determining your bullet mould diam. The patch is carefully wrapped around the bearing surface of the bullet. In my opinion, paper patched bullets was a kind of fashion in the early black powder cartridge era, and they were not necessarily better compared to grease grooved bullets. Loading and shooting paper patched bullets a beginners guide. If you remember, in part one, i said i was sizing my bullets to. His delightfully informative book on the subject, the paper jacket, is perhaps the best resource for a reloader interested in utilizing paperpatched bullets with smokeless powder. Paper patched bullets have no lube grooves like a conventional lead bullet. Paper patch shooting is actually like jacketed bullet shooting in that full power loads are used. For those who are interested in full power with cast bullets in such calibers as. The paper patch bullet is from montana precision swaging and it has a wicked cutting edge or wad cutter type shoulder, which leaves pronounced full caliber holes in paper targets and game. Mar 22, 2015 ive started a journey to the world of paper patched cast bullet shooting.
So, i am new to bpcr shooting and have been reading may threads here and elsewhere regarding lubes, bullets, etc. The book is intended for shooters experienced in reloading black powder cartridge rifles that are ready to try their hand at shooting paper patched bullets. May 17, 2016 i see no difference in which you choose. A beginners guide for learning to load and shoot paper patched bullets by randolph s. Loading and shooting paper patched bullets by randolph s. Does anybody know anything about paper patched bullets for 4570. James get a copy of the paper patch by paul mattews i think. The best book to date on producing and shooting the paper patch bullet and a great reference source for the beginner or seasoned rifleman. Harrison published his findings in the american rifleman and the nras compilation tome.
Refining paperpatched loads for smokeless powder load data. Interestingly, some of the first jacketed bullets were marketed as metal patched bullets. Ballard evidently viewed the 3850 rifle chambering strictly as a target shooting combination. Here is an excellent slow motion film of a lrml bullet leaving the barrel. It is as accurate as the day it came home from the shop. Bullet size and paper size to add up to the right diameter. Nov 11, 2014 does anybody know anything about paper patched bullets for 4570. Here are the benefits of shooting paper patched bullets in your inline. Myself, i prefer paper patched bullets for three reasons. Not seeing a problem with the patch during loading or shooting, i next began to look at how i was casting and assembling bullets prior to shooting. Dont be concerned about the potential accuracy of paper patched bullets. I cant tell you how many bullets it has fired, but i can say that all but 5 of them, exactly 5, have been paper patched. Making, loading, shooting, and hunting with paper patched bullets i make and use paper patched bullets for elk hunting and target shooting.
The baco confetti had large chunks of paper even though the patch used was short by. You can easily shoot all of these bullets to 1500 fps without problem. Demystify the paper patch enigma with a simple stepbystep approach to re loading using off the shelf components. Id agree that rsws book is a great place to start for a guy looking to get started with paper patched bullets. Orville loomers book was interesting to me as he wrote it quite a while ago, before there was much of a revival of paper patch shooting.
Paper patched bullets ppb are probably the most controversial of all lead bullet styles. With a slightly tongueincheek writing style, i demystify the paper patching enigma with a simple, stepbystep approach to re loading using offtheself components for shooting todays. Ive started a journey to the world of paper patched cast bullet shooting. In the late1800s rifle shooting was a popular public sport with thousands turning up to watch important matches. The lip of paper extending past the base of the bullet is then twisted together, and may be pushed into a depression cast into the base of the bullet. Velocities can be easily pushed over 3000 fps, and often you can get higher velocity with a paper patched bullet than you can with jacketed bullets.
This book presents todays most thorough, fully illustrated source of information for those who enjoy a taste of the past. Out of print loading and shooting traditional scheutzen rifles a beginners guide. A beginners guide for learning to load and shoot paper patched bullets by randolph s wright. In that era, paper patched bullets were the most accurate design known for cartridge loading. Theres not a whole lot of folks shooting paper patched bullets so its difficult to compare notes with someone else. A paper patch bullet will do anything a grease groove bullet can do, and then some. Demystify the paper patch enigma with a simple stepbystep approach to reloading using off the shelf components.
Much discussion and cussin have been laid at their doorstep. Refining paperpatched loads for smokeless powder load. Loading with correct 3855 winchester cases 3855 rifle. Observations from the 1880s on hand loading and paper patched bullets. Paper patches let a shooter get the same velocities from lead bullets as with jacketed bullets. It is a paper jacket actually but it comes off at the muzzle. My son and i have personally cast, patched and shot thousands of ppbs, both in competition and hunting, and we have a very high opinion of them. Any gun that you plan to shoot cast bullets from has to be cleaned of all copper jacket fouling first. Loading the bullet grooves with grease is not needed with paper patches. Sizing paperpatched bullets for smokeless powder load.
Dec 26, 2019 not seeing a problem with the patch during loading or shooting, i next began to look at how i was casting and assembling bullets prior to shooting. This is what i have been doing at the herd matches with my. All of the old muzzleloading hand books will tell you if you want to shoot a hollow based bullet from a muzzleloader the bullet must be cast from pure unadulterated lead. Paper patched or lubricated lead bullets can be swaged in two basic styles, the swc shoulder style shown here, and the smooth ogive style shown below. Check out new web site showing how to paper patch ordinary mini for better accuracy hunting shooting with your muzzleloader. Paper patched bullets a blast from the past sporting. If youre a diehard paper patched bullet shooter, youre undoubtedly familiar with paul matthews.
Paper patched bullets a blast from the past sporting shooters. The book is thoroughly illustrated and covers each step, from. A beginners guide to loading and shooting paper patched bullets for early black powder cartridge rifles. He has discovered a new system of wrapping the paper around the bullet, so as to leave the force of explosion to expand the lead more equally than can be done where the paper is twisted in a knot and pushed into the base of the bullet. Nov 21, 2005 ive been shooting my current sharpsbadger combination exclusively with paper patches since about 1995. Mic tells me that, in 1886, a shooter using such loads at one of the big events back east made an 8. Top long range muzzleloading targt shooters of the mid 1800s commonly relied on paper patched conical bullets. Paper patch bullet d reamer and shop made casting mold. Oct 14, 2016 paper patches let a shooter get the same velocities from lead bullets as with jacketed bullets.
Hunting with paper patch bullets in sharps 45120 aka 45110. Greetings shooting a pedersoli gibbs rifle that is somewhat new to me. Hunting with paper patch bullets in sharps 45120 aka 45110 by tom ball. Using a two stage sizing process to create cheap bullets to keep you shooting. Paper patches can be used to make slightly undersized bullets fit a gun with. Working with lubricated bullets is messy in my experience. Shooting was done offhand ie, standing up, using custombuilt singleshot rifles aiming at targets 200 yards away with good shots achieving groups of 2. Havent tried paper patched muzzle loading bullets, other than a cross patch in a friends bench gun. Anyway, i never had a problem and was quite surprised at the accuracy. Paper patches let a shooter get the same velocities from lead bullets as with. Test loads note the waterproofed patches on bullets at left. Most of the pistol bullets and select rifle bullets are made with our heat treated wheel weight htw alloy. Bullets patched to groove will work with smokeless, patched to bore not nearly so. Thats the subject of loading and shooting paper patched bullets a beginners guide by randolph s.
Paper patching actually wears a bore less than jacketed bullets. Thats the subject of my book, loading and shooting. Arguably the finest book on producing and shooting the paper patch bullet and a great reference source for the beginner or seasoned rifleman. The use of paper patched bullets is especially known from the buffalo hunts on the american prairies where millions of the shaggy beasts fell for paper patched bullets. In fact i may be the only one in the world shooting paper patched bullets from a. The cba is a international organization of shooters who enjoy casting and shooting lead alloy bullets for competition, hunting, experimenting, and casual shooting. Loading paper patched bullets paper patched bullets ppb are probably the most controversial of all lead bullet styles. The most authoritative work on paper patched bullets. In his march 1977 article paper patched bullets come of age, harrison provides a few rules for the shooter using a paper patch to obtain top velocities with poured slugs. Bullet sizing and powder charge for enfield model 1853.
My 21year old son eric and i drew cow elk tags as our second choice in our favorite hunt unit in the bighorn basin of wyoming. I have heard that you should lube them slightly before loading on top of the paper. I make and use paper patched bullets for elk hunting and target shooting. The load i used on this hunt and trust in this rifle is my favorite, a 500 gr. I had a lot of success using paper patched minie balls and then simply using my fingers to apply bore butter to. Many other shooters, myself included make use of an electronic scale for weighing bullets. Shoot em the way they were originally designed to be shot, with black powder and paper patch bullets. Loading and shooting schetzen rifles shooters record book. Regular paper especially for patching can be gotten from buffalo arms co. It has been my experience, however, that most of the cussin has been from folks. The current resurgence of singleshot and blackpowder rifles creates a need for uptodate and accurate information about paper patched bullets.
North american muzzleloader hunting shares a couple of ways to patch lead bullets and the papers that works best. If you plan to shoot a lot it is a good idea to get a paper cutter. Bullets are weighed as an indicator of consistency. In addition to coming to this conclusion about prepatched bullet diameter, i also investigated the factors of bullet hardness, patch type and powder choice, hoping to further refine smokeless powder paperpatched loads. Like in a hawkens rifle or something like that, would you use a patch when firing a minie ball, or would you just seat the projectile direcly on the powder. This article is intended for shooters who are currently loading lubed bullets with either black powder. This last pic is of a 100yd five shot group from a 224 cal rifle. After that its just learning to patch the bullets well, pretty simple, and to load paper patched bullets. You can use any alloy you want for shooting paper patch bullets. And, as strange as it may seem to modern shooters, most of the ammunition fired in the big singleshot rifles in the 1870s was loaded with paper patch bullets. Shoot em the way they were originally designed to be shot, with black powder and paper patched bullets. Plenty of fine shooting has been done with lubricated bullets, and even records made with them. You can also watch as the paper patch comes off the bullet between the muzzle at 00.
For the record, this is not my video or gun or cartridge load. You can clearly see the paper patch leaves the barrel intact around the bullet at 00. Loading 8x56r with cast bullets the curio and relic. Paperpatching your inline muzzleloader western powders. For pp, 1st get your paper, then the bullet mould to make sure you are arriving at the correct diameter. The paper acts like a jacket and keeps the lead from smearing in the bore. Back in the days of the buffalo hunters and the civil war, most folks used paper patched bullets in their rifles. However, i do load and shoot black powder bp charged paper patched bullets ppbs exclusively for my sharps falling block and. Sizing paperpatched bullets for smokeless powder load data. If your shooting a long case with a lot of powder space and space for the grease cookie in the loads you will shoot in the herd matches, then you can seat the larger bullet deeper in the case and shoot through a fouled barrel without chambering issues. Lots of advantages, especially compared to grease groove bullets. Hunting with paper patch bullets in sharps 45120 aka 45. A pictorial guide email details written by joe hepsworth parent. Patched bullet have a lower friction and thus a reduced pressure, allowing a little.
If it slips in with a slight resistance, its the right size. It has been my experience, however, that most of the cussin has been from folks with little or no personal experience with ppbs. When you have a clean rag and time to wipe your hands between shots they work fine. Why would anyone wrap paper around a lead bullet and shoot it in their rifle. A pp bullet simply has straight sides and theread more. Loading paper patched bullets montana bullet works. Read more on how to make and load paper patched bullets and ammunition. His delightfully informative book on the subject, the paper jacket, is perhaps the best resource for a reloader interested in utilizing paper patched bullets with smokeless powder. For this reason, it sized the chamber to take best advantage of cartridges loaded with paper patched bullets.
Paper is the jacket, and with a properly paper patched bullet you will not get leading in the barrel, or copper for that matter. Paper patched bullets are still available, and some blackpowder shooters still roll their own paper patched bullets for hunting and competitive shooting. If i use paper cartridges for the powder, shold i put those on top of the powder before the bullet. In those days, shooting paperpatched bullets, some of the top shooters managed to keep ten shots inside of two inches at 40 rods. If youre a diehard paperpatched bullet shooter, youre undoubtedly familiar with paul matthews. The paper patch is moistened slightly with water to make it more pliable and slightly sticky. This isnt a frequently asked question and maybe its not even a secret, but it is a matter that needs to be addressed if you expect to receive the best accuracy from our bullets. You should end up with a patched bullet that fits your rifle as it should. Wright shoot em the way they were originally designed to be shot, with black powder and paper patch bullets.