Making blank 58cal realistic cartridges for authentic reenactors

This is how I make realistic looking blank Civil War rifle-musket cartridges, for the Reenactors who are truly serious about high standards of authenticity. These rounds are replicas of the common .58-cal rifle-musket cartridge, made to the specifications of the 1861 United States Ordnance Manual. Confederate cartridges varied widely, and while they never made specifically the 1861 US version, these cartridges are extremely close to the versions produced by Southern arsenals.
I recommend Fourth Armory’s templates and mandrels, you can find them here;
www.forth-armoury.com

Пікірлер: 76

  • @RidgeRunner86
    @RidgeRunner86 Жыл бұрын

    Now you will sell even more of these! Put the little orphans to work but double their ration of porridge.

  • @johnfisk811

    @johnfisk811

    Жыл бұрын

    Gruel dear boy. Porridge is too rich for their little stomachs what with the butter and salt.

  • @someguy2741

    @someguy2741

    Жыл бұрын

    Double their ration of Red Bull

  • @danielcurtis1434

    @danielcurtis1434

    8 ай бұрын

    I believe you mean “gruel”!!!

  • @henryfurgason8626
    @henryfurgason8626 Жыл бұрын

    I am blown away, so cool! This will be my first year reenacting, and I want to be less of a mainstreamer. This definitely helps.

  • @warwolf416
    @warwolf416 Жыл бұрын

    Omg little urchins 😂. But really this is great! I always learn so much watching your content. This will defiantly be referenced on when I eventually start making my own. I would enjoy seeing more tutorials as well. Thanks!

  • @warskye5686

    @warskye5686

    9 ай бұрын

    He dose a great job

  • @Shadowmourne07
    @Shadowmourne07 Жыл бұрын

    I find that twisting your powder tube gets a better seal than just folding it. Twist it like a tootsie roll end and then push it in. Some great tips though I hadn't even thought of. Good stuff as always Brett, may see you in Gettysburg this year.

  • @warskye5686
    @warskye56869 ай бұрын

    Great job Sir. Thanks for taking the time to show us.

  • @thomasmanson1119
    @thomasmanson11199 ай бұрын

    Back in the 1980s we just got roll-ends of newsprint from the newspaper printers and used that for paper. It was usually free.

  • @ktinga1
    @ktinga17 ай бұрын

    It's just occurred to me that I've actually been in your shop, and met you face to face. It was very brief, but I enjoyed my visit! Fascinating, and I hope to come back sometime with more spare time and money 🤣

  • @peteslinn482
    @peteslinn482 Жыл бұрын

    Thanks, Brett. If you do find time, it would be nice to see a demo of how you pack them into bundles, please :)

  • @jefferypowell9885
    @jefferypowell988511 ай бұрын

    Was found in the battlefield of the civil war a good friend gave it to me

  • @thatsthewayitgoes9
    @thatsthewayitgoes911 ай бұрын

    160 year Civil War anniversary? Wow I’m old. Born 84 years after the civil war . Easily remember the Civil War Centennial

  • @77gravity
    @77gravity7 ай бұрын

    As a manual factory worker, making precision parts by the thousand, I can see so many simple ways to improve the process of cartridge making, with jigs. Ways to roll and hold the tube, crimp the tube, tie it off.

  • @josephgonzales4802
    @josephgonzales4802 Жыл бұрын

    Great video. I will use some of your techniques. One of the fellows in are unit had made a stamp for the arsenal packs which makes it look as you know even more authentic. 😊

  • @Flintlock85
    @Flintlock85 Жыл бұрын

    Nice job Brett!!

  • @Derecq
    @Derecq Жыл бұрын

    I use those biodegradable packing peanuts as a filler for my Snider cartridges. A half one is enough, when compressed they stay compressed and no messing around with trying to get the right volume of cream of wheat etc.

  • @robertstallard7836

    @robertstallard7836

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks Derecq - that's a great idea. I've found that occasionally I might put in just a little too much "cream of wheat" (or semolina in the UK) and the overall length is just a tad too long. Using the packing peanuts I imagine the bullet would just compress down into the cartridge a little more on loading and solve that problem. You've made my day. THANK YOU!

  • @garymyersgarym6434
    @garymyersgarym64344 ай бұрын

    Love your kits, just purchased the Brown Bess Kit and the .58 caliber mini ball kit fir my 1863 contract Musket..

  • @johnsamsungs7570
    @johnsamsungs75708 ай бұрын

    Your channel is quite interesting and has been referenced by other very good KZread channels! Thanks for your work! Cheers from OZ.

  • @papercartridges6705

    @papercartridges6705

    8 ай бұрын

    Anyone so grossly negligent or incompetent as to bring loaded cartridges to a reenactment, and then actually load one (which involves removing the bullet from the paper, putting it into the muzzle, and ramming it down, without noticing that it’s a piece of lead instead of packing foam), is not just being “unsafe,” but criminally deliberate.

  • @johnsamsungs7570

    @johnsamsungs7570

    8 ай бұрын

    @@papercartridges6705 Quite true, my mistake! I'm not a black powder shooter. I forgot it is muzzleloader! I will delete the post after you see this as it was posted without thinking it through! Sorry!

  • @Schlachtschule
    @Schlachtschule Жыл бұрын

    Fascinating, thank you. As you know, I don't do reenactment, so I don't fire any blanks. How do reenactors get the peanuts out to ram them, or do they just ram the whole wad of paper down the bore with the peanuts still inside? That would be a shame since spectators would be missing an entire section of the correct loading evolution.

  • @penguin2071

    @penguin2071

    Жыл бұрын

    A lot of events don't allow ramming; however, for smaller events, you can, and yes, you would ram the whole wad of paper down.

  • @papercartridges6705

    @papercartridges6705

    Жыл бұрын

    They can be rammed, but because it’s just foam, they’re tricky to extricate from the paper… if I’m at an event that allows me to ram, I stick down the whole front piece of the cartridge (paper and all). Most mainstream events will throw fits if you ram anything down the barrel during a reenactment, though.

  • @shingasa4725

    @shingasa4725

    2 ай бұрын

    @@papercartridges6705what happens to the packing peanut? Does it just disintegrate or burn?

  • @kingfish4575
    @kingfish45758 ай бұрын

    i never knew it was that easy....now I know...

  • @jonathanhill7096
    @jonathanhill7096 Жыл бұрын

    Great tutorial. Just need to save enough money for an Enfield. May have to sell one of my orphans to make a purchase.

  • @-----REDACTED-----
    @-----REDACTED-----3 ай бұрын

    “(…) because they were being done by children, young girls or boys, generally.” Why, yes, that’s the forms they usually come in…😂

  • @knallis.hjemmelading
    @knallis.hjemmelading Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for sharing, please sir, can a have some more 🤣🤣👏

  • @lucasmatiasdelaguilamacdon7798
    @lucasmatiasdelaguilamacdon77987 ай бұрын

    Ohhh boy. Track Of The Wolf always ships using those peanuts. Good thing I ordered myself a new Enfield lock lol

  • @davinci3259
    @davinci32595 ай бұрын

    Got my kids in the basement making cartridges right now. They get .50 a day but only work 6 hour days. Room and board are provided though so not historically accurate but it's the best I could manage while staying under the radar.

  • @papercartridges6705

    @papercartridges6705

    5 ай бұрын

    Builds character.

  • @BUZZKILLJRJR
    @BUZZKILLJRJR11 ай бұрын

    Very cool i love learning this sort of stuff of history now mow did they load the powder and ball?

  • @That_boatswainmate
    @That_boatswainmate9 ай бұрын

    I use brown paper lunch bags it’s like 2 dollars or so for like 100 bags and I haven’t been through it all over a year

  • @pctotty
    @pctotty7 ай бұрын

    If you want to make it go a little faster, get thread scissors. They loop over your ring finger and you can roll and tie, without having to put them down, every time.

  • @kromoism
    @kromoism Жыл бұрын

    Thank you Brett, this is great! My question is about the tubes for the percussion caps. Were they any special color and how many caps per tube?

  • @papercartridges6705

    @papercartridges6705

    Жыл бұрын

    No specific color, just plain paper. US provided 12 caps and the CS usually added a few more because theirs were unreliable.

  • @wolffang489
    @wolffang4895 сағат бұрын

    Wouldn't folding the paper in prevent the powder from contacting the bullet better than a cinch? There's always going to be a little pinhole in the center that way.

  • @568843daw
    @568843daw8 ай бұрын

    Excellent presentation. So, how are pistol cartridges made?

  • @robertrobert7924
    @robertrobert792411 ай бұрын

    I love those biodegradable peanuts, if I don't use them for something else, I spread them in my garden. After a good rain, they just disappear. Do you make revolver blanks, or are they not allowed anymore since that guy got shot in the neck by a live round awhile back ?

  • @VladimirTheLeadHead
    @VladimirTheLeadHead5 ай бұрын

    I think I can help out with the demand for these .

  • @antaLord
    @antaLord11 ай бұрын

    nice video, just make sure the minie ball is still on the mandrel when you are done lol 😄

  • @joshuabale4923
    @joshuabale4923Ай бұрын

    How do i avoid my "bullet" tube from expanding when i put the styrofoam in? I have it nic and tight, and once i put the styrofoam in, the opening gets wider and is not as tight.

  • @jefferypowell9885
    @jefferypowell988511 ай бұрын

    I have a spring field muskit made in 1812

  • @Renfield37
    @Renfield378 ай бұрын

    this could work for 50 cal. too i am guessing... i have paper ladies but its hard to get them to close and stay shut.. i need to find out how.. but i am guessing it be the same for a sharps....

  • @thubandra963
    @thubandra9638 ай бұрын

    What keeps the grease from soaking the paper and coming in contact with the powder, especially when stored over time?

  • @papercartridges6705

    @papercartridges6705

    8 ай бұрын

    It usually does soak into the paper a bit. Cartridges sitting in storage often have grease stains. They still work as long as all the lube hasn’t totally melted off the bullets

  • @jefferypowell9885
    @jefferypowell988511 ай бұрын

    Conversation to percussion caps in 1842

  • @CurtosiusMaximus828
    @CurtosiusMaximus8289 ай бұрын

    So if I do this for live ammunition, do I hitch it with the bullet inside?

  • @papercartridges6705

    @papercartridges6705

    9 ай бұрын

    Yep just stick a lubricated bullet in there, everything else is the same.

  • @treysmith8917
    @treysmith8917 Жыл бұрын

    Where can you get the blue cartridge paper?

  • @papercartridges6705

    @papercartridges6705

    Жыл бұрын

    I make it

  • @gwh766
    @gwh766 Жыл бұрын

    How about blank English cartridges?

  • @joshuabale4923
    @joshuabale49238 ай бұрын

    I have a problem tearing this paper to load sometimes.

  • @papercartridges6705

    @papercartridges6705

    8 ай бұрын

    Make sure you get painters masking paper, and not the heavier “Kraft” paper which is a real struggle to tear! Sometimes even the masking paper can be tough but it’s a whole lot better than the Kraft paper.

  • @jefferypowell9885
    @jefferypowell988511 ай бұрын

    Why not turn down a wood dowel in a wood lathe

  • @stevegarroutte8947
    @stevegarroutte89479 ай бұрын

    I think that winstine was advertising child labor, so u can give tiny Tim a brake, make sure you give them all a lump of coal in there stocking as well. Marry Christmas in August as I think the shopping will start in a couple of days .

  • @Afro408
    @Afro408 Жыл бұрын

    $21 including the Hootch???😉😂

  • @JeffatLAX
    @JeffatLAX Жыл бұрын

    What's the whiskey?

  • @papercartridges6705

    @papercartridges6705

    Жыл бұрын

    Bulleit. I’m very introverted so before talking into a camera for 30 minutes, a little of the Dutch courage helps loosen up the gears in the brain.

  • @JeffatLAX

    @JeffatLAX

    Жыл бұрын

    @@papercartridges6705 Thought the bottle had a familiar shape :)

  • @robagrant1969

    @robagrant1969

    Жыл бұрын

    IMA raps their firearms in a very nice paper that works quite well. When I run out, I just order another gun.

  • @richardwhite7336

    @richardwhite7336

    Жыл бұрын

    Silly question, do you lubricate the whole paper?

  • @robertstallard7836

    @robertstallard7836

    Жыл бұрын

    @@richardwhite7336 No. This isn't an Enfield (aka "Pritchett") cartridge where the powder cylinder gets snapped off at the muzzle and the lubricated part surrounding the bullet goes down the bore with the bullet, forming a paper patch around it. This is the American cartridge where the cartridge is nothing more than a convenient envelope in which to carry a measured powder charge and the bullet. Once you've poured in the powder, the bullet is taken entirely out of the paper and inserted naked into the muzzle, all of the paper being thrown away. The bullet itself is pre-lubricated in the Tamisier grooves, but not the paper. Making the Enfield cartridge is a much more precise affair requiring the correct type and thickness of paper. For this cartridge, any old paper will do the job.

  • @anthonybrennan4416
    @anthonybrennan441610 ай бұрын

    I tried to buy Orphans on line and the FBI showed up at my door ! I tried to explane they were for my Militia but that didn't seem to work🤔

  • @grinninggoat5369
    @grinninggoat53694 ай бұрын

    I am an orphan (parents died along with rest of family). I am looking for gainful employment. ( I am 50 years old so, as an added bonus to you, no potty training or pesky puberty lockdowns required.)

  • @papercartridges6705

    @papercartridges6705

    4 ай бұрын

    Perfect timing! We are taking applications. We are short of orphans ever since that last round of cholera.

  • @kurtschlarb9762
    @kurtschlarb97624 ай бұрын

    Hey, It took you a little over 2 minutes to make one of these. So, maybe 30 an hour or so? After your shift with these kids you made 300; while they made 1,000. Sorry Captain, but we are going to have to let you go. Just as well, being present during child labor laws violations. Anyway, I really like the way you demonstrate clearly how you make these paper charges. I'm surprised there are not way more views on this. Lots of interested folks out there. Keep it up. Good luck to you.

  • @Irishshootingchannel
    @Irishshootingchannel Жыл бұрын

    Authenticity is great and all right upto the moment someone accidentally gets shot because your blank load looks so much like your live load . Reenactors over on that side of the pond seriously have to re-evaluate your expectations. It's just a hobby it's not worth some one not going home after the event.

  • @papercartridges6705

    @papercartridges6705

    Жыл бұрын

    You completely misunderstand how these rounds work. To load a musket with a real bullet, you have to take the bullet out of the paper and stick it into the muzzle. It weighs an ounce. There is absolutely no conceivable way somebody could mistake a piece of styrofoam for a heavy piece of metal. They don’t look or feel anything alike.

  • @Irishshootingchannel

    @Irishshootingchannel

    Жыл бұрын

    @@papercartridges6705 blanks and live rounds don't look anything alike, it still happens. I understand perfectly how they work and I understand the desire to be as close to authentic as possible and accidents happening may be acceptable in the US but in other parts of the world absolutely not. That gets under my skin btw because injuries and deaths are acceptable in motor sports , rock climbing and sky diving but accidents with firearms the authorities seem to pay particular attention.

  • @henryfurgason8626

    @henryfurgason8626

    Жыл бұрын

    @@Irishshootingchannel Um, what?

  • @Irishshootingchannel

    @Irishshootingchannel

    Жыл бұрын

    @@henryfurgason8626 what part are you not understanding