Making 69 cal cartridges

[The Pigman]

I can not find the informaion I was seeking using the search function so here are my questions.

Making blank 69 cal cartridges.
What size trapazoid do you use?
How much powder?
Color of the paper? Is it light or dark blue?
What color paper is used for the arsenal packs?

Thanks,
Mark C. Foster
9th Ky co C

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Making 69 cal cartridges

Hallo Kamerad!

The 1861 U.S. Ordnance Manual covers this in great detail.
While these originals can be hard to find for reference, and the one (that I know of reprint) even harder to find- there are "extracts" that appear or are referenced in a number of "research" sites and publications.

Making blank 69 cal cartridges. (You mean "authentic rounds," not period "blank" rounds?)

What size trapazoid do you use?

For .69 round ball:

Height: 4.33
Long Base: 5.25
Short Base: 3.0

For .69 elongated ball:

Height: 4.33
Long Base: 4.5
Short Base: 2.7


How much powder? .69 RB 110 grains .69 EB 70 grains

Color of the paper? "Ordinary" (in general, light brown to tan)

What color paper is used for the arsenal packs?

.69 EB bundle wrappers: Ordinary
.69 RB bundle wrappers: Green

Curt-Heinrich Schmidt

[DonSmithnotTMD]

Re: Making 69 cal cartridges

About 2 weeks ago, the VC Bookstore at Gettysburg had a few copies of the manual.
Here's something of a link

http://www.eparks.com/eparks/park_entrance.asp?park=38G

Also the Book Guy has a CS Ordnance Manual that is supossed to be the US manual with some additions for CS forces. There's also an Ordnance and Gunnery Manual (whatever that is) on the same page.

http://www.bookguy.com/Catalog/Military/manuals.htm

[The Pigman]

Re: Making 69 cal cartridges

Where did I get the idea that different calibers were colored differently?

A few years ago there was an extensive artical on the internet about the color codding of ammunition, I think by Lee Whight. But I may be wrong.

Thanks,
Mark C. Foster

[KentuckyReb]

Re: Making 69 cal cartridges

Glad you posted this, Mark, and thanks Curt. I was just checking the forum before I sat down to make some for an event this weekend.

[gdarrell]

Re: Making 69 cal cartridges

Mark wrote: "A few years ago there was an extensive artical on the internet about the color codding of ammunition, I think by Lee Whight. But I may be wrong."

He is correct. I remember that I had saved this thread to a floppy disk and I am looking for it. If I find it, I'll repost the info. here, with credit to Lee White, et al. Now, what'd I do with that disk ...

[Jake Nott]

Re: Making 69 cal cartridges

Curt,
For .69 RB bundle wrappers the color is green. What would be a good paper to use? Thanks.

[burt60]

Re: Making 69 cal cartridges

The Watch dog sells a great book on making cartridges, mine turned out great

[Jake Nott]

Re: Making 69 cal cartridges

Burt,
Thanks.

[tsgalloway]

Re: Making 69 cal cartridges

The Watch dog sells a great book on making cartridges, mine turned out great

Yep, it is an very good article written by Patrick Reardon. The price on it is very reasonable.

[Tom Ezell]

Re: Making 69 cal cartridges

I can not find the informaion I was seeking using the search function so here are my questions.

Making blank 69 cal cartridges.
What size trapazoid do you use?
How much powder?
Color of the paper? Is it light or dark blue?
What color paper is used for the arsenal packs?

Dom dal Bello of the Army of the Pacific has a nice, 6-page handout on how to make authentic cartridges, live and blank, derived from the period versions of the Ordnance Manual. It was reprinted as part of the old Hardcracker Handbook (out of print), but you may be able to get a copy from the usual suspects from the AoP.

The Watchdog offers a monograph by Patrick Reardon on making cartridges, which is available from the publishers at http://www.thewatchdogreview.com. I've always used Dom's handout nad have not read Patrick's book yet, so I can't say whether it covers the pumpkin slingers or not.

The Columbia Rifles Research Compendium (Vol. 1, also out of print) had a very nice article on .58 caliber cartridges, but not .69s. There's a new version out as I write, but my copy is still somewhere in the clutches of Uncle Sam's Postal Service... hopefully it's been expanded to address pumpkin slingers.

The September, 1994 issue of Camp Chase Gazette had an article on making .69 cartridges, David K. Fox's "Practical Pumpkin Slinging II: Care and Feeding," on pages 34-41.

The standard load for the .69 caliber was apparently "buck and ball," featuring a .65 caliber round ball topped by three .31 caliber round balls, and powered by 110 grains of musket powder. The Ordnance Manual is somewhat silent on these packets, but surviving examples indicate they were wrapped in "ordinary" paper. Ammunition for the .69 was also available in Round Ball (a single .65 caliber ball) (wrapped in green), Buckshot (12 .31 caliber round balls, wrapped in red), and for the rifled versions of the muskets, .69 caliber expanding ball, or minies. In the latter case the powder charge was reduced to 70 grains because of the reduced windage and lessened likelihood of being used in a flintlock musket, where you had to prime from the cartridge.

Recognizing that most of the quoted references may be hard to come by, for a quick reference, you can always try this link: http://p220.ezboard.com/fcapitalguar...picID=72.topic .

[Andrew Keehan]

Re: Making 69 cal cartridges

For these cartridges (and others) I use 3M masking paper. It's light and tearable, but also keeps out moisture well and doesn't rip when you fold it. Conveniently for these purposes, it also comes in green and red colors which are good for round ball and buck shot wrappers. Now if only it came in 13" X 16 1/2" sheets (according to the OM) it would be perfect.

[Michael Comer]

Re: Making 69 cal cartridges

Curt,
For .69 RB bundle wrappers the color is green. What would be a good paper to use? Thanks.

You might also look for some green copy paper at your local office supply store. That's what I use and it works well. Try to get a grass green or something similar that's not too dark and stay away from pastels. I lucked into a close-out and bought a ream for a dollar.

I bundle my .69 rounds in green paper since I have a 42 smoothbore. I don't see many other folks doing this that I have noticed but would like to see more of it.

[Craig L Barry]

Re: Making 69 cal cartridges

Title is "Making Cartridges" by Patrick Reardon, approved vendor Watchdog Publications PO Box 1670, Warren, MI 48090 ($10 + $2 shipping). Reardon covers not only the closest to period correct paper to use (3M masking paper), but correct string and tying techniques, how to simulate the "ball" and then tie around it, etc. The illustrations are excellent. Reardon, a native of London, England is one of the Lazy Jacks Mess, and he is on the B of D for the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond, and has access to enough originals to write an educated piece on the correct way to roll a BP round. He is also a new member of the Watchdog staff. A pamphlet well worth having on hand, but nearly sold out of the first printing.

[Canton Zouave]

Re: Making 69 cal cartridges

Here are two links to the Lazy Jacks web site.

http://www.lazyjacks.org.uk/cartrdge.htm

http://www.lazyjacks.org.uk/cartrdge2.htm