doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Double Rifles, Paradox Guns & Gauge Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Yet more DB BPE questions!

Baz,
It is rather impossible to post things here effectively, but we can try to discuss it off line if you wish, or slog along in slow motion instead.

I'm guessing that you have the book, "The Paper Jacket" by Paul Matthews. Correct? It is a good enough book but not necessarily complete. We have learned (relearned actually, a lot since Paul wrote his tome).

This is a competition load for a Sharps .45 2.6" or .45-100. Similar to what you have. It is a load that generally requires wiping between shots to be effective.


Here are some photos of original Sharps cartridges - some are obvious hunting-only rounds, others are target only.
My guess is that you want something a little more like hunting ammo, which is actually a little more complicated. But it will generally involve less powder, lube wads, card wads, and a bullet seated more deeply in the case. Bullet diameter can be greater also. Powder choice will also play a big factor in bullet choice as well, with black powder being a bit more flexible.

Of all of these things, the angle of your patch cutting pattern is the least important, but anything between 45 and 90 is going to work. I generally opt for around 60 degrees. The length and width of the patches are more important. The length is, of course, just enough to wrap around the bullets 2x without overlapping the width should be just enough that patch travels from where the ogive of the bullet nose meets the shaft of the bullet to the base plus just enough to cover about 2/3s of the base when folded over. So something that extends 0.100-0.125" past the base before folding under is ideal. Can be a little longer or shorter, but, that's the sweet zone.

Here are a couple of simple videos that I made on how to cut patches and roll them on bullets.




The real issues come from choosing or designing a bullet. You start with measuring the bore and land diameters. The bore diameter is generally most important, but it depends on the type of load you are looking for, the powder you intend to use and possibly your chamber dimensions. A chamber casting and accurate bore measurements will be critical before buying bullets, paper, or moulds.

I can post you how I have made hunting loads for Africa, Alaska, and all the places in between. But it would be lots easier to do that via email off this forum. email me at
brentd@iastate.edu
and I will send you an outline of how it is done.

24.1945