LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
This is a sort of continuation from my previous post showing how an Enfield Round is made…
Naturally, you don’t want to use a real bullet, demonstrating to folk how these cartridges are loaded at lets say, a Living History event.
I came up with a substitute bullet made of rolled up card-stock paper, formed into a cylinder with the top crimped in, and stuffed with toilet paper. This gives the bullet end of the cartridge enough firmness to break off clean from the upper case, during the loading procedure.
I have to do things a bit different, in that the powder case also has to be crimped at the bottom, so that when it’s butted up against the top of the paper bullet, everything says the same length, as if a real bullet were underneath. If I don’t shorten the powder case, it comes out too tall.
I tried to just tightly stuff toilet paper into the bottom of the case, but to keep the rigid shape, it had to be stuffed so hard you blew (ripped) out the bottom of the cartridge. So, I got the idea to make a hollow tube out of card-stock, much like the powder case, and stuff it tight, so it has a clean non-bulging shape as a real bullet. I just dip the bullet end in wax, so it looks like you have the real thing.
As the picture shows you what this “fake” bullet looks like, and it’s size in relation to a bullet I use in live firing. You just load em like the real thing, and see the smoke and bits of paper fly out when you fire!
Kevin Dally
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks