Ever dreamed of making the perfect percussion revolver cartridge that fits in the chamber and under the loading lever perfectly? Well, here is our solution to the problem. Our cartridge formers allow you to make your perfect cartridges. The base is made of hard oak wood, the mandrel is turned from plastic to ease the cartridge rolling process. This little tool made by Capandball will produce absolutely uniform cartridges. Currently we have .44 and .36 cal formers available, and now we have a former for Dragoon/Walker cartridges as well. It is designed for Eras Gone molds (Johnston & Dow, Colt Walker/Dragoon) but will work with other conicals as well, just as with roundballs. 30-35 grains can be loaded under the conicals and 40-45 grains under roundballs.
These cartridge formers make a great companion to our authentic Civil War percussion revolver cartridge boxes, so please do not forget to check our offerings, so you can select the one that fits your revolver. We have boxes for .44, .36, .31 calibre revolvers, including US, Confederate and Colt Cartridge works versions.
How to use the cartridge former designed for percussion revolver?
Making your cartridges are very easy. You do not need any special skills if you have the proper tools. The cartridge formers we offer can be used with most of the conical bullets available for percussion revolvers, but with a little creativity it can also work with round balls. We suggest to your Eras Gone authentic bullet molds, especially designed for percussion revolvers.
What tools will I need?
The cartridge former matching your revolver’s calibre, the sample sheet, scissors, stick glue for paper, hair curling or cigarette paper, but nearly all thin paper will work without nitrating as well
How do I roll my cartridges?
- Use the sheet samples to cut the exact form of paper sheet for your cartridge. You will notice that there is only one layer wrapping the powder charge. The less paper you have the less residue will be left in the chamber.
- Use a hollow punch to cut 12 mm / 1/2“ diameter circles from the same paper.
- Use a candle to wax the surface of the dowel of the former and the inside of the die. Now insert the dowel into the hole in the base and turn it a few times to apply wax in the hole as well. This will prevent the paper from sticking to the wood.
- Apply a very little amount of glue to the overlapping side of the paper. Be careful to not add too much, as it will cause your paper to stick to the wooden dowel of the former.
- Roll the paper on the dowel. It does not have to be too tight.
- Add a little amount of glue to the bottom edge of the paper. Be carefully to not put glue on the dowel.
- Gently place the paper circle to the end and push the sides to the glued parts.
- Insert the dowel into the hole, and move it around to secure the glued surfaces.
- Remove the dowel with leaving the paper envelope in the hole.
- Fill with black powder (.44 cal = 24 grains, .36 cal = 15 grains)
- Apply glue to the base of the bullet. Insert the bullet into the mouth of the envelope and push it down gently. Use the dowel to push out the cartridge from the bottom.
- Roll the bullet between your fingers to secure the glued area. Let it dry.
- When the glue dried, dip the bullet into molten lubrication. Recommendation: 8 parts tallow, 2 parts beeswax, and a little synthetic engine oil.
You can check the process in the following video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZSCDb5yLCQ&t=19s
How to prevent the paper sticking to the dowel?
Apply the glue accurately to the surfaces. Don’t use too much glue. Wax well the wooden surfaces before use.
How to load larger diameter conicals or roundballs?
Use the larger paper size marked with dashed line. This will increase the paper case to accept more powder and/or different bullets.
Thanks for buying our product! Please visit our YouTube channel www.youtube.com/capandball for more info.
