Ring tail vs. regular base?

Support for the 1863 shooter. Discussions of powders, loads, bullets, etc.
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elee
Posts: 10
Joined: Thu Jun 12, 2008 4:02 pm
Location: New Hampshire

Ring tail vs. regular base?

Post by elee »

I am confused by the purpose of the ringtail bullet for .54 1863 rifles. Is the ring tail for attaching the cartridge paper to? If so, then why all the pictures I have seen of plain base bullets with the paper attached directly to the base? If I attach the paper to the base ring of a ring tail bullet, won't that make the paper tube substantially under chamber diameter, and as a result lower the powder capacity? If I want to load original style .54 Sharps paper cartridges, should I get a ring tail or a plain base? Thanks for all the help on this forum!
ELee
Todd Birch
Posts: 2133
Joined: Wed Mar 03, 2004 12:01 pm
Location: Somewhere in the Cariboo ....

ring tails

Post by Todd Birch »

elee

Get thee a copy of Sellers book on Sharps rifles. That and any other cartridge reference books you can find.
Yes, the original Sharps paper rounds looked odd with the thinner tube attached to the bullet. Less so with the larger calibres than the smaller.

A lot of modern '63 shooters have gone to FB bullets. I use them in my .50 '63s, rolling them sized and lubricated for loose BP or 60 gr .54 calibre Pyrodex pellets.

With my .54 'ring tails', I use Charlie Hahn's tubes to make life simple.
I haven't the patience or the dexterity to tie paper tubes onto bullets.
"From birth to the packing house, we travel between the two eternities ....." Robert Duvall in "Broken Trail"
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