Shiloh Rifle Forums

In an old (Dec. 1968) copy of the NRA 'American Rifleman', I found an interesting article on paper cartridges. It covers all eras from the Revolutionary War right through the ACW.

What caught my eye were the pictures of Civil War Sharps rounds, one as issue and the other with the outer paper removed. These were Confederate rounds made at the Fayetteville Arsenal.

It shows a flat based bullet with a separate "separate cardboard powder charger" underneath.
The two were wrapped together, the top tied off with a string and the base folded over with a tail like a loose powder cartridge type.

This gives the impression that the powder charges were done up separately and rolled together to make the completed round. To use them, it would appear that the outer paper was removed, the bullet dropped into the breech and the 'powder charger' inserted behind.

There are several examples of "compressed powder" cartridges with combustible nitrated casings that broke up in loading or burned upon ignition. These look a lot like the .50 calibre rounds I make up with a .54 60 g, Pyrodex pellet rolled together.

There is also a picture of a .577 Enfield (Johnston & Dow) round of the same construction.

I think I'll make up some rounds like this for my '63s and Enfield MLs.

Interesting, I've never heard of that. Could you post the photo of it?

I could if I had a clue about how to go about doing that.

Like I said, the rounds were identical exterior wise to a twisted tail paper Sharps round. But inside, the power charge charge was a separate component, rolled together with a flat base bullet.