Forums.NitroExpress.com

Dutch - Paul Mathews book "The Paper Jacket" is well worth buying and reading. After doing this myself, I finally got my brothers Sharps to shoot well with lead and black powder.

We use bullets that just fit the bore after the paper patch was added. They can be pushed through the bore easily and leave light rifling marks on the bullet. Due to this 'fit', any number of rounds (up to about 20) can be chambered and fired easily. Fouling does not interfer with chambering a round as happens with full sized patched bullets that stick out from the case.

The accuracy achieved in his .45 3-1/4" was 1.5MOA at 100 yards and 1moa at 200 in his rifle, slightly better in my RB with R.Hoch barrel. This type of loading also worked well in my .45 3-1/4" rolling block with 580gr. bullets.

The Hock mould that casts a smoothsided paper patching bullet, adjustable from about 380gr. to 580gr. would work well. The bullet as comes from the mould is .451" and after patching will be bore size for your 'Henry'. Adjust patch thickness to adjust diameter. The bullets we used were .440" as cast. We plunge-cut smaller Lyman & Ohaus moulds ourselves with a ground # or letter drill. The same could be done for your rifle.

It is amazing how well they slug up and fill the grooves. We followed Pauls method at that time of using a disk of wax paper on the powder (pre-compressed 1/8"- the rifle will tell you how much to compress) then a lube ball that was 1/8" thick, then disk of wax paper, then card wad, then bullet. Due to being bore size, they can be loaded to any length you want. BTW - I lubed the outside of the bullets with the same lube, rubbed on. "Buffalo Arms" has quite a lot of paper patching supplies - moulds, patch paper and lube.

After firing 10 shots, a single dry patch pushed through the bore pushes out the fouling completely. THIS is the test of your lube - enough quantity and right lube. You'll need a good black powder lube - I used 60% Beeswax(1st filtering wax) + 40% Vaseline. Others have used Beeswax/Olive oil with same results. SPG and Lymans BP Gold should also work.

As you know, if it fouls in the breech, the lube is too hard, if it fouls at the muzzle, not enough lube. There should be a slight smear of lube on the muzzles after firing the first shot from each barrel. Increasing the size of the lube ball or changing it's consitency handles not enough lube situations, or hardness of the lube can be adjusted with more or less oil in the mix for the home lube mixes. SPG should work perfectly, by adjusting only the quantity of the lube disk. The wax paper disk cutter can be made from a sharpened case spun in a drill press or Arch Punch.

Pouring molten lube on top of a bucket of water will give you a sheet of lube that can be pushed down over a charged case to give a 'grease cookie' of consistant thickness. That's one method. Pouring into a non-stick pie or cake dish is the method I use. (she's still looking for it) Grease cookie dies that extrude a cookie can be made or purchased.

Fun stuff. Hope this helps.

--------------------
Daryl

"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V

Post Extras