Quick charge tubes

[Hickok]

Where do you all get your Vinyl/plastic quick charge tubes for .58 caliber?

I see Lodgewood and Winchester Sutler has them.

How many do you usually load up for a days shooting?

[Francis J. Miller Jr, 02601]

I use tubes that I've had for 30 yrs. I did get some new ones a few years ago from a sutler (which one I can't remember) in Sutlers Row at one of the Nationals at Winchester. The older ones are holding up great with one or two splitting after about a year or two of use. The newer ones are splitting quite often, I'm told it was because of a more inferior material being used to make them. I usually load between 75-100 rounds, depends if I shoot individuals or not. I use the rigid plastic tubes, not the soft rubber tubes.

[Maillemaker]

I think I got at least some of mine from S&S.

The batch of yellow ones I got from some vendor were junk. They split like crazy.

I love the rubber tubes but they are no good for semi-wadcutters as it is too hard to get the bullet into their mouths. But for true conical expanding balls they work fantastic.

Steve

[Lou Lou Lou]

25years ago, four of us ordered 10,000 tubes from Cap Plug. Load about 1,000 a year. Put them in the washer and dryer with no problem. The newer tubes have more variance in the walls.

[dennis g]

Hickok, drive on over to the Gator Skirmish in a few weeks. Mary Lou should be there, and I think she sells Cap Plug brand. dennis g

[tmont]

Miami Valley Sutler has some really nice vinyl tubes for 58 cal that work great. Give Brenda a call. She runs a booth at Nationals. Very nice lady and makes some super nice shirts also.

[Hickok]

Thanks fella's. I always did my cartridges up like the originals, powder cylinder, outer wrapper, string, etc, but I can understand the mess all the paper would leave to clean up at a big shooting event.

When you load your tubes, do I understand correctly, after adding the powder charge, you then insert the minie ball nose first, just short of the first grease groove? The lubed part of the minie is out of the tube?

Then I take it, put the cartridges in the cartridges box tins, like the traditional paper cartridge was carried, bullet down?

I plan on going to the Gator shoot, hope to meet up and talk with some of you!

[Muley Gil]

I have seen the tubes loaded with the Minie inserted point towards the powder and with the point exposed. The same with the cartridge box: bullet up or down. As a young skirmisher, I didn't use cartridge box tins & I loaded up my boxx until full-50 to 60 loaded tubes. I tended to load & shoot faster (and miss faster too) back in those days. Lately, I'm more deliberate, not that I hit anymore pigeons though.

I do use less ammo. :D

[Hickok]

Gil how do you prefer to load your tubes, minie toward the powder or point exposed?

Have you went back to the tins in your cartridge box or still do without?

[Rich Foster]

If you plan to remove the bullet with teeth then put nose down in tube. If you plan to squeeze the bullet out with fingers put nose up in tube. Most people place powder in tube put nose of bullet down. Dip grease rings in lube and place them in there cartridge box with bullet facing down. Pull tube out place base of bullet in mouth and bite the bullet to remove , dump powder in gun then remove bullet from teeth and place it in muzzle. Rich

[Muley Gil]

Gil how do you prefer to load your tubes, minie toward the powder or point exposed?

Have you went back to the tins in your cartridge box or still do without?

I use a push through sizer, then charge the tubes with powder. Insert the Minie, point down. I dip lube the Minies. Since I belong to a cavalry unit, I'm using a carbine cartridge box on my belt. I have a wooden block in it that has been drilled for cartridges. If I use an infantry box on a sling, I use the tins.

[Maillemaker]

I put my powder in the tubes, then stick the bullets in nose first. I size and lube at the same time with Lyman Lubrisizer.

Steve

[Maillemaker]

Also, I have the tins in my .58 cal cartridge box. I set cartridges in the tins bullet up, to try and keep the powder off of the bullet nose and possibly sticking to it. But in reality they usually fall over in the cartridge box so this is probably a waste of effort.

Steve

[David Disher 12143]

[QUOTE=Hickok;33804]Thanks fella's. I always did my cartridges up like the originals, powder cylinder, outer wrapper, string, etc, but I can understand the mess all the paper would leave to clean up at a big shooting event.

Actually, we are forbidden to use paper because of the potential fire hazard..imagine a burning chunk of paper floating on the wind and ending up behind the line into a shooters box. The softer rubber tubes seem to last longer. Washing machine works wonders...get a panty hose washing bag at the local grocery, you can shove a couple hundred in there and they wash up fine.

David Disher
110th OVI

[Maillemaker]

Actually, we are forbidden to use paper because of the potential fire hazard..imagine a burning chunk of paper floating on the wind and ending up behind the line into a shooters box.

Understand that the .58 Expanding Ball cartridges, while made of paper, had none of the paper put down the barrel. The bullets were removed from the paper and put down the barrel just as we do today. Some cartridges, such as smoothbore ammunition or British P1853 Enfield ammunition did go down the barrel with paper, but most conical ball rifle ammunition did not.

I would like to see us be able to use period expanding ball cartridges based on the 1855 and 1862 Ordance Manuals. You can pick up the bits of paper or put them in the tin cup on your belt just as easily as you can plastic tubes.

Steve