Home Forums Hunting & Shooting BPCR 32-40 paper patch bullets

looking for info on paper patch bullets to try in my 32-40 win.
what kind of modern paper to use, how to wrap bullet properly, load info, where to get a reasonably priced mould, or should I be exploring swadging?

Well,I don't see any body else jumping in,so will give this a shot.You're needing a high rag content paper.The original choice was "currency bond",and this is no longer commonly available.
If you're not currently in the loop ,with a publication called "The Single Shot Exchange",you should be.Give Brett Boyd a call...........803-628-5326,He's got a good backround in the caliber,and may well be able to quickly steer you towards a PP mold.

Buffalo Arms,Ponderay Id.........Great source for all varieties of BP gear........They'll give you decent advice..."work with the chamber"...and they're right.

You should slug your bore,and also,cast your chamber.....the critical dimensions garnered therefrom will go a long way towards selecting a good bullet,and patch thickness.

There's nothing in the world wrong with a swadged bullet,but the get in cost won't be cheap.My suggestion would be to try casting first.Paper patching can be frustrating,And the right lube grooved bullet will shoot right alongside 'em,for accuracy.

I believe Paul Mathews did a book titled "The Paper Patched Bullet".....It should be available through SSE,or Brett can point you in the right direction.

Good luck, work safe , GTC

Brent Danielson has a fine tutorial.
http://www.iastate.edu/~codi/PPB/PPB.html
Cheers from Darkest California,
Ross

Thinking about your paper patched bullets here reminds me of when I started shooting BPCR. That's what I thought I wanted to do...I even started acquiring some of the supplies etc.

AFTER I "educated" myself by reading as much modern literature about what the "shooters" were doing, personally I gave up on the idea.

I've had some people (those who I think are bent on pursuing paper patching) argue with me on this, but my thinking went along the line of "What the leading BPCR competitors are doing must be what works best! They'll go to any lengths to win."

In other words, if Paper Patching was the "way to go" then the top competitors would be using those rounds, and they aren't!

IMHO, greased bullets are so easy to do and they work so well! Paper patched require extra wads, Grease Cookies, and from what I've read and the few people I've talked with only give really good accuracy IF the bore is wiped every shot (so I'm told...no personal knowledge on this).

However, if you still want to pursue this I can tell you that one source of moulds is NEI Handtool, now in El Paso, TX.

They have several paper patched bullet styles, undersized etc. in various popular single shot calibers.

Do a search for them on Google and you'll come up with their web address.

BillC.......We drove ouselves crazy with paper patching,in BPCRS,in ACCURATE rifles.....watching them shed off the bullets through the spotting scope,at various and indeterminate ranges,with attendant elevation changes,convinced us to give it up.As you know,this is a timed course of fire,and we pour the coal (or,more properly charcoal )on.........With the luxury of time for bore conditioning between each shot,I believe paper patched will hold their own in accuracy. The Theodore dip lubed bullet,grooveless, is performing very well.Theory is that grooveless designs have less boundary layer turbulance in flight.
On a good day,my BPCRS rifle will hold 5" at 500m., this with a 5 groove 550 gr.. I'm satisfied with that.

Work safe, GTC

crossfireoops,

Ya know I certainly agree with you...

But also, somewhere in the back of my mind, I think there must be a "compromise zone"...somewhere.

I think that MOST of those Buffalo Hunters DID use PP bullets and they were shooting at pretty good distances, and I'm fairly certain they weren't wiping between each shot!

That said, I'm thinking even if one had all the kinks worked out, paper patching .45 or .50 cal. bullets is one thing, PP'ing .32 cal. bullets is another!

I think if I were in search for accuracy with a .32-40, I'd get some books on Harry Pope and see how he made his shoot (I know part of it, and it's worse than paper patching bullets! Engraving bullets at the muzzle and pushing them back down onto the false cartridge, muzzleloader style). Still, I think one could pick up enough of Pope to make the .32-40 sing.

Somehow I don't think it would be with PP bullets! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

This is an interesting question. Competition shooters in the late 19th century used paper patched bullets exclusivelyand one highly regarded shooter asked the Sharps Rifle Co. to make sharper lands so the patch would separate more cleanly. Those old boys cleaned between shots. First a tight fitting cork then a wet flannel patch then a dry patch.Buff hunters used paper patch bullets for their accuracy and the thought that they extended barrel life. The original pp bullets were nose poured and had a heel to nose taper and a slightly hollow base. Factory made pp bullets were swaged with the same taper and base. My Rapine mold for 45 cal pp bullet is straight sided and flat based. As for our friend's question, I surmise it is for a lever action rifle and would not function through the magazine without tearing the patch. He'd haveta single load it.

Fisrt to thank all of you for your input. Second I am laoding a hi-wall single shot and can seat bullets to what works. The rifle was my grandfathers first rifle, bought well used when he was 12, or about 1923. We had a barrel liner installed in the 70's but was warned the liner was fairly soft and to not shoot many jacketed bullets. I have shot a lot of cast bullets but the velocity has to be kept down to keep from leading the barrel and most of the cast bullet are too hard to give me a good hunting load, alas the interest in pp bullets. I wish to take a deer with it this fall. I will use cast loads if I have to but would prefer something faster and with more expansion.

Eviltwin, thanks for your info, I have already started a bullet mould similar to what you describe. How much undersize are your bullets from your groove diameter? What paper are you using? Thickness?

.005 diff. My brother worked at Hudson Valley Paer Co. and got hold of high bond paper that is so thin It seems like rolling paper but is very strong due to the high cotton content. Are you working on a nose pour?? Remember that black powder will slug a bullet to fit the rifling, especially if it has a slightly hollowed base. The taper on the originals allowed seating in a fouled chamber and apparently didn't detract from the accuracy. Use a drop tube and a card wad over the powder, then a lube disc Have a ball. 1/8" thick made of beeswax and synthetic sperm oil available from Dixie GW. It keeps the BP fouling soft. Have a abll.