Please call or email if you have any questions. I enjoy talking to my customers! I do my best to respond to emails in 24 hours; please keep in mind this website is a labor of love, and not my full-time "real" job!
EVERY product sold here is made one at a time, by hand. I ship most orders in 72 hours but occasionally may take a little longer. I appreciate your patience and understanding. I'm just one guy with an old dachshund (and he doesn't help much).
brett.gibbons@papercartridges.com
(805) 218-2214
For exceptionally high quality authentic blank cartridges for Civil War reenacting, check out Alt's Arsenal. In specific, their buck & ball and their buckshot blank cartridges are amazing. Making correct-looking buck & ball blank cartridges is very difficult (as I know from experience) so I am not hesitant to recommend Alt's Arsenal. Check out their facebook page here: www.facebook.com/altsarsenal
UPDATE: I will return from deployment in mid-November 2021!
A few observations about making and shooting historically-accurate cartridges in the P1853 Enfield.
Updated February 2018
The history and development of the bullets and cartridges used in the Pattern 1853 Enfield rifle-musket
I don't usually recommend my "competitors" on the front page of my site... but while I am deployed, you really should check out Jefferson Arsenal for a wide selection of products similar to what I make. Jon from Jefferson Arsenal is also a veteran, and just a really nice guy, so I am very happy to recommend his business. He'll keep your historic black powder guns well supplied with ball and cartridge at www.thejeffersonarsenal.com
.550-inch Pritchett bullets, compression formed. 530 grains, for .577 or .58 caliber rifle-muskets. These are swaged (like the historical bullets) and not cast, forming perfect bullets that perform wonderfully in rifle-muskets like the P1853 Enfield and 1861 Springfield. These bullets are exactly like the originals in every specification. If you want to shoot your .577 Enfield rifle the way it was intended, then these are the bullets to use! Click here for more information.
Please check back in fall 2021 when I return from deployment!
.44 Johnston & Dow conicals for cap and ball .44-caliber revolvers. Cast on Eras Gone mold, they are 217 grains and sized at .46" so they will beautifully seal the chamber of your cap and ball gun. This is the bullet you want to use for Civil War era historically correct shooting! In stock, ready to ship, at Jefferson Arsenal. $30 for 60 bullets.Click here to order.
The history and development of the bullets and cartridges used in the Pattern 1853 Enfield rifle-musket. This 40-page downloadable PDF includes the patterns for every version of the remarkable Enfield cartridge, from the first bullet designed by Metford and perfected by Pritchett, to the final .550-inch version of the cartridge produced by Colonel Boxer's Royal Laboratory.
My deployment is coming to an end, and I am excited to return in mid-November 2021 and get back to work! I have spent the last nine months as company commander of an Ordnance (ammunition) company, conducting ammunition support operations across the entire Middle East region. I am thankful that all of my soldiers are safe and well, and we are all ready to come home. Thank you for your prayers and support! This was a challenging and complex deployment, with the backdrop of the significant events that occurred in this region this year. Check out the link to my unit's Facebook page to see what we did!
Brett, aka "Ammo Dog 6"
brett.gibbons@papercartridges.com
Minie (Burton) bullets for .58 and .577 caliber rifle-muskets, 495 grains, sized .574". Cast on Lyman 575213OS mold. The infamous "Minie ball" caused the majority of battlefield wounds during the American Civil War. These are sized to historically correct .574" as adopted by the U.S. Army in 1862, to allow easy and consistent loading.
36 bullets for $35, with US shipping included. Click here for more details.
Please check back in fall 2021 when I return from deployment
Enfield Cartridges for .577 or .58-caliber rifle-muskets. Now available with .568 and .550 bullets. Perfected for the British Army in the late 1850s, it was quickly adopted by the Confederate Army. Millions were imported and made in Confederate arsenals. Each cartridge has the historically correct swaged Pritchett-style bullet. Just add black powder and you're ready to go! Click here for more details about our Enfield cartridges.
Please check back in fall 2021 when I return from deployment
Ten Rules for Enfield Cartridges
Best practices for making your own Enfield cartridges for the P1853 rifle, and a few tips for troubleshooting if your Enfield cartridges don't seem to be working.
Minie Cartridges for .58-cal and .577-cal rifle-muskets. The most common cartridge used in the American Civil War, by far! These contain a 495-grain Burton-style Minie ball sized to the historically correct .574 for easy, consistent loading. The bullets are also lubed with the 1860's composition of beeswax and real mutton tallow. Just fill with powder, and you're ready for the range. 26 cartridges for $53, with US shipping included. Click here for more information.
Please check back in fall 2021 when I return from deployment
Authentic Paper Cartridges. Closed for deployment, will re-open in November 2021!