doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Dis-assembling antique collectible cartridge

Help wanted on how to do this.
I want to carefully dis-assemble a loaded antique 450/400 3-1/4" BPE paper patched round. I know this might offend some people, but I bought a box of ten, and carefully sacrificing one for science seems like a fair use of a limited resource. And I am only doing this after exhausting all professional and historic sources I can get (results varied, no exact conclusion reached).
Let's face it, this particular caliber is one funky round. The only way to tell what was used was to buy some old rounds and pull them apart. Hopefully without damaging the paper patch or the bullet, both of which have to be mic'ed and scrutinized.
Guidance on how to do this successfully is most appreciated.
Please forgive me if this subject has been dealt with in previous posts. It does not come up in search results.

I can't help you with technique except go slow and easy. Tap it gently and repeatedly to loosen and the bullet may pull out with or without the paper.

As a paper patch fanatic, I would love to see more of what you have and find and I'd be particularly interested in the diameters from the front of the paper patch (with paper on) to the back of the patch. It may taper.

I would also love to hear a detailed description of the wads you may find, and what you think they are made of as well as the consistency of the powder.

Pretty darn cool and interesting to me at least.

I would use an inertial bullet puller with a cushion in the bottom to cushion the bullet.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1012714588?pid=215517

Mike

P.S. that is if the internal cavity is large enough to handle
the cartridge

My preferred method for dissembling cartridges is to use a collet bullet puller. RCBS makes a good one. Check with any of ur buddies that reload as they probably have one. Might need to order the correct size collet but those are only 11 bucks or so.
WBLDon

It's likely that the cartridge is too long (and the base too large) for disassembly with most commercial inertia pullers. You'll probably need to use a collet type puller. Don't expect the powder charge to come out easily. The old black powder is probably a solid mass.

I assume you have a reloading press and the proper shell holder. Consider drilling a hole in the nose of the bullet and screwing in a screw. Put the round in the shell holder and run it up in the press. Clamp a vice grip on the screw and lower the ram. The bullet will be easily removed and none of the surfaces you intend to measure will be harmed.

Steve is correct
Drill a small hole and turn in a coarse screw.

I would use the inertial bullet puller. Drilling will distort the bullet for future purposes and also make it all but impossible to weigh. Carefully done, a bullet can be pulled, unwrapped, weighed measured, rewrapped, and reinserted, having done this myself.

What are you trying to find out by taking the loaded round apart? The 450/400 3 1/4" was fairly common.

Ken

The manufacturers of inertia bullet pullers generally indicate 'not for use with black powder cartridges'.

A commercially loaded paper patch bullet may have a considerable taper crimp on it.

I'd use a non impact method.

Manufacturers put similar warnings on their powder measures to cover their asses.

Think about an inertial puller and how that works.