Craftsmanship > Accoutrements

Period Correct Speed Loaders

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burch:
So we have the loading block and cappers for a quick hunting reload. What is the period correct accoutrement for carring a pre-weighed powder charge ?

               Burch

Wyoming Mike:
I would imagine that anything that would do the job would work.  Old drawings of arquebuskers show what looks like wood cylinders on a shoulder strap that would hold premeasured powder charges.

This is pure speculation but I would think if the hunter used them, cane would be an ideal material.  Plug it at one end with wood and bees wax and have a cork or wooden plug at the other.  That would make sense especially for a southern hunter where there was a lot of cane breaks around..

melsdad:
I remember seeing a small block of wood that had a few parallel holes drilled into one side of the block that held a charge of powder. The holes were plugged with wooden plugs, and there was a strap attached to hang around your neck, or you could simply keep it in your hunting pouch.

Maybe someone can post the picture I am talking about.

Loyalist Dave:
The accepted speed loader of the period was the military cartridge box, with paper cartridges and a ball.  One problem with the German Jaeger rifles,... we know they used patched ball, but don't know if they loaded their cartridge blocks with powder cartridges only, and followed with the patched ball, OR if they placed a pre-patched ball into the cartridges, and removed it from the paper while loading..., or simply knew the paper would break away from the patched ball while loading.  It is also known that some American riflemen (Lewis Wetzel for one) would hold loose ball in the mouth, and speed load in combat without patching.  BTW at 50 yards or less in combat the unpatched rifle ball will hit a standing man center mass.    

LD

Fletcher:
As Loyalist Dave said, I believe the only historical evidence and interst we have in 'speed 'laoding' was military.  I was under the impression that the waxed paper 'carrtidge' which had a ball (or mini ball) attached was bitten off, the powder poured in and the rest shoved down.

That is what we learned from the reinactment guys who put on a show for the Boy Scout Jamboree when we were there near Gettysburg.  They had both colonial and Civil War reinactors.  It was really neat, but I don't know how much 'Hollywood License' even those guys have.

I would love to see more information taken from written period documents.

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