Daryl, I'll be a pest and ask again: What kind of fouling-softening lube would you recommend for conical paper cartridges? What would perform that function without soaking into the powder or weakening the paper while in storage?
There are a few thick/waxy lubes out there, but they seem to be of the "bore seasoning" variety. I've tried that stuff and had a rough time getting the gunk out of the bore.
I was out shooting "The Club" (my matchlock) on Sunday with a box full of conical paper cartridges. I had dipped their ends in straight paraffin wax. It worked for a few shots, but developed a ring of crud near the breech. Some pounding was involved to get the ball down the last few inches. That said, the front yard of ramming was smooth.
I was experimenting with my sight picture and trying a new powder charge, but in the end I managed to knock the center out of a clay pigeon at 45 yards (offhand). Paper seems roughly as good as patch in this instance, the rough ramming being the difference.
I made a few non-lubed conical cartridges for my shooting buddy Steve. He was shooting a .62 fishtail style matchlock caliver. He lubed the cartridges by sticking the end in his mouth for a few seconds. Maybe I am too fastidious, but I'd be reluctant to do that after the cartridges had been rolling around in a pocket or pouch for a while.
And yes, the Brits used a seriously undersized ball. They wanted it to drop down the bore even after a number of shots. Speed of loading was the only issue for them.
