How to make Paper Cartridge for 12 Gauge

There is no standard "charge" for this kit. We provide a 100 grain dipper, because that is the charge that our R&D guys prefer. Certainly if you are plinking to get used to shooting the gun, the manufacturer's recommendation of 60 grains is more than adequate.  

But unlike say, our Sharps kit, if you want a smaller charge, just measure your paper with the depth of the smaller charge, then your wad and projectile, and cut your paper to that size. The same would go for a larger charge. Just measure it out as a complete unit, and use that paper length. 

The pin is designed for the full size end wrap paper, so you can always just make the full length, load it up, and either cut the top off, or twist it up and glue it down. The videos should make this very clear. 

Here are the general steps. Note that there is no lube for these paper cartridges. 

1. Cut your circles. - For this kit we use a 1" craft cutter, which is available at Michaels, or in our Master and Deluxe kits.  The best way to get the cutter to work well is to remove 10 of the cigarette rolling papers from the pack, and stack them at the fold. Then fold them over the long way, creating a thick square that is 20 papers thick. Slide the square down to the base of the cutter, and quickly, very hard, compress the cutter. 

If the blade sticks, which is usually does not on 20 thicknesses, push the cutter back open with your thumb from the bottom side. If you push hard it will pop back. This seems to have no negative effect on the cutter. The circles will sometimes have a little tab on the side where the cutter bound, but this does not affect their use. 

2. Make the shell. - The outside shell of the cartridge is made from a TrueWave jumbo sized hair wrap.  These are available on Amazon, and come with our Master and Deluxe kits. Sally brand does not work with this kit. It is about 1/8" thinner and does not fit around the barrel of the pin. 

If you are making a long cartridge, like the buckshot cartridge from our video, you can just use the whole 4" length of the hair wrap and the pin. Glue with your Elmers All Purpose Glue Stick (not school glue and not liquid glue) just the very edge along the 4" length, then wrap it around the pin and stick it to itself. The overlap will only be about 1/8", so this is a finesse step. Fortunately the fibrous nature of the hair wraps makes them stick instantly, and they hold on right away. 

If you are making a shorter cartridge, how short you cut the paper before glueing it is up to you. All of your cartridges can start with the full tube if you want. There is certainly no reason to not. 

At minimum, line up your wad and projectile(s), and eyeball the thickness of your preferred powder charge. You could also just make a cartridge from a full paper first, then measure that. 

When you glue the paper, move the edge down to the edge of the pin. The very end of the pin is tapered to facilitate getting the powder end into the bore. 

3. Attach the circle - Now take your pin, which has an end wrap around it now, and glue the very edge of the pin all the way. The smaller the glue ring around the pin the better, because the circle does not come up the sides that far. 

Now pick up a circle with the pin. There will be enough glue on the edge to do so without having to handle the circle at all. 

Insert the end of the pin, which is now centered on a circle, into the base of the 12ga die just a little. This will crease the edge nice and square. Then turn the die over and insert the shell all the way down. This will make it good and solid. 

Pull the pin and your new cartridge shell out of the die, and grip the end of the shell firmly. Twist the pin, which will break free any glue that may have been on the paper where it touched the pin. 

Now lightly place your paper back in the die, read for powder. 

4. Dump your powder. - Your kit comes with a funnel. Drop that on the top of your cartridge, and dump your powder charge. Don't worry if you have wrinkled the end of the cartridge. You can gently put the pin back into it to straighten it out. 

5. Glue your projectile. - This only applies to slugs. For any of the loads with a shot card, you can drop those directly into the shell. With slugs you should glue either the side of the plastic wad, or the sides of the slug, or the top of the slug, depending on where you cut your paper. 

Where you glue your projectile is up to you, but if you glue the sides, beware that it may be tough to scoochie it down into the paper. You can use your fingernail to drag up any edges that may have caught., dragging the edge over the bumps in the side of the cartridge. 

If you glue the top surface of the projectile, the whole thing should slip in, then pinch the top to glue it solid. This works for nearly every type of slug. 

We strongly suggest using an overshot card on top of all shot and the Lee slug and a standard 12ga roundball. Because even if you twist up the top over the end, having that snug card in there is always going to be a plus, especially for long term carry. We supply a small quantity of these in our starter kit, or you buy them from most internet retailers:

The gas seals that we use are at Ballistic Products:

Also the unslit cushioned shot cups:

6. Insert your wad and projectile, or shot cup and card. - If you glued the top of your slug, you will pinch the top to secure the glue, and that's it. Pop the cartridge out of the die with your finger from the bottom. 

If you used a long shell and it now extends above the shot cup, place the overshot card at the top and make sure it is square. Then twist up the remaining shell, and glue the tab down. This sounds a lot more complex than it is, so watch the video if possible.