Werder Carbine Accuracy

[Patrick Chadwick]

Hello, I have joined the forum because I have studied this thread with great interest: https://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=34389&page=9. If the original participants are no longer interested I'll start a new thread. My interest is because I too have a Werder carbine and an M71 and wanted to load one or the other...

My questions are:
- what available bullet or mould could I start with?
- what is the wad made of? I see reference to 'milk carton' but I'm not sure if that equals milk cartons in the UK today.
- Is there a satisfactory off-the-shelf melting lube for the 'cookie' under the bullet?

Congratulations on finding one of the best sites for shooting old bangers!

Yours is a clear case. You need Patrick or Patrick!

Patrick Villiers is the only person I know who has seriously got to grips with the Werder carbine.
And if you want to shoot the M71, then Patrick Chadwick (that's me!) has posted a lot on the care and feeding ot that particular beast.
Just search the blackpowder and reloading section of these forums - it's all in there somewhere.

- Bullet moulds - as it says over and over again in the Lyman manual - slug your bore and size accordingly. Something like a .45 round ball (soft lead!) driven through from end to end will provide a slug that can be used to measure bore and groove diameters. If you are not sure of the appropriate size of mould, just post the measurements here and Patrick (or Patrick) will advise you.

- Wad - the material is a waxed card, as found in modern rectangular milk cartons. You will need a 12mm punch to cut out the wads. They need to be a bit larger than the neck of the case, to achieve a firm, tight seating, so that lube cannot leak through into the powder charge.

- Lube - Probably any BP lube will work. Many people use cooking fat. I have even used coconut fat and Nivea cream (both smell pleasant). The critcial points are 1) it must be animal or vegatable base, not mineral 2) it must be sufficient. Pragmatically, there should be a slight "star" of lube left around the muzzle after firing. And practically, as one who participates in competitions under military rules (no cleaning between shots) this is around 04. to 0.5 cc, depending on the powder charge, as the primary intention is to keep the fouling soft, not to grease the bullet.

Slug your bore, search the forums suggested, and write back!

Patrick Chadwick