Civil War Bullets

[limazulu]

I have some Civil War bullets from Gettysburg and was wondering if anyone could connect the bullet with the type of firearm that may have used it.

I have three round ball, one measures .65 another .645 and another .60.

I have a two ring projectile that measures .53 (Second photo)

I have a 3 ring projectile that measures .68 (Third and Fourth Photo)

I have a three ring projectile that measures .53 (Fifth photo)

Finally, I have a no ring projectile that measures .58 (Sixth and Seventh photo)

Information

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[jmoore]

The .68 Minie was used in older muskets that were rifled well after their original manfacture date.

The .53 cal Minies were probably used in the Ante-bellum .54 cal. rifles that were sort of pre-sniper sniper rifles (too slow to load for the average trooper until the advent of the Minie ball as the rifles were originally fired w/ a patched round ball).

The .58 cal Minie w/o "lube" grooves might be for the Enfield rifled muskets, but they were often rather suprisingly undersized...I don't have my references handy, but the P'53 guys ought to know off-hand the standard measurement.

The other balls might have been shot out just about anything!

[gew8805]

Your bullets are as follows:

(1) The .65 and .645 balls are standard round balls for the smoothbore musket, cal. .69. At the time of the American Civil War, they would have been used by both Federal and Confederate troops in the M1816 and M1842 muskets. As far as the .60 diameter ball, it could be an undersized military ball for the .69 muskets but more likely is a dropped civilian ball for a 20 gauge (.615 cal.) fouler or shotgun. It could have been dropped at any time between 1750 through 1900. Remember, Adams County was a lightly populated, heavily hunted area from the time of its original settlement right on down until today.

(2) A Confederate Gardner bullet, not an uncommon bullet and fairly often found wherever the Army of Northern Virginia was involved. The Gardner had the paper part of the cartridge crimped to the base – in other words, the paper did not cover the ball as in most Civil War era cartridges. It is .54 caliber so was probably used in the US M1841 Rifle. The ’41 (or “Mississippi” Rifle) was fairly common early war on both sides but stayed in service with Southern forces slightly longer. It could have also been used in some of the Austrian Lorenz rifle muskets – very popular with both sides.

(3) and (4) Standard Federal Minié ball for the M1842 Rifled Musket. This was the version of the M1842 that had been rifled and sighted post manufacture. Only 14, 872 of the 275, 000 M1842 muskets were later rifled so it is not a common bullet.

(5) .53 diameter Minié ball for the .54 caliber US M1841 Rifle, commonly called the “Mississippi” Rifle by collectors. This ball could also be used in some foreign imports like the Austrian Lorenz.

(6) and (7) Appears to be a common Pritchet bullet for the P53 Enfield Rifle Musket, caliber .577. The Pritchett was a smooth sided version of the Minie ball.

Jmoore mentions that the Pritchett bullets “were often rather suprisingly undersized” and that is true compared to the US Burton bullets (our version of the French “Minié”) however, the English cartridge was constructed differently from the US cartridge. The US soldier was trained to throw away the paper when loading but the British cartridge was intended to be loaded with the paper still wrapped around the ball. The paper was torn and the powder poured down the barrel, then the bullet, still in the paper, was inverted and inserted in the muzzle, then the ball was rammed down on the powder. When the bore began to foul badly, the British cartridge paper was to be removed and the naked ball rammed down. For the first few shots, the cartridge paper was used as a patch.

[limazulu]

"Jmoore mentions that the Pritchett bullets “were often rather suprisingly undersized” and that is true compared to the US Burton bullets (our version of the French “Minié”) however, the English cartridge was constructed differently from the US cartridge. The US soldier was trained to throw away the paper when loading but the British cartridge was intended to be loaded with the paper still wrapped around the ball. "

I remember some movies about the British in India and they loaded the cartridge with the paper.

Thanks very much for the information. Now that I can connect the bullets more to their history they hold an even greater meaning for me.

Thanks again.

[jmoore]

Most imformative, Gew8805! Info like that keeps falling out of my head, and my books aren't handy when I have access to this internet thinggy.

Last time I shot any Pritchett bullets the accuracy was absymal, but the bore on my old 'P53 is kept clean lest its 150 some odd years-old goodness get jepordized! Its only drama is that it hits about 12 MOA to the right. Might try patching some of those bullets, if I can find them.

[Johnny Peppers]

The round balls were also used in case shot for field pieces. In the movies the shell is depicted as going off with a huge explosion, but in reality the shell was loaded with just enough powder to break the cast iron shell and it's contents apart, which in an air burst then traveled on in a shotgun like pattern.