.36 caliber round ball mold

[BenVa68]

My wife bought this for me at an antique shop in Buchanan Va. It looks to be hand forged and best I can tell using my calipers it is .36 cal. Any ideas on itts age and the weapon it may have been used with would be greatly appreciated.

 

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[huntsman53]

It quite possibly dates to the Civil War and may have been used for making round balls for an Colt 1851 or 1861 Navy Revolver.

 

[Tony in SC]

I would say pistol ball. I would also say mid to late 1800's. Although replaced by cartridge guns people still hung on to their percussion firearms.

 

[AlabamaRelic]

It quite possibly dates to the Civil War and may have been used for making round balls for an Colt 1851 or 1861 Navy Revolver.

A .36 revolver uses a larger bullet than .36. .375 or larger. When the bullet is seated on the powder, a circle of lead should be shaved off the ball.

 

[huntsman53]

A .36 revolver uses a larger bullet than .36. .375 or larger. When the bullet is seated on the powder, a circle of lead should be shaved off the ball.

The original Colt 1851 and 1861 Navy Revolvers were .36 caliber and they used ticking/patches to seat the ball. Now, the converted Colt 1851 and 1861 Navy Revolvers designated as the Colt 1851 and 1861 Richards- Mason Conversions fired .38 rimfire or centerfire and still used ticking/patches to seat the ball.

 

[ripvanb]

Nice piece of history

 

[AlabamaRelic]

The original Colt 1851 and 1861 Navy Revolvers were .36 caliber and they used ticking/patches to seat the ball. Now, the converted Colt 1851 and 1861 Navy Revolvers designated as the Colt 1851 and 1861 Richards- Mason Conversions fired .38 rimfire or centerfire and still used ticking/patches to seat the ball.

No they didn't use a patch or ticking. The over sized ball or bullet was shaved or swaged to fit the cylinder holes when rammed in.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Alabama Relic is correct. No patching or tick is used with percussion revolvers - then or now.

 

[huntsman53]

Okay, I am wrong so sorry for the misinformation! I assumed they used patches or ticking in the revolvers because my friends in West Virginia shot .45 caliber Custom Built Muzzleloaders in competition and always used ticking. I have never owned a shootable black powder revolver or even shot one but have owned non-shootable Colt 1849 & 1851 Navy revolvers and two 1860 Army Revolvers. Now, if the bullet mold is equivalent to .36 caliber, what caliber black powder revolver or rifle would it have been used for? Maybe a .32 caliber rifle in which they probably used ticking!

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Yep. M/L rifles were a different critter entirely. The pistols had a 6" lever to swage the oversize ball 3/8" into the smooth cylinder chambers. A rifle would take too much effort to load that way. (Though some were - with a mallet and brass rod). God help you if you left too much airspace between the powder and the ball. The patch (damp with saliva or other lube) also helps clear the fouling out of the rifling so the next shot can be loaded. Revolvers don't care because the ball only travels one way.

I held (and drooled over) an original Pennsylvania Longrifle flintlock that was .38 caliber (would have taken a 0.365" ball +/-). Just as sleek and slim as could be.

At the muzzle the barrel had no more metal around the bore than the thickness of a nickle coin - but there it was intact and obviously used. And there was rifling out to the muzzle. Worn, but not a coned muzzle.

 

[Reanm8er]

The swage/trim design was to help prevent chain firing of adjacent holes in the cylinder. If you didn't grease over top the balls with lard you were still asking for trouble.

 

[l.cutler]

Many of the later flintlock and percussion rifles were small caliber "squirrel" rifles. Most likely for one of these. The ball was always a little smaller than the caliber of the rifle to allow for the patch, if the ball is truly .36 then the rifle would have been around .37 or .38 caliber.

 

[BenVa68]

Sooo, It's a .36 cal 1851-1861 mold?

 

[l.cutler]

Sooo, It's a .36 cal 1851-1861 mold?

Would need an exact measurement and even then you could not say that for sure. An 1851 Navy mold would be about .375 or .380 and even then it could be for any of the other .36 caliber revolvers or even a .40 cal rifle or so.

 

[BenVa68]

Would need an exact measurement and even then you could not say that for sure. An 1851 Navy mold would be about .375 or .380 and even then it could be for any of the other .36 caliber revolvers or even a .40 cal rifle or so.

Understood. I appreciate the help and the info.