bullet experts, care to assist?

[gtoast99]

Hey ya'll.

Dug this bullet on a North Carolina farm. I was actually getting really frustrated at the time, but this helped lift my spirits some. At least the patina tells me it's old, but I'd love to know what you think about it.

I'm particularly intrigued by the nose end, it's something I haven't seen before. I compared the dimensions to some 58 cal CW bullets I have (purchased), and the ring spacing seems to be the same. It's obviously heavily rifled, concave base. Well, you can see what it looks like, LOL. The dime is for size reference, I dug it, just not today haha.

Any help you can provide ID'ing or dating this would be lovely. Thanks so much in advance!!

 

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[NOLA_Ken]

There was another one on here a bit ago like that, I forget what the determination was. Someone will come along and fill you in though.

 

[gtoast99]

Oooo, this thread?

I think you're on to something, it does look similar to that bullet, which is being tentatively ID'ed as having a ramrod impression. Here and here are two more examples online ID'ing similar marks on the nose of a bullet.

Thanks for the help! Of course any more input on this find is welcome, but I'm starting to think there may be something to that theory.

 

[High Plains Digger]

Although I am not yet totally sold on ramrod marks (sorry, CBG) I am staying back from the two load theory. I have a couple with "ramrod marks" that have been pulled. So, based on my head and not on my heart, ramrod marks. But I must say, that is a hell of a ramrod mark. Someone must have used a 3 lb. hammer to push that one in. Is this really possible to distort a bullet that much? The smaller rings I have no problems with. The size on this appears to be right with the ramrod.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

In my opinion, gtoast99's bullet is a hard-rammed Minie-ball. It appears to be a "generic" Northern-made 3-groove Minie, and has the cone-shaped impression of a US Springfield Rifle ramrod on its nose.

High Plains Digger... as I've said elsewhere, "Other people's interpretation of the evidence may vary" -- and I'm okay with that.

 

[rjs123]

3 ringer with ramrod impression. You can see by how flat the rings are and how pronounced the marks from the barrel rifling are that it was a tight fit in the barrel it was fired from.

Ive got quite a few just like this. When I get home Ill post pics of some of them if you want to see more.

 

[kenley]

Somehow my first reply didn't go through. Methinks that an impression that deep was caused by leaving the ram rod in the barrell during the heat of battle.

 

[taz42o]

If its from a ramrod why is there a little triangle shape without the impression? Broken ramrod?

 

[gtoast99]

Thanks for all the help everyone! I'm not sure why that one part isn't depressed, taz. Hmmmm....

Anyways, I'm not going to put a green check, BUT if anyone asks that's what I'm going to ID it as. Ramrod damaged Minie-ball. Thanks ya'll!!

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Taz420 wrote:
> If its from a ramrod why is there a little triangle shape without the impression? Broken ramrod?

Gtoast99 replied:
> I'm not sure why that one part isn't depressed, taz.

A broken ramrod-mouth would be a possible answer. But that answer would not account for the "gouge" seen right alongside the small mound on the minie's nose (see the photo, below). So I think the more-likely answer is that the small mound-&-gouge was caused by impact damage, when the airborne minie finally ran out of gas and fell to earth. The impact created the gouge and "pushed" some lead from the gouge sideways on the minie's nose, resulting in the mound (or, non-depressed) area.

Gtoast99's fired mine-ball is an "interesting" one. For several decades, I've been collecting what I call "interesting" fired civil war bullets ...meaning, ones which have characteristics that are more interesting than usual smushed/mangled ones. For many years, I've referred to fired minies which show almost no impact-damage at all as being "long-distance fired" bullets.

Let me explain the term "long-distance fired." A soldier at the bottom of a hill shoots his rifle at an enemy soldier standing on the very top of the hill. The bullet misses its target, and because it was aimed significantly upward, the bullet then flies a very long way, losing speed and energy, until it finally "runs out of gas" and drops comparatively gently to earth. That accounts for the nearly-undamaged condition of Gtoast99's minie, which is very clearly a fired one even though shows almost no impact-damage.

The bottom of Gtoast99's fired mine shows a small "skid"mark, which pushed some laed lower than the rest of the minie's base. The "skid" caused the minie to begin tumbling, and at the final end of its long travel it got a little bonk on its nose, which created the gouge-&-mound.

Other people's interpretation of the evidence may vary.

 

[Monty]

I have to agree with cannonball guy. Looks like the bullet struck something that caused the unusual nose deformation. Monty