Found a little west of Richmond va. Assuming it’s either a very large pistol bullet or a small carbine. Could not find it in M&M. Any help is greatly appreciated. .473-75” dia, .737” length, wt 214.6 grains.
✅ SOLVED Bullet id #4
- Thread starter ncsuwolf
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Bucket Lister
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- Dec 20, 2023
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I've got one very similar, but no cigar.
Mine is ~9/16" diameter, ~13/16" long, but same basic shape and ring pattern.
Mine is ~9/16" diameter, ~13/16" long, but same basic shape and ring pattern.
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TheCannonballGuy
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- Feb 24, 2006
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You bullet is an unfired civil war Colt "New Model" bullet for .44 revolvers.
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Solution
TheCannonballGuy
Gold Member
- Feb 24, 2006
- 6,586
- 13,320
- Detector(s) used
- White's 6000, Nautilus DMC-1, Minelab
- Primary Interest:
- Relic Hunting
Yes, your excavated 160-year-old bullet has at least .01-inch (or more) of lead-oxide patina built up on its sides.
According to the Thomas-&-Thomas book ("A Handbook of Civil War Bullets & Cartridges, the bullet when fresh-from the mold measured .455" in diameter. Add one hundredth-of-an-inch of lead-oxide patina, and you're pretty close to your bullet's diameter.
The .455 bullet was loaded into the revolver's cylinder, whose tunnel was manufactured a bit larger than the pistol's .440 bore. Note that the bullet's base does not have an expansion-cavity, so the gunmaker relied on firing-blast to force the "oversized" bullet into the bore's rifling-grooves. Fired Colt .44 bullets often show beautifully sharp rifling-groove marks. I hope that explanation is clear enough to be sufficient.
Don't be fearful or embarrassed to ask such questions. It's how most of us learned what we know... because often the question isn't asked in any book -- or, readily-available book.
For anybody here who doesn't already own "The Handbook of Civil War Bullets & Cartridges":
Regards,
Pete
According to the Thomas-&-Thomas book ("A Handbook of Civil War Bullets & Cartridges, the bullet when fresh-from the mold measured .455" in diameter. Add one hundredth-of-an-inch of lead-oxide patina, and you're pretty close to your bullet's diameter.
The .455 bullet was loaded into the revolver's cylinder, whose tunnel was manufactured a bit larger than the pistol's .440 bore. Note that the bullet's base does not have an expansion-cavity, so the gunmaker relied on firing-blast to force the "oversized" bullet into the bore's rifling-grooves. Fired Colt .44 bullets often show beautifully sharp rifling-groove marks. I hope that explanation is clear enough to be sufficient.
Don't be fearful or embarrassed to ask such questions. It's how most of us learned what we know... because often the question isn't asked in any book -- or, readily-available book.
For anybody here who doesn't already own "The Handbook of Civil War Bullets & Cartridges":
Regards,
Pete
Upvote
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