Bullet Screw Pull

[Valley Ranger]

Anyone out there have a good photo of an non excavated civil war bullet screw pull?

Thanks,
RGW

 

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[kuger]

called a "worm"

dug 69 Cal bullet worm puller from Georgia camp

[url]http://www.shilohrelics.com/cgi-bin/Display_Item.asp?103465
[/URL]

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

At the time of the civil war, there were two "basic" versions of bulletworm. One is shaped like a screw, and was originally intended for use on musketballs. The other version is known as a "double-helix" bulletworm, consisting of two spiralling pointed arms, intended to dig into either a ball or the cone-shaped nose of a Minie-bullet.

I should mention, the photo (below) showing a double-helix bulletworm gripping the nose of a Minie was found with one of its pointed-tip spiralling arms partially broken off.

For anybody here who doesn't already know:
As shown in that photo, a bulletworm was screwed onto the end of the rifle/musket's ramrod, to reach down the long gunbarrel to pull the bullet out. When your firearm is a Muzzleloading type, that's the only way you can unload a bullet out of it.

 

[Valley Ranger]

Thanks fellas. I think I may have found the screw in style a couple of years ago but fear, after hanging onto it for a while, I tossed it thinking it was junk. Lesson learned. I hope. Take a look at the short video (my first) below. At about 59 seconds, you'll see a group of things I pulled out of a Virginia battlefield. I'm thinking the piece below the sabot was the screw style worm?

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Sorry to have to say, the answer to your question is no, it definitely is not a bulletworm. I can see why you wondered (and you did to right thing to check about it), because it does knda-sorta resemble a bullet worm on the end of a broken-off ramrod. But the iron shaft is too thin ...and, the "base" of a screw-type bulletworm is much thicker than what is shown in the video.

I'll look for some additional photos of a screw-type bulletworm for you.

 

[tennessee digger]

Loved your video and loved the music too! Tennessee digger

 

[Valley Ranger]

Sorry to have to say, the answer to your question is no, it definitely is not a bulletworm. I can see why you wondered (and you did to right thing to check about it), because it does knda-sorta resemble a bullet worm on the end of a broken-off ramrod. But the iron shaft is too thin ...and, the "base" of a screw-type bulletworm is much thicker than what is shown in the video.

I'll look for some additional photos of a screw-type bulletworm for you.

Thanks Cannonball - better safe than sorry.

 

[Valley Ranger]

Sorry to have to say, the answer to your question is no, it definitely is not a bulletworm. I can see why you wondered (and you did to right thing to check about it), because it does knda-sorta resemble a bullet worm on the end of a broken-off ramrod. But the iron shaft is too thin ...and, the "base" of a screw-type bulletworm is much thicker than what is shown in the video.

I'll look for some additional photos of a screw-type bulletworm for you.

Thanks TD.