Help Identify Bullets please?

[CoinHunterAZ]

My brother found these along the Tennessee River, I am assuming they are Civil War era? Can anyone tell me what they are and how old? Dime for size comparison.

 

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[duggap]

I'm pretty sure your bullets are civil war, but if you will give a pic of the bottom as well as weights and measurements someone will tie it down a little better. Nice finds, can I go with you next trip there?

 

[fyrffytr1]

While precise measurements are needed to positively ID your bullets I am going to go out on a limb and say the two outside ones are 54 cal. and the middle is a 44 cal., maybe Colt Army pistol.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

All three of your bullets are from the civil war era. The ones at right and left appear to be CS-mold (Confederate) 3-groove Minie-balls. The one in the middle appears to be a .52-caliber Sharps "Commercial" short-model bullet. It was used by both sides in the war, but mostly by the Yankees.

I said "appear to be" because, as Duggap and Fyrffytr1 indicated, precise measurement of your bullets' diameter and length are needed for certainty in identifying them.

In case you don't already know:
The Confederates copied the US design of 3-groove Minie-balls. What makes me think yours are CS-made is, both of them look like their "nose" has a small FLAT tip. Most CS-made 3-groove Minies were cast in a bulletmold whose filling-hole was at the bullet's nose-tip. Therefore, when the bullet came out of the bulletmold, it had a "casting sprue" on its nose-tip. Then the sprue got cut off, causing the nose-tip to have a small flat spot.

Of course, other things can cause a Minie-ball to have a small flat area on its nose-tip. But the fact that BOTH of your 3-groove Minies seem to have the same small flat nose-tip indicates they were manufactured that way, rather than being the result of flattening after the bullet was manufactured.

All three appear to be unfired. Where you find one unfired civil war bullet, there are usually more of them "very nearby" -- along with other civil war Military equipment, such as uniform buttons, buckles, guntools, etc. So, detect that spot like you were mopping the kitchen floor... sweep your detector over every square foot of it.

 

[CoinHunterAZ]

The measurements are .568 diameter by 1.02 length, .570 and 1.06 length on the larger two, and they do appear to be nose poured. The smaller one is .538 x .901 and also appears to be nose poured. The two larger ones have very deep hollow bases that extend up to the top of the top band. The smaller one only very slightly hollowed. Thanks for the info!

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Thank you for providing the additional description info and precise size-measurements. They confirm my previous ID of the bullets. Congratulations... there's GOT to be more of them (and other civil war Military relics) at that spot. Hunt it diligently, and let us know the result.