🔎 UNIDENTIFIED Military or civilian?

TimberCrack

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Jul 30, 2013
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wyoming
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I found it along with 4 spent .44 Henry Rimfires...the rimfires had been struck several times before they went off...
002 (2).JPG
 

Hard to tell from the first photo-(blurry) if there's a pattern (lines/textured)on the button-or even if was a 2 piece or just a shank
Military- Victorian? It's hard to tell looking at the crown (clearer picture needed)
 

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Looks to be a British Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own) Regiment button. The styling is post-1861 and that particular crown style was in use until 1901.

It’s a much-copied design though, including for civilian blazers and you can still buy them today. If an authentic period military button, there should be a backmark. Anything discernible?

[ADDITION: Sorry, just realised you had shown the back is missing. My gut feel is that it is military]
 

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Looks like a 2 piece button missing the back to me
 

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Thanks for the info...it is a british military button...
 

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Some rimfire brass could be reused. Add new priming compound and as rims are the "hotspot" to target spin the brass or gently fill edges.
What would be important after finishing reloading and to reuse the brass would be to index the cartridge so that the pin strike wouldn't be where previous strike(s) occurred. They being crushed and not holding as much if any priming compound.

There was a common source of a compound that would work at one time. Blackpowder worked for reloading still and pressure was not a scary concern. Just clean ups after burning in use.
We've seen old bullet molds. Yep. even a roundball would work in a .44 if a better option didn't exist.
And while a box or more of new rounds would certainly be welcomed , sometimes folks had to make do until they could get some more .
Fireformed (by shooting it) brass was a custom fit for the cylinder it was used in. Resizing meant it could be used as generally. But wanted a die to resize with.
Meaning , a pistol might not like such reloads. Though portable loading tools existed that also sized brass.
But because you found four spent rounds , a revolver might have been in play.
Not that a rifle couldn't have been. Even if the brass was all together.


 

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A Henry had two firing pins, always made two marks on the cartridge. That's how you tell if it was fired from a Henry rather than 66 Winchester.
I knew the Henry .44 had double firing pins...didn't realize they were reloaded...Thanks for the info..
 

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I thought that was a button also. Than I went back and studied that picture. A two inch button would be a big button.
 

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