✅ SOLVED Need some help on identification of bullets from a relic hunt..............

[Donnie B from VA]

 

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[Red James Cash]

The mini balls are all union I know that much.Most likely .58 caliber.

 

[duggap]

On your right pic, top row is a Gardner and a tie base raised ring sharps. The two small bullets on the left side of the same pic may not be civil war. I can't be sure from the pic. In the left pic one bullet is for a colt revolver but I am not sure about the other.

 

[Red James Cash]

I took a closer look at those two small bullets in the right pic top left.Me thinks they are full metal jacket .38,not civil war

 

[Donnie B from VA]

I think you are correct, Red James Cash, as to the two small bullets in the upper left of the right pic. I don't think they are period. Both of them have cannalures and I have never seen a Civil War bullet with a cannalure.

 

[Red James Cash]

I use to hand load.The lube groove (thats what I always called it) looks the exact same as the one on the modern bullets.Though I didnt handload FMJs,I handloaded semi jacketed hollow points and soft points, .357 magnum and .41 magnum.Though I do have a few FMJ military issue .38 specials. Its hard to mistake the groove in them.

 

[BosnMate]

I use to hand load.The lube groove (thats what I always called it) looks the exact same as the one on the modern bullets.Though I didnt handload FMJs,I handloaded semi jacketed hollow points and soft points, .357 magnum and .41 magnum.Though I do have a few FMJ military issue .38 specials. Its hard to mistake the groove in them.

Yup, except take the .41, and I could say "me to."

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Although many readers here already know the following "detailed" Educational information about bullets, I'm providing it for any readers who do not already know it.

Bullet terminology:
Bullet manufacturers (and bullet designers/inventors) say the name for the groove(s) encircling a bullet's body is a cannelure.
Cannelure | Define Cannelure at Dictionary.com
If the groove/cannelure has multiple tiny parallel ridges inside it, it is called a "knurled" or "reeded" cannelure. The photo below shows a bullet which has a knurled/reeded cannelure.

Relic-diggers simply use the term "grooves"... and often, quite incorrectly, they say the grooves are "rings" (as in, a "3-ringer" bullet). But in actuality, a groove is indented, and a ring is raised (like the wedding ring on your finger). For example, a Sharps bullet has rings, and a Gardner has (two) grooves. However, we relic-diggers have been calling bullets a 2-ringer and a 3-ringer for fifty years, so, getting them to change to the correct terms is pretty much hopeless. ;-)

Now, on to identifying Donnie B. from VA's bullets:
Unfortunately, no diameter measurements were given, so I'll have to make my "best guess" about the caliber of the pistol bullets. In the photo showing only two bullets and some buckshot... the upper bullet appears to be a civil war era fired .44 Colt "New-Model" bullet (used by both sides in that war). The other bullet is a fired US .44 Leet-&-Hall bullet.


Identifying the bullets in the other photo:
Top row, the two small-caliber pistol bullets on the left both have a knurled/reeded groove (as shown in the photo below), so they are from no earlier than 1878. They are "probably" from the first half of the 1900s. I should mention for anybody here who doesn't already know, knurled/reeded-groove bullets are still being manufactured today.

Next in the top row is a civil war .577/.58 caliber Gardner Minie-ball. All of that type are Confederate-made. Next is a civil war .52-caliber "Ringtail" Sharps, used by both sides.

Bottom row, at left, is a fired Confederate .44 "Richmond Lab" bullet for revolvers. Some people call it a "Richmond Colt" -- but it could be used in any variety of .44 revolver.

The other six bullets in the bottom row are various versions of "generic" civil war yankee-made .58 caliber 3-groove Minie-bullets. Because no baseview photo shwing the shape of the cavity in their bases was provided, nor a verbal description of it, I cannot say whether any of them are "star-cavity" (Washington DC Arsenal) or Machine-Pressed-&-Turned bullets.

 

[Donnie B from VA]

Thank you, Cannonball Guy, for that very detailed information. That was very interesting to read and really informative! I have a set of digital calipers ordered which should arrive by tomorrow and I will be able post the measurements of any of the above bullets when they arrive. Just let me know which bullets you would like for me to post the measurements. Also, I am not exactly sure how to measure the bullets so any help on that would be appreciated.

I don't know if I am stating this with the correct terminology but all of the bases on the Minie-bullets are cone shaped inside except for one which has a star base. Do you need any other information?

Thanks again, I really appreciate your help!

 

[Donnie B from VA]

Thanks again CannonballGuy for all your help. I just received my calipers and the following are the measurements of the above bullets:

"In the photo showing only two bullets and some buckshot... the upper bullet appears to be a civil war era fired .44 Colt "New-Model" bullet (used by both sides in that war). The other bullet is a fired US .44 Leet-&-Hall bullet."

The upper bullet measures approximately .450 (.448 - .453) in diameter.
The other bullet measures approximately .436 - .441 in diameter.

"Bottom row, at left, is a fired Confederate .44 "Richmond Lab" bullet for revolvers. Some people call it a "Richmond Colt" -- but it could be used in any variety of .44 revolver."

This bullet is hard to measure accurately due to being fired but the measurements were (.445 / .451 / .456) in diameter.

All of the other bullets you nailed right from the photo's. Thanks again, Donnie

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Your fired pistol bullets' super-precise diameter measurements (such as .448 and .453-inch) is correct for .44-caliber civil war pistol bullets... because the rifling marks (linear ridges) on the fired bullet's sides (created by firing the bullet through a Rifled gunbarrel) slightly increase the diameter of the bullet's body.

Personally, I think fired civil war bullets which show rifling marks but have no significant "impact damage" are interesting... so I collect them. Your fired .44 Leet & Hall bullet is a particularly cool one, showing sharp-&-clear rifling marks. Congratulations on your finds.

 

[Donnie B from VA]

Thanks again for all your help, CannonballGuy!!!