✅ SOLVED Question About A Mini Ball

[Fullstock]

I found this fired 58 cal mini ball last night in an area where there was heavy fighting and I'd like some opinions on it. As you can see, it has an unusual round distortion to the nose of the bullet. It looks like it was rammed so hard it was distorted, or it was fired with the ramrod still in the barrel. What are your thoughts.

 

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[trdking]

Looks like someone tried to shove a round bullet into a square hole! Funny how the rings are rubbed off on one side. This might have been done intentionally before it was fire and it went sideways Curious to see what the mini experts have to say about this one.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

That bullet has the characteristic form of a casting error which bullet collectors call a "short-pour" bullet. When your bullet was being cast in a bulletmold, not quite enough lead was poured into the mold to fill it completely. That's where the term "short-pour" comes from. The air inside the incompletely-filled mold allows the lead there to form the characteristic small "teat" on the bullet below the mold's filler-hole. Your short-pour bullet was made in a "nose-pour" mold... which means, the molten lead entered the mold at the top (or "nose") of the bullet.

Another version of bulletmold is called a "base-pour" mold because the lead enters the mold at the bullet's base. Bullets from those varieties of bulletmold are (respectively) called nose-cast and base-cast bullets. The photo below shows two "base-cast" short-pour Colt .36 pistol bullets which a digger found among several properly-cast ones in a civil war campsite where a soldier was casting his own bullets for his revolver. Note the "teat" on the bottom of those two incompletely-formed bullets, and compare what's on the incompletely-formed nose of your bullet.

 

[Fullstock]

That sure could explain it TheCannonballGuy, I've dug a lot of mini balls over the years, but I never saw one like this before. Once again, thank you for your help.

 

[Joe hunter]

Now a have to find one I add more to my list than I take off it

 

[trdking]

That bullet has the characteristic form of a casting error which bullet collectors call a "short-pour" bullet. When your bullet was being cast in a bulletmold, not quite enough lead was poured into the mold to fill it completely. That's where the term "short-pour" comes from. The air inside the incompletely-filled mold allows the lead there to form the characteristic small "teat" on the bullet below the mold's filler-hole. Your short-pour bullet was made in a "nose-pour" mold... which means, the molten lead entered the mold at the top (or "nose") of the bullet.

Another version of bulletmold is called a "base-pour" mold because the lead enters the mold at the bullet's base. Bullets from those varieties of bulletmold are (respectively) called nose-cast and base-cast bullets. The photo below shows two "base-cast" short-pour Colt .36 pistol bullets which a digger found among several properly-cast ones in a civil war campsite where a soldier was casting his own bullets for his revolver. Note the "teat" on the bottom of those two incompletely-formed bullets, and compare what's on the incompletely-formed nose of your bullet.

I'll buy that explanation for a dollar

 

[1320]

That bullet has the characteristic form of a casting error which bullet collectors call a "short-pour" bullet. When your bullet was being cast in a bulletmold, not quite enough lead was poured into the mold to fill it completely. That's where the term "short-pour" comes from. The air inside the incompletely-filled mold allows the lead there to form the characteristic small "teat" on the bullet below the mold's filler-hole. Your short-pour bullet was made in a "nose-pour" mold... which means, the molten lead entered the mold at the top (or "nose") of the bullet.

Another version of bulletmold is called a "base-pour" mold because the lead enters the mold at the bullet's base. Bullets from those varieties of bulletmold are (respectively) called nose-cast and base-cast bullets. The photo below shows two "base-cast" short-pour Colt .36 pistol bullets which a digger found among several properly-cast ones in a civil war campsite where a soldier was casting his own bullets for his revolver. Note the "teat" on the bottom of those two incompletely-formed bullets, and compare what's on the incompletely-formed nose of your bullet.

This explanation should forever put the "bullet fired with ram rod" to rest. Thank you Sir!

 

[DCMatt]

This explanation should forever put the "bullet fired with ram rod" to rest. Thank you Sir!

You think?

 

[DCMatt]

The above excerpt is from "The History of Hampshire County, West Virginia"

Boney Loy fought in the 13th Virginia Infantry, Company I.

The story came from Boney's own mouth. It happened at the Battle of Gaines Mill, Virginia near Cold Harbor.

 

[trdking]

I can't figure out if he is more Brave than tough or the other way around. What an awesome story.

 

[Fullstock]

The above excerpt is from "The History of Hampshire County, West Virginia"

Boney Loy fought in the 13th Virginia Infantry, Company I.

The story came from Boney's own mouth. It happened at the Battle of Gaines Mill, Virginia near Cold Harbor.

Well, that confirms that it did happen. I would have bet that's what happened to mine. Who knows.

 

[trdking]

Well, that confirms that it did happen. I would have bet that's what happened to mine. Who knows.

Hey, What if you found HIS bullet? Did you find a fired ramrod near by?

 

[Tnmountains]

While what DCMatt says is true it has nothing to do with your short cast bullet.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Obviously, there are some Minie-bullets which were fired with the rifle's ramrod still in the barrel, but Fullstock's bullet isn't one of those.

The "dead weight" of the ramrod in front of the soft lead bullet causes the bullet's nose to literally "engulf" (swallow) the ramrod's mouth... which pushes a fairly "tall" thin circular wall of lead upward AROUND the ramrod's circular mouth. See the photos below.

If the ramrod was missing from that fired bullet, it would look like an open-topped "tin can" made of lead, with the can being about 2/3 full of lead. Look at the sideview photo and imagine what that bullet would look like if you pulled the deeply embedded ramrod's mouth out of it. That's what I've tried to describe with the "open-topped lead can" analogy.

 

[1320]

The above excerpt is from "The History of Hampshire County, West Virginia"

Boney Loy fought in the 13th Virginia Infantry, Company I.

The story came from Boney's own mouth. It happened at the Battle of Gaines Mill, Virginia near Cold Harbor.

I have never disagreed that it happened. My point is, nearly every one that finds an irregular shaped tip thinks/knows it was a bullet fired with the ram rod in place. It just didn't happen as often as folks think.

 

[Spats]

What DID happen often is two minies fired at the same time due to an accidental double load.