Fenwick1863
Private
- Joined
- Sep 7, 2021
- Location
- Chesapeake, VA
Howdy y'all.
Long story short, My Dad picked up this bullet in Fredericksburg when him and Mom went up there for their (37th) anniversary last year, and gave it to me when they got back. It was sold as being a Spencer, and I didn't question it, because well, it looks like a Spencer.
Well now my bullet collection is getting to be pretty vast, so I've thrown myself into another rabbit hole- identifying each bullet and recording all information so that I don't lose track of what came from where.
Here comes the interesting part. According to the James and Dean Thomas Handbook of Civil War Bullets and Cartridges, a .52 Spencer should have a diameter of about .553 in., and a length (with cartridge) of 1.66 in.
This bullet measures rather differently. Bullet diameter comes in at .51 in., and length at 1.55 in., which much more closely fits the description of a .50 Warner. (.515 in. diameter, and length with cartridge of 1.54 in., also according to J. and D. Thomas.) To my (still rather novice) eye, they are indistinguishable by anything other than size.
So what do y'all think? Either way, I think it's a cool little piece of history, I just want to learn something, and make sure I label it correctly.
Cheers!
Long story short, My Dad picked up this bullet in Fredericksburg when him and Mom went up there for their (37th) anniversary last year, and gave it to me when they got back. It was sold as being a Spencer, and I didn't question it, because well, it looks like a Spencer.
Well now my bullet collection is getting to be pretty vast, so I've thrown myself into another rabbit hole- identifying each bullet and recording all information so that I don't lose track of what came from where.
Here comes the interesting part. According to the James and Dean Thomas Handbook of Civil War Bullets and Cartridges, a .52 Spencer should have a diameter of about .553 in., and a length (with cartridge) of 1.66 in.
This bullet measures rather differently. Bullet diameter comes in at .51 in., and length at 1.55 in., which much more closely fits the description of a .50 Warner. (.515 in. diameter, and length with cartridge of 1.54 in., also according to J. and D. Thomas.) To my (still rather novice) eye, they are indistinguishable by anything other than size.
So what do y'all think? Either way, I think it's a cool little piece of history, I just want to learn something, and make sure I label it correctly.
Cheers!
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