Civil war era bullet or something else?

[ACobra289]

Hi all. Need some ID help with the bullet I found today. May or may not be CW activity in the area. It just looks weird. Not sure if it's carved or fired. Length is approximately 7/8", diameter is over .5 so maybe 52 cal. And the weight is 455 grains. Has 2 groves and flat base. Thanks for any help

On another subject, there used to be a really good website with 19th century bullet information, but it's no longer working. (19th Century Bullet Collection - Tom Henrique) Anybody know what's going on with it?

 

[UCVRelics]

Its hard to tell with the oxadation and dirt but at first glance it does appear to be a CW carbine bullet

 

[ACobra289]

Sorry, I know the pics aren't great. It was caked with the black stuff. I'll see if I can get it cleaned up a little better.

 

[Scott1967]

Its hard to tell with the oxadation and dirt but at first glance it does appear to be a CW carbine bullet

I'm no expert by any means but only the other day I was watching a guy on the net firing a smith carbine and that looks like the exact same bullet so I would guess your spot on.

 

[Don Dixon]

Where did you find it, and how many lands and grooves does it have?

If it meets the following specifications, I'm inclined to believe that it is one of the System Lorenz compression bullets the Confederates purchased from the Austrian Army and imported. If it is a Lorenz bullet, it was originally approximately .540 inches in diameter [its greased paper wrap brougth it up to .547] and weighed 450 grains, with two compression grooves and a flat base. The two grooves compressed when the rifle musket was fired, causing the bullet to take the rifling, and resulting in an appearance similar to the two grooves in your bullet. The bullet was approximately 1 inch long before compression. The deformation on the nose is typical of a bullet forcefully loaded with a ramrod. Fired from a Muster 1854, Type I or II, System Lorenz rifle musket, it would have four lands and grooves.

Regards,
Don Dixon

 

[ACobra289]

Thanks guys! I'll get it cleaned up some more and try to get more detailed measurements.

It's weird how most of the bullet as an octagon shape. It's especially noticeable on the base.

 

[tbuckley]

I have a fired .54 roundball and and a .54 Gardner that show the same rifling as yours. I always suspected that they had been fired from a Mississippi Rifle, but I am not sure.

 

[rebed19th]

Tom Henrique passed away January 2020.