Whittling down bullets

T

TNman

Guest
I know nothing about weapons. I read some Civil War soldiers "whittled down Springfield rounds to fit their Gallagher guns. Exactly how would this be done? With knives. Were the bullets made of a metal soft enough to do this quickly?
 
It could be done but quickly doesn't enter into it, it would have been a matter of desperation & accuracy just wouldn't be there.

I agree with you. Accuracy depends a lot on the bullet holding it shape as it travels to the target. A "whittled down" bullet would have so many flat spots on it that accuracy would be totally out of the question if the intended target was more than 8 or 10 yards away.
 
Don't Know About Whittling - But I knew a Bullet Sander!!!

I shoot in the N-SSA and when I make either Minies or Carbine rounds, it is generally somewhere between 200 and 300 at a time. I rarely burn more than 50 or 60 rounds of each at a Skirmish, but then I am making ammo for myself and other family members that shoot.

Anyway, back in the 1980's I ran across a fella that told me he had a Zouave and he "Shot it all the time." I invited him to come up to my farm and shoot with me sometime as I had a range in my backyard.

Well, he called me up and said he was coming up the following Sunday afternoon and he was busy "making ammunition" for his visit.

When he did show up the following Sunday he brought THREE NAKED MINIE BALLS !!!!

That was his entire ammo supply !!!!!

The Minie's looked a little "funky" to say the least because they had been sanded down using sandpaper!

Here is how he obtained his "ammo supply": He would go up to the Kennesaw Mountain Civil War National Park north of Atlanta and purchase those souvenier "Civil War Bullets" sold to the tourists.

Because the bullets were oversize for his .58 bore, he would literally sand them down to fit.He informed me that it usually took thirty minutes to an hour to sand EACH bullet down.

I offered to show him how to cast Minie BAlls and actually make some up for him and give them to him-but he said he preferred the National Park Service "Minie Balls" as they "were better."

Of course, I was thinking to myself: "WHAT AN IDIOT."

The NPS wouldn't dare sell lead bullets, so I assumed the bullets were made out of tin or something similar.

I offered to loan him some ammo, but he declined. Said he had his Zouave "Sighted In" for "his bullets."

Then the Clown dumped 120 grains of FFg black powder in his Zouave and pushed one of the NAKED, sanded down bullets down the bore. When I suggested that lubing his bullets might be a good idea, he looked at me as if I were crazy.

He capped the Zouave and fired at the bullseye target on a frame 50 yards downrange.

I remember hearing the big "KER-BOOOOOOM" when he fired and then heard the National Park Service bullet SHREIK as it flew to parts unknown....but I am sure those parts were far, far, far away.

As no bullet hole appeared in the target NOR THE 4 Foot by 8 Foot cardboard backer board the target was stapled on to he commented to me that he wondered if he had "pulled the shot" when he fired.

While he was loading up for another shot, I was doing all I could not to laugh. Well the next two shots went astray also as NO bullet holes appeared in either the target or the cardboard backer board.

He looked miffed and commented to me that he was going to have to "sight his gun again" because he was going to use that Zouave during muzzleloading deer season.

Sounding sympathetic and trying not to laugh, I commented that maybe the National Park Service was turning out "bad bullets" and that was the reason he was missing the target.

As he was getting ready to leave, I asked him IF he had a bayonet for his Zouave. When he said he did, I commented that it might be a "Good Idea" to affix that bayonet when he went deer hunting with his Zouave.

When he asked "Why?" I told him that sometimes wounded bucks charged hunters that used muzzleloaders before they could reload.

He was really impressed with the idea and thanked me for it. He assured me that he would have his bayonet on his Zouave when he went hunting. [I wondered what the game warden would think IF he ran across this Clown with a fixed bayonet on his rifle!]

I was chuckling inside because I knew that the ONLY way he would kill a deer with that Zouave was to bayonet the deer!

Nope, I never invited him back for another shooting session. The fella was clearly an Idiot and you just can't do anything with Idiots except to avoid them!

Geez, now I wonder IF he ever did get a deer with NPS Minie Balls and a bayonet?
 
TNman, you are correct. During the battle of Sulphur Trestle which took place near Elkmont, Al. in the fall of 1864, the 9th Indiana Cav and the 3rd Tenn Cav had run out of amno for there Gallager carbines while engaged with Forrest.
 
richard...you are wise, indeed! I am writing a children's book and I feature the battle at SBT as a pivotal point in the book. Do you have an idea (since you are so wise) how they whittled their bullets? With knives? Could they whittle a bullet down in a couple minutes??? I got most of my information on the battle from a book called "The Railroad War" by Robert Dunnavant, Jr. I visited the site about 18 months ago and was moved to be on the property where the battle took place. Thanks so much, Johan_Steele, Lazy Bayou, Southron Sr and richard.
 
I shoot in the N-SSA and when I make either Minies or Carbine rounds, it is generally somewhere between 200 and 300 at a time. I rarely burn more than 50 or 60 rounds of each at a Skirmish, but then I am making ammo for myself and other family members that shoot.

Anyway, back in the 1980's I ran across a fella that told me he had a Zouave and he "Shot it all the time." I invited him to come up to my farm and shoot with me sometime as I had a range in my backyard.

Well, he called me up and said he was coming up the following Sunday afternoon and he was busy "making ammunition" for his visit.

When he did show up the following Sunday he brought THREE NAKED MINIE BALLS !!!!

That was his entire ammo supply !!!!!

The Minie's looked a little "funky" to say the least because they had been sanded down using sandpaper!

Here is how he obtained his "ammo supply": He would go up to the Kennesaw Mountain Civil War National Park north of Atlanta and purchase those souvenier "Civil War Bullets" sold to the tourists.

Because the bullets were oversize for his .58 bore, he would literally sand them down to fit.He informed me that it usually took thirty minutes to an hour to sand EACH bullet down.

I offered to show him how to cast Minie BAlls and actually make some up for him and give them to him-but he said he preferred the National Park Service "Minie Balls" as they "were better."

Of course, I was thinking to myself: "WHAT AN IDIOT."

The NPS wouldn't dare sell lead bullets, so I assumed the bullets were made out of tin or something similar.

I offered to loan him some ammo, but he declined. Said he had his Zouave "Sighted In" for "his bullets."

Then the Clown dumped 120 grains of FFg black powder in his Zouave and pushed one of the NAKED, sanded down bullets down the bore. When I suggested that lubing his bullets might be a good idea, he looked at me as if I were crazy.

He capped the Zouave and fired at the bullseye target on a frame 50 yards downrange.

I remember hearing the big "KER-BOOOOOOM" when he fired and then heard the National Park Service bullet SHREIK as it flew to parts unknown....but I am sure those parts were far, far, far away.

As no bullet hole appeared in the target NOR THE 4 Foot by 8 Foot cardboard backer board the target was stapled on to he commented to me that he wondered if he had "pulled the shot" when he fired.

While he was loading up for another shot, I was doing all I could not to laugh. Well the next two shots went astray also as NO bullet holes appeared in either the target or the cardboard backer board.

He looked miffed and commented to me that he was going to have to "sight his gun again" because he was going to use that Zouave during muzzleloading deer season.

Sounding sympathetic and trying not to laugh, I commented that maybe the National Park Service was turning out "bad bullets" and that was the reason he was missing the target.

As he was getting ready to leave, I asked him IF he had a bayonet for his Zouave. When he said he did, I commented that it might be a "Good Idea" to affix that bayonet when he went deer hunting with his Zouave.

When he asked "Why?" I told him that sometimes wounded bucks charged hunters that used muzzleloaders before they could reload.

He was really impressed with the idea and thanked me for it. He assured me that he would have his bayonet on his Zouave when he went hunting. [I wondered what the game warden would think IF he ran across this Clown with a fixed bayonet on his rifle!]

I was chuckling inside because I knew that the ONLY way he would kill a deer with that Zouave was to bayonet the deer!

Nope, I never invited him back for another shooting session. The fella was clearly an Idiot and you just can't do anything with Idiots except to avoid them!

Geez, now I wonder IF he ever did get a deer with NPS Minie Balls and a bayonet?



OMG this sounds just like a guy I met from an Unmounted Cavalry unit. He said he use to buy the Packs from the NPS site and would use those for shooting. Reason we knew this was because he showed up to an event and I was doing inspections and came to me because he had one lodged in the muzzle of his rifle.
 
What Johann said.

BTW, the only account I've read of a soldier chopping up bullets was Edward Porter Alexander who used to chop up lead for his shotgun (for shooting birds for supper, not Yankees).
 
I shoot in the N-SSA and when I make either Minies or Carbine rounds, it is generally somewhere between 200 and 300 at a time. I rarely burn more than 50 or 60 rounds of each at a Skirmish, but then I am making ammo for myself and other family members that shoot.

Anyway, back in the 1980's I ran across a fella that told me he had a Zouave and he "Shot it all the time." I invited him to come up to my farm and shoot with me sometime as I had a range in my backyard.

Well, he called me up and said he was coming up the following Sunday afternoon and he was busy "making ammunition" for his visit.

When he did show up the following Sunday he brought THREE NAKED MINIE BALLS !!!!

That was his entire ammo supply !!!!!

The Minie's looked a little "funky" to say the least because they had been sanded down using sandpaper!

Here is how he obtained his "ammo supply": He would go up to the Kennesaw Mountain Civil War National Park north of Atlanta and purchase those souvenier "Civil War Bullets" sold to the tourists.

Because the bullets were oversize for his .58 bore, he would literally sand them down to fit.He informed me that it usually took thirty minutes to an hour to sand EACH bullet down.

I offered to show him how to cast Minie BAlls and actually make some up for him and give them to him-but he said he preferred the National Park Service "Minie Balls" as they "were better."

Of course, I was thinking to myself: "WHAT AN IDIOT."

The NPS wouldn't dare sell lead bullets, so I assumed the bullets were made out of tin or something similar.

I offered to loan him some ammo, but he declined. Said he had his Zouave "Sighted In" for "his bullets."

Then the Clown dumped 120 grains of FFg black powder in his Zouave and pushed one of the NAKED, sanded down bullets down the bore. When I suggested that lubing his bullets might be a good idea, he looked at me as if I were crazy.

He capped the Zouave and fired at the bullseye target on a frame 50 yards downrange.

I remember hearing the big "KER-BOOOOOOM" when he fired and then heard the National Park Service bullet SHREIK as it flew to parts unknown....but I am sure those parts were far, far, far away.

As no bullet hole appeared in the target NOR THE 4 Foot by 8 Foot cardboard backer board the target was stapled on to he commented to me that he wondered if he had "pulled the shot" when he fired.

While he was loading up for another shot, I was doing all I could not to laugh. Well the next two shots went astray also as NO bullet holes appeared in either the target or the cardboard backer board.

He looked miffed and commented to me that he was going to have to "sight his gun again" because he was going to use that Zouave during muzzleloading deer season.

Sounding sympathetic and trying not to laugh, I commented that maybe the National Park Service was turning out "bad bullets" and that was the reason he was missing the target.

As he was getting ready to leave, I asked him IF he had a bayonet for his Zouave. When he said he did, I commented that it might be a "Good Idea" to affix that bayonet when he went deer hunting with his Zouave.

When he asked "Why?" I told him that sometimes wounded bucks charged hunters that used muzzleloaders before they could reload.

He was really impressed with the idea and thanked me for it. He assured me that he would have his bayonet on his Zouave when he went hunting. [I wondered what the game warden would think IF he ran across this Clown with a fixed bayonet on his rifle!]

I was chuckling inside because I knew that the ONLY way he would kill a deer with that Zouave was to bayonet the deer!

Nope, I never invited him back for another shooting session. The fella was clearly an Idiot and you just can't do anything with Idiots except to avoid them!

Geez, now I wonder IF he ever did get a deer with NPS Minie Balls and a bayonet?

I laughed so hard I have to take a break! Gives snipe hunting a whole new meaning!
 
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