Civil War bullet question...

[dogcaught]

So i'm watching civil war relic hunting on Utube because im not blessed enough to live in a region with Civil War activity and see fired and dropped civil war bullets, 3 ringers etc.. So I wonder why is every found 3 ring bullet a Civil War bullet? Were they not used the day before the war started in that region or after the war ended? Were they only government issue? Please educate me, thank you. JJ

 

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[smokeythecat]

The average civilian by the time the CW started had one of several guns around the house. A colt pocket pistol was popular, a shotgun for hunting and maybe a Sharps slanting breech rifle or Pennsylvania long rifle, which shot a round ball. The minie was invented for military use in the 1830's. The 3 ring minie, the smooth sided Enfield rifle bullet and the 2 ring Gardner insert Confederate bullet were used extensively during the CW. Other types were also used. I have hunted sites dating after the war and on great occasion will find a fired minie. The government owned the rifles and most were returned after the war. Some that got into civilian hands were then used for hunting. I have only found two fired minies on non CW sites in the 40 plus years I have been detecting, so yes, most found are from legit CW sites.

 

[dogcaught]

Excellent, thank you for that in depth reply. JJ