curious about this bullet

[earl43]

Was wondering if anyone can identifie it

 

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[macdudeken]

civil war pistol bullit

 

[66hotel]

Williams cleaner bullet? HH, Terry.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

It is a very rare variety of Sharps .38-caliber Sporting Rifle bullet, from the 1850s through 1860s. Collectors call that specific variety a "Multigroove Sharps." But in actuality, your bullet's distinctive form was not created by Mr. Sharps. It was invented and patented by Gomez & Mills, US Patent #21,253, dated August 24, 1858. Although as the rifle's name Sporting Rifle indicates, it was sold for Civilian use, your bullet is considered a civil war bullet, because a significant number have been dug from civil war Military campsites and battlesites. Some soldiers brought their own rifle when they entered the army. I should mention that your bullet is found primarily in yankee army sites, but the Confederates also had a few of them.

Was there any civil war Military activity at the site where you dug your Gomez & Mills bullet?

 

[earl43]

Yes it was a union camp

 

[AU Seeker]

Kudos to TheCannonballGuy, he knows so much about this kind of stuff it amazes me!!!

Here's a little followup info on the "Gomez & Mills bullet"...

Civil War Projectiles



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Gomez and Mills Patent - The "Multi-ring" Sharps
By Dean S.Thomas
(as originally published in Roundball To Rimfire Volume 2)

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[TD]Located in the Case History File of Patent No. 21,253 is a report dated April 30, 1858, from Major William H. Bell to Colonel Henry K. Craig. Bell had been directed by Secretary of War John B. Floyd to try the Safety Fuse Train Cartridge of Edwin Gomez and William Mills of New York City. One hundred rounds were fired from a .52 cal. Sharps carbine. The components of the cartridge weighed:

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Powder - 35 grains
Paper - 15 grains
Ball - 460 grains
Total of Cartridge - 510 grains

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The powder in the cartridges was a white substance patented September 15, 1857, by Gomez and Mills, and produced one-half as much smoke as traditional black gunpowder. It was, however, more like a fulminating compound that could be ignited by percussion and friction between two pieces of iron, rather than modern nitrocellulose or nitroglycerine smokeless powders. Nevertheless, Gomez and Mills believed that they had discovered a way to harness the energy of their powder for use in small arms ammunition.

Bell reported the characteristics of the powder, a description of the cartridge, and the results of firing. When compared with firing another Sharps carbine with black powder, Bell observed that the Gomez and Mills cartridges: produced little or no muzzle flash; the intensity of the report of detonation and smoke were one-half; the heating of the gun barrel was very considerably less; fouling was very much smaller; penetration was about 15% better; and they never missed fire even when laid in water for two to five minutes. When Bell was completed with his task he reported the facts only and made no recommendation.

Undaunted, Gomez and Mills applied for a patent on June 26, 1858, and were rewarded on August 24, 1858, with Letters Patent No. 21,253 for an Improvement in Cartridges for Fire-Arms. The patent drawing clearly illustrates a multi-grooved ball to the bottom of which the cartridge was tied with string. To learn about the intricacies of producing this cartridge, the reader is encouraged to read the patent specification.

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[TD]What success, if any, Gomez and Mills enjoyed in marketing their novelty is unknown, but specimens of these cartridges have not come to light. The bullet design, however, was adopted by an unidentified manufacturer to make typical, "old model" style, paper case cartridges for 90, 60, and 32-bore Sharps sporting rifles.

Specimens:
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[TD="width: 160"]90-bore
Sharps "multi-ring."
Approximately .38 caliber
M&M# n/a T&T#103
RB2#550

Bullet Dimensions:
Diameter: .385
Length: .688
Weight: 151

Cartridge Dimensions:
Length: 2.65
Weight: 220
[/TD]
[TD="width: 160"]60-bore
Sharps "multi-ring."
Approximately .44 caliber
M&M#192 T&T#105
RB2#553

Bullet Dimensions:
Diameter: .492
Length: .88
Weight: 289

Cartridge Dimensions:
Length: 2.76
Weight: 352
[/TD]
[TD="width: 160"]60-bore
Sharps "multi-ring."
Approximately .44 caliber
M&M# 193 T&T#104
RB2#552

Bullet Dimensions:
Diameter: .470
Length: .81
Weight: 242

A shorter, lighter variant of MM#192/TT#105
with a raised band above the "multi-rings"[/TD]
[TD="width: 160"]32-bore
Sharps "multi-ring."
Approximately .52 caliber
M&M#191 T&T#106
RB2#555

Bullet Dimensions:
Diameter: .562
Length: .99
Weight: 455

Cartridge Dimensions:
Length: 2.38
Weight: 522[/TD]
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​

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[earl43]

Thank you guys I didn't know what it was.my wife is proud of her first find.is it a rare bullet?

 

[earl43]

I'm learning a lot from everyone on here me an my boy are heading back tomorrow to see what we can dig we have had a good all day rain so digging should be good. Its always nice to get the boy out.he was with me when I found me sword eagle plate so he is my good luck charm.lol

 

[tennessee digger]

Once again, excellent ID on the Cannonball Guys part. He is sharp and also good job by AU Seeker. Oh, and that is a great find too.....rare little bullet!

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Earl43 wrote:
> My wife is proud of her first find. Is it a rare bullet?

In my previous reply to you (which is post #4 in this discussion), I said "It is a very rare variety."

As you may already know, "condition" is extremely important to an excavated relic's dollar-value. If your wife's unfired "Sharps .38 Multigroove" bullet wasn't damaged with nicks which obscure parts of its multiple grooves, it would retail at a civil war relic show for about $40. (Compare its condition with the 90-bore/.38-caliber one in the photo posted by AU Seeker.) But because the damage isn't extreme, you could still probably get about $20 for it at a relic-show.

Because "condition" is so important, and your wife is brand-new to relic digging, let me politely urge y'all to please dig very carefully. A shovel-slash on a civil war bullet ruins its dollar-value. Where you find one unfired civil war bullet, you'll often find more of the same type. Hunt the area where she found that very rare bullet carefully, and dig carefully. If there are more there, they might pay for the detector she is using.

I long ago told my wife that the metal-detecting hobby is different from nearly every other hobby in that it actually produces money instead of just consuming it. That significantly reduced her objections to me going relic-digging.

 

[tennessee digger]

You are exactly right Pete. It is a hobby that actually pays off if you put enough time into it. Plus, it's good exercise!

 

[earl43]

I think it may have been hit by a plow at one time I find a lot that have nicks on them.I know it use to get plowed an disked a lot.I've learned to dig more carefully from my mistakes an trying to pass it on to her an my boy I tell them patients an dig like your trying to dig an egg out of the ground. Lol