Descent day...with unknown bullet.

[TNGUNS]

Well I think the bullet is CW era but not to sure exactly what it is. Nice penny button, harmonica reed, fired lead, copper whatsit, and tack buckles. Not too bad for a couple of hours.....hunting greener pastures tomorrow.


Penny button


Any ideas on bullet



Hoped it was a buckle when I first saw it.....oh well

 

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[TheCannonballGuy]

You PM'ed me a request to ID your flat-solid-base 3-groove bullet. Congratulations... you've found your first civil war US Merrill .54 Carbine bullet. The Merrill as a breechloader ...so, although your bullet's precision measurement is .560, it is for a .54-caliber firearm.

Explanation, just in case you don't already know:
Muzzle-loading bullets were always a bit smaller than the firearm's bore-diameter. However, Breechloader bullets can be a bit larger than the firearm's bore, because the bullet gets loaded into the back end of the barrel. That rule also applies to revolving pistols, because even though the bullet goes into the cylinder, it still enters the barrel from the back end. For example, unfired revolver bullets (such as Colt, Bartholow, etc) typically measure .01 to .02 larger than the barrel's bore-diameter. When fired, the breechloading bullet gets squeezed down to the same size as the barrel's bore, of course.

 

[TNGUNS]

TheCannonballGuy......Thanks so much ......as bad as I hate to admit it I dug some Merrill Carbine bullets less than a 1/2 mile from where I dug these but thought they had a different ring pattern. They measured a bit smaller but after your ID I got them out......and as always you are right. They are pretty much identical. Really appreciate your help.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

You're welcome. I'm just doing for you what was done for me way back when I was new to civil war relic digging. I haven't forgotten the kind-hearted free relic-ID help I was given. The only way to repay those favors is to "pass them on." (Pay-It-Forward.)

I know of at least five groove-variations on Merrill Carbine bullets. Also, on some, the bullet's base is "taller." Here are photos of four variations.