ID this CW Bullet...rare?

[floodcitykid]

Found this fired bullet at a civil war skirmish site, never seen any like it before, its almost two inches long and about 50 cal, lands and grooves so it was fired from a rifle, I'm thinking a sharpshooter from one of the specialized units...Berndans troopers were in the area of Virginia I dug it sooooooo?


Thanks

Flood city Kid

 

[PChammer]

When you say almost 2 in long, do you have a more exact measurement? Sometimes even 1\4" can make a difference in type.

 

[Breezie]

The only thing I could find close was M&M 250 & 251 Whitworth, but we need to know the exact diameter and height, and weight would be helpful too.Nice find, Breezie

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

I agree that its exterior greatly resembles a Whitworth (a .44-caliber), but this lookalike minie's very distinctive "deep plug" cavity shows it is (or rather, was) a typical British-made .577 Enfield minie. It is now what civil war bullet scholars call a "stretchie." That means a desperate soldier (almost always a Confederate who'd run out of the correct ammunition) loaded a .577 Enfield minie into his slightly smaller-caliber breechloading carbine (or rifle). You cannot do that with a muzzleloader ...but a breechloader permits it. The blast of firing forced the larger minie through the smaller bore, literally causing the minie to "stretch."

Most of the "stretchies" I've seen that've been dug here in Virginia show 6-groove rifling marks, due to being fired from a .52 Sharps Breechloader.

 

[Kieth-Tx]

Looks too lightweight to be a bullet.

 

[PChammer]

cavity shows it is (or rather, was) just a typical British-made .577 Enfield minie

I agree. If you look here...

http://baymediapro.com/collection/bullet_search.asp

the .577, especially stretched, would seem the one.

EDIT: Seems link wasn't quite right, fixed now. Just click search all.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

By the way... no Whitworth bullets have a "very deep" plug cavity.

I've lightened Floodcitykid's baseview photo, because I think I see a classic Enfield "raised" plain block capital-letter L inside the circular depression at the bottom of the cavity. If I'm correct, that means the bullet can only be a .577 Enfield minie.

For comparison with the letter I think I see in Floodcitykid's bullet, I'll attach a second photo, showing a .577 Enfield minie with the L2 basemark.

 

[floodcitykid]

I agree that its exterior greatly resembles a Whitworth (a .44-caliber), but this lookalike minie's very distinctive "deep plug" cavity shows it is (or rather, was) a typical British-made .577 Enfield minie. It is now what civil war bullet scholars call a "stretchie." That means a desperate soldier (almost always a Confederate who'd run out of the correct ammunition) loaded a .577 Enfield minie into his slightly smaller-caliber breechloading carbine (or rifle). You cannot do that with a muzzleloader ...but a breechloader permits it. The blast of firing forced the larger minie through the smaller bore, literally causing the minie to "stretch."

Most of the "stretchies" I've seen that've been dug here in Virginia show 6-groove rifling marks, due to being fired from a .52 Sharps Breechloader.

Thank you I bow to a bullet scholar indeed you are correct your kewpie doll is in the mail

Thanks

TFCK

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

You're welcome. Pardon me please, but I'm wondering, did "you are correct" mean I'm correct about your fired minie being a "stretchie," or that there is a raised letter L base-marking in the bottom of the bullet's cavity?

 

[floodcitykid]

You're welcome. Pardon me please, but I'm wondering, did "you are correct" mean I'm correct about your fired minie being a "stretchie," or that there is a raised letter L base-marking in the bottom of the bullet's cavity?

Both, there is indeed a letter L which I didn't see with my reading glasses I had to hit it with the
big magnifier.

Thanks agian

TFCK