Odd civil war bullet

[DiggerKid2003]

My buddy found this bullet in a battle spot where he found hundreds of other bullets. You guys know how it is with civil war bullets, some can get really expensive and can be hard to identify, which is why I’m posting this here. I don’t have the exact measurements as I only had a few minutes to snap some pictures, but it should give you a decent gauge on it. It’s longer and thinner than a Gardner, but has two rings like a Gardner. Thanks for the help, -DK







Here’s the base next to a Gardner, doesn’t help too much but you can tell it’s just a thinner bullet

 

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[TheCannonballGuy]

The key ID-clue to correctly identifying your "odd civil war bullet" is to note that in addition to being much longer and thinner than a standard Gardner minie, it has been fired. It is what we civil war bullet collectors call a "stretchie" -- because it is a standard .58 Gardner which got compressed and "stretched" by loading and firing it from a .52 Sharps Breechloader.

Unlike most other civil war era Breechloader rifles, the Sharps fired a bullet which did not have a metal cartridge casing... AND, the .52-caliber Sharps breech chamber was so "oversized" that it would accept a .58-caliber bullet.

Sometimes when a soldier who had a .52 Sharps ran out of Sharps bullets in desperate combat he would use whatever other kind of bullets he could fit into the Sharps breech chamber. The photo below (actually, a scan) shows three different kinds of "stretchies" in my collection which were fired from a .52 Sharps. From left to right, they are:
.58 Williams Regulation minie,
.58 Williams "Bore-Cleaner" Type 3 bullet, and
.56 CS Richmond Sharps Rifle bullet.

The proof they were fired out of a .52 Sharps is:
1- they measure .52-inch in diameter, plus a smidge for the rifling-marks, and
2- they show the distinctive 6-groove rifling of a .52 Sharps.

For certainty about the ID of your bullet, check its body for 6-groove rifling marks, and check its diameter with a digital caliper.

 

[DiggerKid2003]

Wow as always thank you for the knowledge CBG, it hadn’t even occurred to me that this could be the case. The fact that a soldier may have used whatever bullet would fit in desperation makes this a cooler piece of history IMO. I’ll get him to check for the 6 grooves and add an update if need be, but it seems like you nailed it, thanks again!

 

[tennessee digger]

The Cannonball Guy is correct in my opinion. We all appreciate his vast knowledge.

 

[Truth]

The Cannonball guy took the words right out of my mouth lol you just had a legend answer your question and you could take that to the bank. He’s vastly knowledgeable with artillery etc. looks like you had a good lead day Congratulations. II never get tired picking up lead

 

[ticndig]

I've dug around 1000 bullets in the same county as the poster, yet I've never dug one or even heard of one until I stopped in for todays lesson from the master.
Thanks Diggerkid for posting and thanks Cannonball guy for the lesson.

 

[crashbandicoot]

Man,you learn something new every day on this site!First time I heard of a stretchie.I,ll file that away for the future.Thanks cannonballguy!

 

[bologna321]

Excellent find and ID

 

[Elvis]

The key ID-clue to correctly identifying your "odd civil war bullet" is to note that in addition to being much longer and thinner than a standard Gardner minie, it has been fired. It is what we civil war bullet collectors call a "stretchie" -- because it is a standard .58 Gardner which got compressed and "stretched" by loading and firing it from a .52 Sharps Breechloader.

Unlike most other civil war era Breechloader rifles, the Sharps fired a bullet which did not have a metal cartridge casing... AND, the .52-caliber Sharps breech chamber was so "oversized" that it would accept a .58-caliber bullet.

Sometimes when a soldier who had a .52 Sharps ran out of Sharps bullets in desperate combat he would use whatever other kind of bullets he could fit into the Sharps breech chamber. The photo below (actually, a scan) shows three different kinds of "stretchies" in my collection which were fired from a .52 Sharps. From left to right, they are:
.58 Williams Regulation minie,
.58 Williams "Bore-Cleaner" Type 3 bullet, and
.56 CS Richmond Sharps Rifle bullet.

The proof they were fired out of a .52 Sharps is:
1- they measure .52-inch in diameter, plus a smidge for the rifling-marks, and
2- they show the distinctive 6-groove rifling of a .52 Sharps.

For certainty about the ID of your bullet, check its body for 6-groove rifling marks, and check its diameter with a digital caliper.

I never get tired of reading the knowledge of the members here. I get on this topic mainly to learn from others. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!!!