Sword hanger & Explosive bullet

Digger70pa · Nov 28, 2025

I had a couple nice surprises last1 weekend. I found a sword hanger & a Gardiner explosive bullet. The Gardiner is a rare bullet. The Federal government only bought 110,000 of two calibers .58" & .52" total during the whole war. They only used in two major battles Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. After Gettysburg they discontinued use because they were deemed barbaric & inhumane.

The Rebel · Nov 28, 2025

BennyV · Nov 28, 2025

Crazy stuff. Imagine not only getting shot, but then having it explode like a mini-grenade. Good thing they did away with them.

Digger70pa · Nov 28, 2025

BennyV said:
Crazy stuff. Imagine not only getting shot, but then having it explode like a mini-grenade. Good thing they did away with them.

Imagine one blowing up before it hit you. Like a little artillery shell. They had ideas about shooting caissons & blowing them up. The Union army issued the 2nd New Hampshire these rounds before Gettysburg. They were part of the 3rd corps. The spot i recoverd the bullet at was post battle on the retreat from Gettysburg.

UnderMiner · Nov 28, 2025

Great finds! I remember as a kid digging through a box of dug bullets that were for sale in Gettysburg. I kept finding these ones that were completely splattered from the inside out with the little tube shape at the bottom still visible. I didn't know it at the time but these were exploded Gardiner bullets. I bought many bullets for $1 each, but none of the Gardiners, because I didn't know the significance. I never saw Gardiner bullets for sale that cheap ever again.

Digger70pa · Mar 23, 2026

UnderMiner said:
Great finds! I remember as a kid digging through a box of dug bullets that were for sale in Gettysburg. I kept finding these ones that were completely splattered from the inside out with the little tube shape at the bottom still visible. I didn't know it at the time but these were exploded Gardiner bullets. I bought many bullets for $1 each, but none of the Gardiners, because I didn't know the significance. I never saw Gardiner bullets for sale that cheap ever again.

Thats amazing.