Bullet ID please

[DaveP]

I don't think we have an ordnance expert on board yet - or do we?

Anyone have any thoughts on the attached. It's difficult to size as it's had a hard time but above the rings it's approximately 14mm (0.55 inches). It's hollow to ~1/3 its length.
I've found a similar one on an American Civil War forum but that's a long way from a field in Surrey. Just need an ID for the landowner who is interested in these finds.

Thanks.

Chris

[Leeloo]

It might be one of these ?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.577/450_ ... 80%93Henry

Check out the sizes

[DaveP]

Thanks LeeLoo. It's the shape of the rings I can't find as these appear to be angled and that's the bit I can't link to a Martini-Henry. A number of British/European rifles went to the States (colonies) so no surprise there are similar bullets on their websites but I can't find a definitive link to a rifle type.

Thanks again.

[Pete E]

Thanks LeeLoo. It's the shape of the rings I can't find as these appear to be angled and that's the bit I can't link to a Martini-Henry. A number of British/European rifles went to the States (colonies) so no surprise there are similar bullets on their websites but I can't find a definitive link to a rifle type.

Thanks again.

Dave,

You might not be able to link it to a definitive rifle, especially if the bullet is of civilian origin.

While the Government might have used a very limited number of bullet designs over the life of a particular service rifle design, if the calibre became popular for sporting use, there could be literally dozens of different designs produced for the civilian market..

This also applies to rifles as well in that a particular calibre could have been available in any number of different rifle designs, not just the military arms of the day...

Edited to add my guess is that it's a .577 bullet as they often had hollow bases sometimes with a wooden plug as a "filler". A weight for the bullet would help narrow down the possibilities....

Regards,

Peter

[Easylife]

Not a bullet having that wider ring at the base, how could that work? Look at the size of the thing!

[blackfeet]

I'm pretty certain the bullet is a Minie bullet and was invented by a french man Claude Etienne Minie It was small enough to be easily put down the barrel of a rifled musket Both the american Springfield model 1861 and the british pattern 1853 Lee Enfield rifled muskets were the most common weapons that were used both in the American civil war and the Crimean war
They were loaded by dropping the bullets down the barrel and rammed down wadding with the ramrod When they were fired the heat expanded the bullet which made it grip the rifling in the barrel which lead to a longer range and accuracy and caused horrific injuries
I have found a large number of these bullets on one of my detecting fields which had been used as a rifle range in the past

[tesorobri]

https://leeprecision.com/bullet-casting ... let-molds/ any good?

[DaveP]

https://leeprecision.com/bullet-casting ... let-molds/ any good?

Thanks. I don't know if the shape of the rings are a result of it being fired or whether that's how they started life.

[DaveP]

I'm pretty certain the bullet is a Minie bullet and was invented by a french man Claude Etienne Minie

I think you're correct - thanks.

https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/claud ... C3%A9.html

and

https://www.firearms.net.au/military/in ... &Itemid=94