Civil War Revolver Bullets

[nkbj]

Went to a Civil War relic collectors show today. The variety of designs in recovered revolver bullets was almost bewildering. Certainly more than I have ever seen on line. Wish I had taken my camera but walked away with some good ideas.

 

[George T.]

I wonder if they were all issued or they fended for themselves at times. I grew up thinking that they all shot round balls. Boy was I wrong!
Geo. T.

 

[M. De Land]

I imagine they shot what was issued as they would not have been able to carry casting equipment and lead ingots around in the their Ruck sack very easily with all the other stuff needed for their daily sustenance. MD

 

[Wes/Tex]

Colt molds generally produced about the same bullet from each. Remember that there were probably as many as 12 to 20 companies making revolvers and molds for their pieces. Besides which, there were privately owned businesses making bullet molds for government contract so it's rather likely you'll find a great variety of bullet styles. I've never found a source of exactly how many of which were issued but the great majority of surviving pre-made round are with conical bullets rather than round ball. Elmer Kieth knew a couple of old vets who'd been there and their opinion ran to the following; bullets are fine for forage and pig killing...round balls knock horsemen down better and quicker.

 

[Marc Adamchek]

Always read that round balls beat the pants off conicals in the accuracy department.

 

[Poor Private]

On the wall next to me is a display of .44 conicals that were found near Petersburg Va. Each one of the conicals are different. There are 4 different types. Of course dug bullets you can't tell wether they are Confederate, or Federal. Since often times a battle front swings back and forth between the 2 sides.

 

[Steve Adams]

yesterday at our club shoot we were taking about the same thing,one of our members is a historian at Fort Benning , was saying the government both north and south only purchased cartridges loade with conicals. Molds would be used if in the field only as last resort.

 

[nkbj]

It would appear that conicals were favored specifically because they were pointier and heavier, as in poking a hole past the wool and cotton.

 

[crockett]

For the Union troops, to the best of my knowledge, all pistol ammunition was in the form of a combustible cartridge loaded with a conical. I have never found any information on what a Union issued powder flask for a revolver would be or how round balls would be carried for revolvers- if anyone has images and specifics please share. If I recall the Union manuals stated how to load a revolver from a flask and with a ball but that's it. I know of no place (on your person)that a mounted troop could carry a flask or loose balls, etc.
There were various manufacturers as stated. In the Confederacy there were different arsenals. The Richmond is the only one that I've seen a box of combustibles from and because things were different in the South it may be that round balls were used, but I'm not certain on that.

 

[crockett]

That is, round balls loaded individually, the Richmond ammunition (combustible) used conicals.

 

[Jim Blair]

There were seven federal arsenals and as many private concerns producing ammunition for about ten makes of revolvers by the end of the war.No two bullets seem to have been made to any standardized pattern as many can be identified as to the maker by some peculiarity of that companies manufacture.The same goes for Confederate bullets.

From what I can find in research the conical ball won out over the round because a heavier projectile was wanted.

 

[nkbj]

At the relics show this weekend there was an original .31 in a cased set. The conicals were little bitty dinky things, with a vesica piscis cross section with a disc added to the back end. Saw some others others for .31's that would have passed for swaged lead bullets for a .32S&W. The designs fascinate me, to see what all they did.

 

[swathdiver]

The first conicals in .44 were made for the Walker and Dragoons, then a smaller model was made for the 1860 Army. Remington also had a proprietary design and then Sage, Bartholow, Potter and Dow among others had their own designs.

Colt had at least two sizes of conicals for the .36, one for the '51 Navy and another, shorter one, for the pocket models.

Rapine used to reproduce some of the molds and it seems those fancy ones by Pedersoli for cased sets are also based on original molds/designs for particular guns.