Origin of the Conical Bullet

[bnail]

Anyone know when the Conical Bullet first began replacing a PRB?
I'll bet ya it was started by a fella named Minnie :winking:

I'm reading this incredibly silly novel about Tim Murphy in which the author has bestowed upon the rifleman the benefit of conical bullets! :youcrazy:

 

[Gary]

The expanding ball concept was first tried successfully by English gunbuilder W. W. Greener. Capt. Claude Minie's conical bullet was adopted in 1846. I'm hoping for Muzzle Blast to print my article on bullet development.

 

[bnail]

The expanding ball concept was first tried successfully by English gunbuilder W. W. Greener. Capt. Claude Minie's conical bullet was adopted in 1846. I'm hoping for Muzzle Blast to print my article on bullet development.

I'd be interested in reading that article. When was Greener making his discovers?

 

[benvenuto]

Col. Thouvenin introduced elongated bullets to the French army in the late 1830's. They were used with the "chamber breech" rifles invented by Capt. Delvigne, and the "a tige" or "pillar breech" rifles invented by Lt. Col. Poncharra.

Around the same time, american target shooters started using the patched "picket" bullet

However the idea goes back much further. Leonardo da Vinci drew finned, conical cannon projectiles in the 1500's.

The Bishop of Munster (supposedly) armed his bodyguard with long, conical brass and copper bullets in 1663.

Robbins, the first "scientific" ballistician recomended ellogated elliptical bullets in the 1740's.

 

[Slamfire]

I'm reading this incredibly silly novel about Tim Murphy in which the author has bestowed upon the rifleman the benefit of conical bullets! :youcrazy:

Archeologists have dug up conicals on the Saratoga Battlefield, I don't know if Tim Murphy was usin' them or not. :winking: