Can anyone help with a bullet caliber?

Volksman · May 13, 2019

I found this while detecting a field where a school house once was. It is 1 3/4” long, the base is 11/16”, and the body is 9/16”.

TIA

Sage · May 13, 2019

Might be a 50-70 Gov. Primer type dates it to early 1870s plus or minus a few.

I had a Sharps conversion rifle that used those.

Volksman · May 14, 2019

Sage said:
Might be a 50-70 Gov. Primer type dates it to early 1870s plus or minus a few.

I had a Sharps conversion rifle that used those.

I’ve found a 45-70 before but I thought it was longer. I’ll have to get it out and check.

waltr · May 14, 2019

Yea, primer is old style.
Cal looks to be .50 maybe .45 and cartridge does not look to have much if any taper.

Could be a .50-70 since the cartridge length is 1.75 inches.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.50-70_Government

There were many different cartridges back then and most were short lived so hard to id.

Sage · May 14, 2019

45-70 is 2.1 inches, 50-70 is 1.75 inches.

Volksman · May 14, 2019

waltr said:
Yea, primer is old style.
Cal looks to be .50 maybe .45 and cartridge does not look to have much if any taper.

Could be a .50-70 since the cartridge length is 1.75 inches.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.50-70_Government

There were many different cartridges back then and most were short lived so hard to id.

Sage said:
45-70 is 2.1 inches, 50-70 is 1.75 inches.

Thanks guys!
I checked the other 2 I have that I thought were 45-70 and they are the same dimensions as this one so I was wrong about those.

tomme boy · May 15, 2019

Look up a PINFIRE cartridge. That is what it may be. The primer looks wrong though

Sage · May 15, 2019

The first US Gov self contained cartridge had an internal primer. Used by the army in the early 1870s. They then went to the external type primer you see today which can be reloaded. What the buffalo hunters used.

worm12ga · May 17, 2019

tomme boy said:
Look up a PINFIRE cartridge. That is what it may be. The primer looks wrong though

Whatever it is, it definitely is not a pinfire casing.

Can anyone help with a bullet caliber?

Volksman

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