KT has a good friend...a Native American fellow whose father was born in 1907...KT's father was born in 1902...anyway, this fellow has what we assume is a pistol bullet mold that is supposed to date from the Civil War...passed down through his family...so good provenance on the mold.
Anyway, he came over to the Castle last Saturday morning and we used the mold to cast some bullets....now KT's lead source is mixed, few tire weights, fishing sinkers, masses of old drippings from old style plumbing and soldering, etc. so it is not pure lead but it is fairly soft so decent purity.
KT cast 12 castings of 2 bullets ...a 2 ringer and a round ball. See the results in the picture below.
KT then cleaned the casting wings, etc off 11 of each type of bullet, and weighed up 10 2-ringers and 10 round balls, just to get a decent average weight. Here's the info: average weight of 2 ringer bullet is 13.89 grams or 214 grains, average weight of round ball is 9.33 grams or 141 grains.
Next KT measured the diameter of each and came out with .49 for the 2-ringer and .473 for the round ball.
If these were meant for pistols...KT would like to know what are the possible Civil War era or earlier pistols these would fit?
If the 2-ringer bullet is for .50 caliber rifle, what might it fit...same for round ball ?
KT knows nothing about these age firearms and is happy to leave the speculation to those who do!
Thanks ahead of time and His Majesty will post some additional more close up images of the rounds as He finds time to take the images. KT would like to make up a shadow box display with these rounds and images of the weapons they likely fit.
Anyway, he came over to the Castle last Saturday morning and we used the mold to cast some bullets....now KT's lead source is mixed, few tire weights, fishing sinkers, masses of old drippings from old style plumbing and soldering, etc. so it is not pure lead but it is fairly soft so decent purity.
KT cast 12 castings of 2 bullets ...a 2 ringer and a round ball. See the results in the picture below.
KT then cleaned the casting wings, etc off 11 of each type of bullet, and weighed up 10 2-ringers and 10 round balls, just to get a decent average weight. Here's the info: average weight of 2 ringer bullet is 13.89 grams or 214 grains, average weight of round ball is 9.33 grams or 141 grains.
Next KT measured the diameter of each and came out with .49 for the 2-ringer and .473 for the round ball.
If these were meant for pistols...KT would like to know what are the possible Civil War era or earlier pistols these would fit?
If the 2-ringer bullet is for .50 caliber rifle, what might it fit...same for round ball ?
KT knows nothing about these age firearms and is happy to leave the speculation to those who do!
Thanks ahead of time and His Majesty will post some additional more close up images of the rounds as He finds time to take the images. KT would like to make up a shadow box display with these rounds and images of the weapons they likely fit.
