Fella's, this question has been asked for probably 40 years; Why did Union troops throw so many "cleaner" bullets away? It's real simple. They would seize up in the barrel when being loaded. Especially if there was any fouling. Once a black powder rifle has been fired, the residue from the powder (charcoal, sulphur and salt peter) leaves a micro film inside the gun. This restricts the bore size, thus creating "fouling." Fouling the bore will cause friction upon any projectile that enters the barrel. Now, we have a 3 part bullet: nose, zinc washer and base (William's "cleaner" bullets) being rammed down the barrel. William's patent never says anything about "Cleaning" per se, he said his bullet would scrape the lands and grooves tightly, thus creating better accuracy. In fact, they would seize up in the barrel and prevent loading. The men hated them.
In summary; once the William's bullet was started down the barrel, resistance from fouling would cause the base to collapse into the nose section. This in turn would smash or flatten the zinc washer into the lands and grooves of the rifling, thus halting movement or seizing up in the barrel. Not a good thing in the heat of battle. Hope this clears up the mystery. Good hunting, David@Dixie
