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I need a good source to educate me on how to ID CW bullets.

John 'n' W.Va

Active member
I respect the knowledge most of you have on this forum. I need to study more and learn more about CW artifacts. I have been into shooting for older coins, but I keep coming up with CW stuff. I am ashamed to say I have thrown some of the things away in ignorance. I have thrown away many coat weights and nap-sack rivets and who knows what else?As I study the artifact pages, I am learning.
The biggest problem I have is ID'ing bullets. I can't answer a question if I don't know how to answer it. Like what is a Mason and McKee Number? I have no idea what base and cavity? What is the base,tt or mm #? When it asks for weight I come up with 46.1 and don't see that weight listed. I have a scale and I know I need to get me a caliber. Where can I learn these things so I don't have to keep asking dumb questions? I haven't posted as much as I should have on this forum, but I will be posting more of my finds here. I will try to learn more so I can avoid dumb questions.
I have posted this Minnie before and I am trying to ID it. It is about 1.12 long and 46.1 g. The diameter is just over 5/8 and under 11/16.
I have found more Minnie's and musket balls. I know I will find a lot more.



[attachment 91783 187-1.jpg]

[attachment 91784 3-12-08inside.jpg]

Here is a smaller one I found.

[attachment 91790 5-3-08Min.jpg]
 
John, remember if you dont know the answer there is no dumb question. Looks like the first picture is a .58 caliber.
A MM# refers to Mason and McKee's book on civil war projectiles. They have the bullets listed along with a number they have they guven it. You will need to get one 'cause it is a valuable research tool. TT refers to the Thomas brothers book and the same applies there also in ref to the numbers. There is a wealth of knowledge on this website. Just ask questions and folks will answer 'em for ya', specialy if you have got pictures...d2
 
I agree with d2. Civil War Projectiles by W Reid McKee and M E Mason Jr is the book to have for learning about different bullets. A good book for identifing other relics is; Excavcted Artifacts From Battlefields & Campsites of the Civil War by Stanley S Phillips. The book may be out of print but a good place to find old books is: ABEBOOKS.COM. For buttons a good book is: Uniform Buttons of the United States by Warren K Tice. Hope this helps. olddigger
 
John, I agree with the previous posts. I also recommend a set of dial calipers reading in inches. Some bullets are just a few .001s" apart. Good Luck!!!.
 
hey john, the books mentioned by the other fellers are a good bet. the rule of thumb is to never throw anything away if yer finding relics and don't know what they are. chances are, someone on this forum knows exactly what you've got. you can throw obvious trash like canslaw and poptabs away, none of that crap ever sees the inside of my pouch. a cheap set of dial calipers help a lot. experience in relics will teach you a lot too. hh,
 
I specialize in relic ID books; bullet, button, backmark, buckles, spurs, price guides etc. We all wind up with a library before it's over, and we never stop learning. Some of the older relic books are out of print. Expect to pay $100-$250+ for a copy; unless you slip up on one. Check out my Books and CD's page on our web site. Call me if you need any help or advice.
Good hunting,
David@Dixie
 
You have pointed me in the right direction, which will help me save money and time in the long run. I have been out of work for a while, so it will take some time before I will be able to buy some books. I will check the library.
 
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