Menu
What's new
Find's Treasure Forums

Welcome to Find's Treasure Forums, Guests!

You are viewing this forums as a guest which limits you to read only status.

Only registered members may post stories, questions, classifieds, reply to other posts, contact other members using built in messaging and use many other features found on these forums.

Why not register and join us today? It's free! (We don't share your email addresses with anyone.) We keep email addresses of our users to protect them and others from bad people posting things they shouldn't.

Click here to register!

Need Support Help?

Cannot log in?, click here to have new password emailed to you

Merrill Carbine Bullet (?)

C&RHunter

C&RHunter

Active member
Hey folks, I still need some help IDing this lead bullet. Along with some other items, it was shown in a Nov. post of mine. The bullet mic.ed, approx. .546" dia. x 0.835" long (the tip is slightly flattened) and weighs 385 grains. The base is solid except for a small divot in the base center. Based on the solid base, I believe it to be a breech loading carbine/rifle bullet. From all my researching images, etc. on the .net, It seems to fit the Merrill Carbine bullet specs the best. It was found NE of Kansas City at former cabin site on my property, where I have found several GS buttons and a 1838 Large cent. Any help is appreciated. Thanks
 

Attachments

  • Bullet Base.JPG
    Bullet Base.JPG
    402 KB · Views: 19
  • Bullet Profile.JPG
    Bullet Profile.JPG
    385.5 KB · Views: 18
I have a dropped .58 Williams cleaner, but it has a much more round nose. This is .54 cal and the dimple is cone shaped into the base. I was just checking images of a disassembled Williams cleaner and the post of the cleaner part looks like it would be cylindrical and at least 1/4" or so long. Thanks for the reply.
 
Hey C&R Hunter, I found a little info. 9n the Merill bullet. This is from the book
20260208_172302.jpg
War Projectiles II Small Arms & Field Artillery by W.Reid McKee - M.E. Mason, Jr. Page 31. I hope this can be of some help.
20260208_172156.jpg
 
Thanks for the info. The measurements of my bullet is close to the #136 Merrill bullet. I rechecked the dia. and mine comes up .548", length .835" (with a slightly flattened tip), and 385 grains in wt. Close but probably not close enough .
 
No problem. Merrill bullet or not, yours seems to be CW period. There were so many variants of bullets used during the CW.
 
The Merrill was the closest to your specifications in A Handbook of Civil War Bullets and Cartridges by James E. Thomas and Dean S. Thomas. It says "This bullet was made at the Richmond Laboratory for captured or pre-Cilvil War Merrill cartridges. The bullet has a solid base." I looked at Merrill bullets on the web but they were all solid base but like Confetti said, "There were so many variants." Another bullet close to spec, .545" diameter, .88" length and 381 grain weight, is the Billinghurst & Requa which was "For the 25 barrel Billinghurst and Requa battery guns."
 
Picketwire said:
The Merrill was the closest to your specifications in A Handbook of Civil War Bullets and Cartridges by James E. Thomas and Dean S. Thomas. It says "This bullet was made at the Richmond Laboratory for captured or pre-Cilvil War Merrill cartridges. The bullet has a solid base." I looked at Merrill bullets on the web but they were all solid base but like Confetti said, "There were so many variants." Another bullet close to spec, .545" diameter, .88" length and 381 grain weight, is the Billinghurst & Requa which was "For the 25 barrel Billinghurst and Requa battery guns."
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info. It's likely I'll never know for sure what weapon the bullet is for, but maybe the site will give something else to help with the identification..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top