Authentic Cartridges for Reenactors
Quality Recreated Ammunition for the Living Historian, &c.
Brett Gibbons & Will Abbot, Proprietors
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Update January 21, 2012 -- Couple quick things. First, I'm caught up on Enfield cartridges. Regular orders should ship within 2 business days. Unfortunately, the US Postal Service priority mail rates go up on Monday the 23rd.
This year is, of course, the 150th for the battles and events of 1862. If you need authentic ammunition, I would encourage you to contact me now. I'm a lieutenant in the Army Reserve and will be on active duty for most of the reenacting season (March through August). I will get backed up with orders, so the sooner you place an order or contact me to reserve ammo, the better for you.
Check out the new page on Live Fire, for 58-caliber Minie balls and ready-made cartridges for live-firing your rifle-musket.
"...the only pattern of cartridge to be hereafter used with muzzle loading rifled small arms shall be that known as the English pattern of Enfield cartridge."
-- Colonel Josiah Gorgas, Chief of Ordnance, C.S.A., February 9, 1864
Authentic Enfield cartridge tubes -- These are blank reproductions of the Enfield pattern rifle-musket cartridge, used extensively by the Confederacy. Tens of millions came through the blockade, and millions more were produced domestically at Confederate arsenals. They are the "short pattern" variety, made to the original British specification, and will fit in both U.S. and British style cartridge boxes. For more information than you ever wanted to know about the P/53 Enfield cartridge, see the Authentic Cartridge page on this site.
The cartridges do not contain powder and the original Pritchett-style bullet is simulated with tissue paper, making them safe to use at reenactments and living history events. They don't come in arsenal packs, but if you want them packaged we can make them up into arsenal packs (without powder). E-mail or call if you want them in arsenal packs.
I can ship up to 120 of them in a single USPS Priority Mail box. If you want more than 120, please e-mail or call for better shipping rates and to check availability.
"Cartridges constructed on these principles present a neat and convenient form for carrying the powder and ball attached to each other... So far as they have been tried in the hands of the troops they have been found to answer a good purpose."
-- Reports of Experiments with Small arms for the Military Service, 1855
Authentic .58-caliber Minie cartridges -- Used extensively by both sides in the War Between the States, these .58-cal blank cartridge tubes are made to the period specifications laid down by the U.S. Ordnance Department in 1855 (and approved by then-Secretary of War Jefferson Davis).
The cartridges are tied with unbleached linen thread and contain a powder cylinder, as the original pattern specified. The lead Minie bullet is simulated with tissue paper, so they're safe to bring to reenactments and living history events.
You'll have to fill the cartridges with your own powder and fold the "tails" closed (click here to see how to fold the cartridge tail), but other than that, they are ready to take out to the field. For more details on how these cartridges were made and used historically during the Civil War, check out the Authentic Cartridges page.
Forty Rounds in Arsenal Packs -- As the picture shows, these are simply four completely inert arsenal packs of 58-caliber Minie cartridges. The cartridges contain NO powder, no caps, and the Minie ball is simulated with tissue paper. Inside each pack are ten cartridges, tails folded, like the pair of cartridges shown. The packs aren't labeled, so they're versatile for either Federal or C.S. use for display, demonstration, or living history. I've offered these in the past, and some reenactors will carefully open the packs, fill the cartridges with powder, and put the packs back together to use as authentic ammo at reenactment events. These four packs will give you forty rounds, a full cartridge box load. $18.00 plus shipping by USPS Priority Mail.
SOLD OUT. I will make more as time allows.
For a price list that includes MANY different types of authentic cartridges for reenactors and living historians who value quality, accurate reproductions of 1860's ammunition, contact Will Abbot.
Among the authentic cartridges Will recreates are beautiful .69-cal round ball cartridges for your M1842 smoothbore [the only source for authentic .69-cal rounds I'm aware of currently. --Brett] and ready-made arsenal packs for demonstration and display.
Will Abbot
cartridgetubes@gmail.com
(406) 626-3099
Brett Gibbons is the First Sergeant of Hart's Engineers, a Confederate engineer company located on the West Coast (there's several thousand Civil War reenactors out here, see Brett's essay on West Coast Reenacting), and first started selling authentic cartridges when other members of his reenacting unit began offering to pay for the rounds he brought to the events to use himself. Brett is a second lieutenant in the Army Reserve, and has a bachelors degree in history.
Will Abbot has been a student and shooter of the arms of the 1800's for many years and is the Historic Arms Demonstrator at the Nevada City Living History Museum, Virginia City, Montana Territory. Will has provided accurate reproduction cartridges, based on study of originals and historic resources, to educators and shooters in the US and the UK. He is the photographer and contributing technical advisor for the soon to be published book; The Western Heritage Project with Montana State University Extension.
The musket used as a divider on this site is taken from the illustrated plates of the 1850 U.S. Ordnance Manual.