LIVE FIRE!
58-caliber cast Minie Balls, not lubricated -- Individually hand-cast on my Lee 575-500 mold from 99% pure soft lead that I buy in ingots directly from the smelter. These are just the bullets themselves, without lubrication, approximately .575-inch diameter and 500 grains in weight. They will vary slightly in weight and size. I have been shooting these bullets for years from my 1861 Springfield, but they can be fired from any 58-caliber or 577-caliber black powder rifle-musket in good shooting condition.
I'm very picky with my cast bullets; those with defects (bad skirts, cavity in the nose or other casting void, etc.) get tossed right back into the lead pot. Some may have minor wrinkles. These are not lubricated, so you will have to lubricate them yourself before shooting; scroll down if you want Minie bullets pre-lubricated. The bullets are packaged extra carefully to prevent, as much as possible, any damage to the bullets during shipping. The price includes shipping in a USPS small flat rate Priority Mail box. Call or e-mail if you want more than 60 bullets to check availability.
"Immerse the ball in a melted mixture of 1 part of tallow and 8 of beeswax, kept warm, until the cylindrical part of the ball is covered..."
--1861 Ordnance Manual
Live Fire 58-caliber cartridges -- Made up into cartridge, this is authentic LIVE FIRE ammo (definitely NOT for reenacting!) made to the specifications of the 1860 Ordnance Manual. These cartridges consist of the outer wrapper choked and tied at the nose, a 500-grain .575-caliber Minie ball cast on a Lee 575-500 mold, and a powder cylinder, and they are ready to be filled with 60 grains of black powder and taken to the shooting range!
The bullets are lubricated with a period-correct composition of tallow and beeswax, as specified in the Ordnance Manual, before being made into cartridges.
As already mentioned, the cartridges do not contain powder. I've already folded the tails for you, so all you need to do is unfold the tail, fill the cartridge with powder (a brass funnel works great), and re-fold the tail closed. As these cartridges are made to the 1860's military specification, the powder cylinder will hold up to about 65 grains of 3F black powder. Fill up your cartridge box, and live-fire your rifle-musket the way it was historically done during the War Between the States. Price includes shipping in by small USPS flat rate Priority Mail box. Please call or e-mail if you want more than 40 rounds to check availability.
FOR BEST SHOOTING: no two rifle-musket bores are exactly identical. These 575-caliber bullets load delightfully in my Armisport 1861 Springfield, but are a snug fit in my Euroarms P53 Enfield. Depending on the exact size of your bore, you may need to apply extra lubrication to the bullets before ramming, or brush out your barrel every few shots. I'll usually brush my barrel every 5 or 6 shots, to make ramming easier. The Minie ball is a thin-skirt bullet, and unlike modern thicker-skirted bullets, it doesn't take much pressure to expand the skirt into the rifling; there's no reason to exceed a 65 grain charge of FFG or 3FG black powder. Excessive powder loads can easily flare the thin skirts of these old-style Minies.
The Minie bullets are cast from pure soft lead. You can reduce your exposure to lead by shooting in well ventilated areas and by washing your hands after handling the lead projectiles.
The Minie bullets are cast from pure soft lead. You can reduce your exposure to lead by shooting in well ventilated areas and by washing your hands after handling the lead projectiles.
ONLY LIVE FIRE from a sound firearm in good shooting condition. NEVER live fire an original rifle-musket without first having it thoroughly examined by a competent gunsmith (one who is familiar with black powder firearms!). It should go without saying, but NEVER bring actual live ammunition to a reenactment or living history event.