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Old 08-22-2016, 12:55 AM
Texas Star Texas Star is offline
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I wouldn't try to shoot those, especially in a primary self defense gun. I bet you'd get a high percentage of misfires.

Seriously, these are cartridges, not just bullets. A bullet is only part of a cartridge. The loose actual bullets are probably for other guns. Why would they ship loose bullets for guns using metallic CARTRIDGES? mAYBE THEY DIDN'T. if tHOSE WERE PAPER CARTRIDGES, FROM ThE us cIVIL waR ERA, THE PAPER AND pOWDER MAY HAVE ROTTED AWAY, lEAVING THE lEAD BULLETS, CALLED mINIE BALLS, IF FOR THE RIFLEd MUSKETS OF THAT ERA. bUT THOSE WOULD BE OLD, IF THE LOADED ROUNDS IN tHE BOXES WERE tHERE, REPReSENTING A LATER TImE.

I HATE the danged Capslock! I look down to type, and it gets me a lot.

Winston Churchill was a young cavalry officer, sent in 1895 to observe Spanish troops in Cuba. He reported both Mauser 93 and Remington Rolling Block rifles in use. The latter were in .43 Spanish caliber, probably 11.43mm. But they used metallic cartridges, introduced on a wide scale in the US Civil War for Henry, Spencer, and a few other arms. The .22 and .32 ctgs. for S&W of that time were small stuff. These look to be later. Are they rimfire or centerfire? What is the bullet diameter?

Clean the base of a ctg. and see what the headstamp says. You may need a magnifying glass, given the condition of the old ammunition that has been underwater for so long. Do you know how to clean brass or copper that has been under salt water? I think you may have black powder ctgs. Are you clear on how to handle those safely?

Smokeless ammunition appeared in France about 1886 and took a couple of decades to be available in most cartridges/ calibers. US troops fought the 1898 war largely with black powder, in obsolete .45-70 rifles. The .30-40 Krag was in short supply.

I think your question needs to be moved to the Ammo forum here.

Last edited by Texas Star; 08-22-2016 at 01:30 AM.
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