Enfiled Bullet with 57 stamped in the base

W

wbindia

Established Users
Dave & I went back to the site where I dug the US belt buckle last month in Virginia. I only dug one bullet yeterday, but the one bullet is by far my best bullet finds to date. A fired Enfiled with the 57 stamped in the cavity of the bullet. This bullet as most on this forum know was made by the British for the Confederacy, and some how made to the southeern shores via blockade runners. A very cool find.... HH..

Best-

Wayne
 

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Interesting! No grooves? I can't see rifling marks in the pictures, maybe they're visible in person.
 
Interesting! No grooves? I can't see rifling marks in the pictures, maybe they're visible in person.
Click to expand...

Upon further cleaning/observation, the bullet appears to be a drop, as I can not see any rifling at all on any part of the bullet. There is a small indention on the other side, but it is old and could be from being stepped on etc.

Best-

Wayne
 
A drop, or fired from a smoothbore? Seems unusual to me that there would be no grooves for lubricant on the bullet.
 
Hi Jack,
Enfield bullets do not have grooves. They were intended to be loaded with the greased cartridge paper. The British style cartridge had the bullet reversed with the paper on the bullet end dipped in lubricant. To load the soldier would tear the cartridge, pour in the powder, reverse the cartridge and insert the bullet, the excess paper was torn off before ramming the bullet.
Wayne's Enfield with the base marking is a British made pressed bullet. The Confederates also cast Enfields usually with cone
cavities.
If you type Enfield in the search box at the top of the page, you will probably find information on Enfields.
Tom Buckley
 
Another interesting note that I just learned after locating the Enfiled bullet in Tomas J. Selma's bullets copyright 2000, pages 57-58, state: The numbers (55 & 57) stamped in the base of the Enfiled cavity does not note caliber but instead year of British manufacture, and 57 is the more common Enfiled bullet recovered, 55 being the more rare of the two. So in my case, my dropped Enfiled was manufactured in 1857. . But I believe it is a typical .577 caliber bullet.

Best-

Wayne
 
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