rustycoinUT
December 2nd, 2005, 07:05 PM
Civil war Amunition
http://www.cwartillery.org/artammo.html
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Common Guns in the civil war
32 Colt 1849
The first Colt revolver to be made in large numbers was the Model 1849 in 31 caliber. Around 325,000 were marked as made in New York or Hartford between 1850 and 1873, and another 11,000 marked as made in London, England. More of this model were made then any other Colt revolver in the 19th century. It had a five or six shot cylinder with barrels in lengths of 3", 4", 5" and 6".
Length 11 inches, but depends on barrel
Weight 1-1/2 pounds depending on barrel
Caliber 31 (.321")
Bullet Weight 47 grains
Power Charge 12 grains
Muzzle Velocity 750 feet per seconds
Muzzle Energy 60 foot pounds
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32 S&W No. 2
Smith and Wesson brought out their No. 2 Model in 32 rimfire in 1861, just in time for the Civil War. Of the 77,000 made from 1861 to 1874, approximately 35,700 were made during the War.
Length 10 inches
Weight 1 1/4 pounds
Caliber 32 (.316")
Bullet Weight 80 grains
Power Charge 9 grains
Muzzle Velocity 750 feet per seconds
Muzzle Energy 100 foot pounds
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36 Colt 1851
Colt Model 1851 Navy Revolver
One of the most popular of Civil War revolvers was the Colt Model 1851 in 36 caliber. Around 250,000 were made by Colt between 1850 and 1873. It had a six shot cylinder and a 7-1/2" octagonal barrel. The standard cylinder featured an engraved scene of a naval battle.
Length 12 inches
Weight 2 ½ pounds
Caliber 36 (.375")
Bullet Weight 76 grains
Power Charge 25 grains
Muzzle Velocity 840 feet per seconds
Muzzle Energy 120 foot pounds
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36 Colt 1862
Common Guns in the Civil War
36 Colt 1862 Revolver
The Model 1862 Colt was a smaller, lighter, five shot, revolver then the earlier six shot Model 1851. Both are "36" caliber using .375" bullets. Around 47,000 of the 1862 were made by Colt between 1862 and 1873, which is a little fewer then one-fifth as many as the Model 1851.
Length 11 Inches
Weight 1 ½ pounds
Caliber 36 (.375")
Bullet Weight 76 grains
Power Charge 22 grains
Muzzle Velocity 750 feet per seconds
Muzzle Energy 100 foot pounds
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44 Colt 1860
Around 200,000 were made by Colt between 1860 and 1873. Nearly all were made during the War. It had a six shot cylinder and a 7½" or (more common) an 8" barrel. The standard cylinder featured an engraved scene of a naval battle. The Army designation meant it was 44 caliber. 36 Caliber was known as Navy, but both terms were merely convenient marketing designations.
Length 14 Inches
Weight 2 ¾ pounds
Caliber 44 (.451")
Bullet Weight 138 grains
Power Charge 38 grains
Muzzle Velocity 725 feet per second
Muzzle Energy 160 foot pounds
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44 Remington
The Remington is more accurate than the better known 44 Colt 1860. Field experience demonstrates the Remington has between one and a half and twice the effective range of the Colt. Both produce comparable power.
Both were loaded with loose powder and a bare bullet referred to as "cap and ball," or with paper cartridges, and fired with percussion caps. Loading a cap and ball revolver is from the front of the cylinder. Reloading an entire six shot cylinder can take several minutes. The Remington can be quickly reloaded by switching the empty cylinder with a previously loaded one.
Length 14 Inches
Weight 2 ¾ pounds
Caliber 44 (.451")
Bullet Weight 138 grains
Power Charge 38 grains
Muzzle Velocity 725 feet per second
Muzzle Energy 160
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58 Springfield Musket
The muzzle loading 58 caliber rifled musket was the primary weapon of the American Civil War. An unprecedented production of over a million and a half were made in the North during the Civil War by Springfield Armory and private contractors. The quantity made in the South is unknown, but is estimated as less than one percent of the quantity made in the North. The primary source for the South was to pick them up from the battlefields after the Union Army withdrew.
Both sides were desperate for weapons at the start of the War. The most common import was the Enfield from England. Small quantities were also imported from Europe. The 58 rifle musket made a dramatic change in the common soldier's marksmanship. The predecessor US musket was the 69 caliber smoothbore modeled from the French muskets donated during the American Revolutionary War. The 69 smoothbore had a maximum effective range of about 100 yards, or less. With the adoption of the 58 rifle musket, the effective range increased to 300 yards, or more. Up to 600 yards to hit either the man or the horse he was riding.
Of the approximately 35,000 muskets picked up from the Gettysburg battlefield, it was discovered:
11,000 were unloaded
24,000 were loaded
6,000 held one charge
12,000 held two charges
6,000 had from three to ten charges each
One had twenty-two charges
Length 56 Inches
Weight 9 ½ pounds
Caliber 58 (.58")
Bullet Weight 500 grains
Power Charge 65 grains
Muzzle Velocity 950 feet per second
Muzzle Energy 1,000 foot pounds
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577 Enfield Musket
The .577 British rifle musket made at their armory at Enfield Lock fired the same Minie ball and paper cartridge ammunition as the U.S. .58 Springfield rifle musket. The British Enfield was popular with many soldiers during the Civil War.
The mass conscript armies of both sides in the American Civil War overwhelmed the ability of the Army to supply guns. Particularly during the first years of the Civil War, many foreign muskets were imported, by both sides. And sometimes the North bought them up to keep the South from getting them.
The Enfield had a more finely adjustable rear sight. The Springfield rear sight came with three leaves for adjustment to the three ranges of 100, 300, and 500 yards. The Enfield had a rear sight made to be finely adjustable with a friction cross bar on a standing leaf. The cross bar could be set for any range beyond what a soldier could actually hit if he shot at it. The difference in actual battle was negligible.
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Burnside Carbine
The Burnside Carbine was the third most prevalent carbine in the Civil War. Approximately 53,800 Burnside Carbines were made from 1857 to 1865. Nearly all were made during the War for the North, and all production for the Civil War was in 54 caliber.
The Burnside breech loading design used the trigger guard as the operating lever.
Lowering the lever tilted the breech block to expose a cone-shaped cavity.
A tapered cartridge was inserted backwards into the cavity of the tilting breechblock. The unique Burnside cone shaped cartridge was placed into this cavity. Closing the lever rotated the breech block to tightly cram the sealing ring at the front of the cartridge case into the back of the barrel to effectively seal the breech.
Length 56 Inches
Weight 9 ½ pounds
Caliber 58 (.58")
Bullet Weight 500 grains
Power Charge 65 grains
Muzzle Velocity 950 feet per second
Muzzle Energy 1,000 foot pounds
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Colt Walker & Dragoon
The forty four caliber Colt Walker and its successor the Dragoon models are the largest of all Colt revolvers and close to the largest hand held revolving firearm ever made.
Only 21,000 of the 44 Colt Walker and its variations were made, making it a rare gun in the Civil War.
Total production of the original Walker was about 1,100. Walker-like Dragoons were produced later, bringing to the total production of both to about 21,000. Production ceased with the large orders for the Civil War which totaled half a million of other revolver models for Colt. The sheer disparity in the production volume made the Walker a rarity in the Civil War.
Length 15¾ Inches
Weight 4½ pounds
Caliber Forty Four * (.451")
Bullet Weight 138 grains
Power Charge 55 grains
Muzzle Velocity 1200 feet per second
Muzzle Energy 450
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Henry Rifle 1860
The Henry rifle was created in 1860 the year before the American Civil War. B. Tyler Henry invented both the cartridge and the rifle that are known by his name. The 44 Henry rimfire cartridge was the first practical fully complete self-contained metallic cartridge. The Henry Rifle was a further development of prior attempts to make a repeating firearm.
The 44 Henry rifle was carried in the Civil War but was not widely accepted nor popular with the Army. And the Army could not readily transport the extra weight of all the ammunition the soldiers would shoot from a repeating firearm.
The Henry was a little tedious to load. The magazine was a tube under the barrel and loaded from the front end. The magazine tube was rendered delicate for military service by a lengthwise slot on the lower side. The slot is necessary for retracting the follower and spring into the front end section for reloading. The slot and follower precluded a wooden forestock.
A few shots rapid fire on a sunny summer day would make the barrel too hot to hold. The average man could shoot all 15 shots of the Henry rifle in about a dozen seconds. The Henry did not have a wooden stock at the front end to protect the shooter's hand from a hot barrel.
Barrel Length 24 inches
Overall Length 44 ¾ inches
Weight 9 1/4 pounds
Caliber 44 (.435")
Bullet Weight 200 grains
Power Charge 26 grains
Muzzle Velocity 1100 feet per seconds
Muzzle Energy 540 foot pounds
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Sharps Carbine
The Sharps was one of the two most common and best known breechloading guns made during the Civil War. Approximately 100,000 Sharps carbines and 15,000 Sharps rifles were made and issued during the War by the Union. By comparison, the Union made approximately 1,500,000 of the standard infantry 58 Rifle Musket.
The Richmond factories of the Confederacy made about 5,000 Sharps duplicate carbines from a total arms production there of about 15,000. These were more crudely finished and typically had a brass front band.
Length 39 ½ inches (carbine)
Weight 8 pounds (carbine)
Caliber 52 (.535")
Bullet Weight 410 grains
Power Charge 60 grains
Muzzle Velocity 1100 feet per seconds
Muzzle Energy 1100 foot pounds
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Smith Carbine
The Smith was the fourth most purchased carbine during the Civil War. It was only made during the Civil War from 1861 into 1865. Almost the entire production of 30,000+ was bought by the Federal Government.
The Smith carbine was fifty caliber. It opened by depressing the latch ahead of the trigger to release the barrel. The barrel pivots downward on the frame to a right angle and far beyond the opening angle of the typical break open shotgun.
The Smith carbine was purchased in quantity because it was available at the onset of the Civil War. 7,000 Smith carbines were delivered during the year 1862. It had been invented just before the creation of self-contained metallic ammunition by Smith & Wesson and Henry. Constrained by its ammunition, the Smith carbine was surpassed by other developments, principally the Sharps and the Spencer.
Special ammunition in an india rubber tube was issued for the Smith carbine. It could also be loaded with loose powder and bullet and was so used when captured by the Confederates. Loaded and fired without a seal the leakage is significant to the shooter's hand and arm and can be frightening to the face and eyes.
Barrel Length 21-5/8 inches
Overall Length 42 inches
Weight 7-1/2 pounds
Caliber 50
Bullet Weight 360 grains
Power Charge 50 grains
Muzzle Velocity 1200 feet per second
Muzzle Energy 1150 foot pounds
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Spencer Carbine
The Spencer was the primary repeating carbine and rifle of the Civil War. Most were issued in carbine form for the cavalry although rifles were also made for the infantry. Of the 144,500 made, 107,372 were acquired by the Federal Government. It became the most popular of the carbines for cavalry use by the Union Army, and was widely used in the west after the Civil War.
The Spencer is a seven shot repeater loaded through the stock at the back end. Operating the Spencer required both working the lever to load a fresh cartridge and separately cocking the hammer. An experienced man could shoot all seven shots in about fifteen seconds. The Confederates could not use captured Spencers after the supply of captured cartridge ammunition was used up, as it could not be loaded and fired with separate powder, percussion cap, and bullet.
Length 42 Inches
Weight 8 pounds
Caliber 52 (.540 to .555")
Bullet Weight 350 grains
Power Charge 45 grains
Muzzle Velocity 1200 feet per second
Muzzle Energy 1125 foot pounds
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rustycoinUT
http://www.cwartillery.org/artammo.html
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Common Guns in the civil war
32 Colt 1849
The first Colt revolver to be made in large numbers was the Model 1849 in 31 caliber. Around 325,000 were marked as made in New York or Hartford between 1850 and 1873, and another 11,000 marked as made in London, England. More of this model were made then any other Colt revolver in the 19th century. It had a five or six shot cylinder with barrels in lengths of 3", 4", 5" and 6".
Length 11 inches, but depends on barrel
Weight 1-1/2 pounds depending on barrel
Caliber 31 (.321")
Bullet Weight 47 grains
Power Charge 12 grains
Muzzle Velocity 750 feet per seconds
Muzzle Energy 60 foot pounds
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32 S&W No. 2
Smith and Wesson brought out their No. 2 Model in 32 rimfire in 1861, just in time for the Civil War. Of the 77,000 made from 1861 to 1874, approximately 35,700 were made during the War.
Length 10 inches
Weight 1 1/4 pounds
Caliber 32 (.316")
Bullet Weight 80 grains
Power Charge 9 grains
Muzzle Velocity 750 feet per seconds
Muzzle Energy 100 foot pounds
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36 Colt 1851
Colt Model 1851 Navy Revolver
One of the most popular of Civil War revolvers was the Colt Model 1851 in 36 caliber. Around 250,000 were made by Colt between 1850 and 1873. It had a six shot cylinder and a 7-1/2" octagonal barrel. The standard cylinder featured an engraved scene of a naval battle.
Length 12 inches
Weight 2 ½ pounds
Caliber 36 (.375")
Bullet Weight 76 grains
Power Charge 25 grains
Muzzle Velocity 840 feet per seconds
Muzzle Energy 120 foot pounds
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36 Colt 1862
Common Guns in the Civil War
36 Colt 1862 Revolver
The Model 1862 Colt was a smaller, lighter, five shot, revolver then the earlier six shot Model 1851. Both are "36" caliber using .375" bullets. Around 47,000 of the 1862 were made by Colt between 1862 and 1873, which is a little fewer then one-fifth as many as the Model 1851.
Length 11 Inches
Weight 1 ½ pounds
Caliber 36 (.375")
Bullet Weight 76 grains
Power Charge 22 grains
Muzzle Velocity 750 feet per seconds
Muzzle Energy 100 foot pounds
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44 Colt 1860
Around 200,000 were made by Colt between 1860 and 1873. Nearly all were made during the War. It had a six shot cylinder and a 7½" or (more common) an 8" barrel. The standard cylinder featured an engraved scene of a naval battle. The Army designation meant it was 44 caliber. 36 Caliber was known as Navy, but both terms were merely convenient marketing designations.
Length 14 Inches
Weight 2 ¾ pounds
Caliber 44 (.451")
Bullet Weight 138 grains
Power Charge 38 grains
Muzzle Velocity 725 feet per second
Muzzle Energy 160 foot pounds
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44 Remington
The Remington is more accurate than the better known 44 Colt 1860. Field experience demonstrates the Remington has between one and a half and twice the effective range of the Colt. Both produce comparable power.
Both were loaded with loose powder and a bare bullet referred to as "cap and ball," or with paper cartridges, and fired with percussion caps. Loading a cap and ball revolver is from the front of the cylinder. Reloading an entire six shot cylinder can take several minutes. The Remington can be quickly reloaded by switching the empty cylinder with a previously loaded one.
Length 14 Inches
Weight 2 ¾ pounds
Caliber 44 (.451")
Bullet Weight 138 grains
Power Charge 38 grains
Muzzle Velocity 725 feet per second
Muzzle Energy 160
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58 Springfield Musket
The muzzle loading 58 caliber rifled musket was the primary weapon of the American Civil War. An unprecedented production of over a million and a half were made in the North during the Civil War by Springfield Armory and private contractors. The quantity made in the South is unknown, but is estimated as less than one percent of the quantity made in the North. The primary source for the South was to pick them up from the battlefields after the Union Army withdrew.
Both sides were desperate for weapons at the start of the War. The most common import was the Enfield from England. Small quantities were also imported from Europe. The 58 rifle musket made a dramatic change in the common soldier's marksmanship. The predecessor US musket was the 69 caliber smoothbore modeled from the French muskets donated during the American Revolutionary War. The 69 smoothbore had a maximum effective range of about 100 yards, or less. With the adoption of the 58 rifle musket, the effective range increased to 300 yards, or more. Up to 600 yards to hit either the man or the horse he was riding.
Of the approximately 35,000 muskets picked up from the Gettysburg battlefield, it was discovered:
11,000 were unloaded
24,000 were loaded
6,000 held one charge
12,000 held two charges
6,000 had from three to ten charges each
One had twenty-two charges
Length 56 Inches
Weight 9 ½ pounds
Caliber 58 (.58")
Bullet Weight 500 grains
Power Charge 65 grains
Muzzle Velocity 950 feet per second
Muzzle Energy 1,000 foot pounds
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
577 Enfield Musket
The .577 British rifle musket made at their armory at Enfield Lock fired the same Minie ball and paper cartridge ammunition as the U.S. .58 Springfield rifle musket. The British Enfield was popular with many soldiers during the Civil War.
The mass conscript armies of both sides in the American Civil War overwhelmed the ability of the Army to supply guns. Particularly during the first years of the Civil War, many foreign muskets were imported, by both sides. And sometimes the North bought them up to keep the South from getting them.
The Enfield had a more finely adjustable rear sight. The Springfield rear sight came with three leaves for adjustment to the three ranges of 100, 300, and 500 yards. The Enfield had a rear sight made to be finely adjustable with a friction cross bar on a standing leaf. The cross bar could be set for any range beyond what a soldier could actually hit if he shot at it. The difference in actual battle was negligible.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Burnside Carbine
The Burnside Carbine was the third most prevalent carbine in the Civil War. Approximately 53,800 Burnside Carbines were made from 1857 to 1865. Nearly all were made during the War for the North, and all production for the Civil War was in 54 caliber.
The Burnside breech loading design used the trigger guard as the operating lever.
Lowering the lever tilted the breech block to expose a cone-shaped cavity.
A tapered cartridge was inserted backwards into the cavity of the tilting breechblock. The unique Burnside cone shaped cartridge was placed into this cavity. Closing the lever rotated the breech block to tightly cram the sealing ring at the front of the cartridge case into the back of the barrel to effectively seal the breech.
Length 56 Inches
Weight 9 ½ pounds
Caliber 58 (.58")
Bullet Weight 500 grains
Power Charge 65 grains
Muzzle Velocity 950 feet per second
Muzzle Energy 1,000 foot pounds
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Colt Walker & Dragoon
The forty four caliber Colt Walker and its successor the Dragoon models are the largest of all Colt revolvers and close to the largest hand held revolving firearm ever made.
Only 21,000 of the 44 Colt Walker and its variations were made, making it a rare gun in the Civil War.
Total production of the original Walker was about 1,100. Walker-like Dragoons were produced later, bringing to the total production of both to about 21,000. Production ceased with the large orders for the Civil War which totaled half a million of other revolver models for Colt. The sheer disparity in the production volume made the Walker a rarity in the Civil War.
Length 15¾ Inches
Weight 4½ pounds
Caliber Forty Four * (.451")
Bullet Weight 138 grains
Power Charge 55 grains
Muzzle Velocity 1200 feet per second
Muzzle Energy 450
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Henry Rifle 1860
The Henry rifle was created in 1860 the year before the American Civil War. B. Tyler Henry invented both the cartridge and the rifle that are known by his name. The 44 Henry rimfire cartridge was the first practical fully complete self-contained metallic cartridge. The Henry Rifle was a further development of prior attempts to make a repeating firearm.
The 44 Henry rifle was carried in the Civil War but was not widely accepted nor popular with the Army. And the Army could not readily transport the extra weight of all the ammunition the soldiers would shoot from a repeating firearm.
The Henry was a little tedious to load. The magazine was a tube under the barrel and loaded from the front end. The magazine tube was rendered delicate for military service by a lengthwise slot on the lower side. The slot is necessary for retracting the follower and spring into the front end section for reloading. The slot and follower precluded a wooden forestock.
A few shots rapid fire on a sunny summer day would make the barrel too hot to hold. The average man could shoot all 15 shots of the Henry rifle in about a dozen seconds. The Henry did not have a wooden stock at the front end to protect the shooter's hand from a hot barrel.
Barrel Length 24 inches
Overall Length 44 ¾ inches
Weight 9 1/4 pounds
Caliber 44 (.435")
Bullet Weight 200 grains
Power Charge 26 grains
Muzzle Velocity 1100 feet per seconds
Muzzle Energy 540 foot pounds
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Sharps Carbine
The Sharps was one of the two most common and best known breechloading guns made during the Civil War. Approximately 100,000 Sharps carbines and 15,000 Sharps rifles were made and issued during the War by the Union. By comparison, the Union made approximately 1,500,000 of the standard infantry 58 Rifle Musket.
The Richmond factories of the Confederacy made about 5,000 Sharps duplicate carbines from a total arms production there of about 15,000. These were more crudely finished and typically had a brass front band.
Length 39 ½ inches (carbine)
Weight 8 pounds (carbine)
Caliber 52 (.535")
Bullet Weight 410 grains
Power Charge 60 grains
Muzzle Velocity 1100 feet per seconds
Muzzle Energy 1100 foot pounds
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Smith Carbine
The Smith was the fourth most purchased carbine during the Civil War. It was only made during the Civil War from 1861 into 1865. Almost the entire production of 30,000+ was bought by the Federal Government.
The Smith carbine was fifty caliber. It opened by depressing the latch ahead of the trigger to release the barrel. The barrel pivots downward on the frame to a right angle and far beyond the opening angle of the typical break open shotgun.
The Smith carbine was purchased in quantity because it was available at the onset of the Civil War. 7,000 Smith carbines were delivered during the year 1862. It had been invented just before the creation of self-contained metallic ammunition by Smith & Wesson and Henry. Constrained by its ammunition, the Smith carbine was surpassed by other developments, principally the Sharps and the Spencer.
Special ammunition in an india rubber tube was issued for the Smith carbine. It could also be loaded with loose powder and bullet and was so used when captured by the Confederates. Loaded and fired without a seal the leakage is significant to the shooter's hand and arm and can be frightening to the face and eyes.
Barrel Length 21-5/8 inches
Overall Length 42 inches
Weight 7-1/2 pounds
Caliber 50
Bullet Weight 360 grains
Power Charge 50 grains
Muzzle Velocity 1200 feet per second
Muzzle Energy 1150 foot pounds
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spencer Carbine
The Spencer was the primary repeating carbine and rifle of the Civil War. Most were issued in carbine form for the cavalry although rifles were also made for the infantry. Of the 144,500 made, 107,372 were acquired by the Federal Government. It became the most popular of the carbines for cavalry use by the Union Army, and was widely used in the west after the Civil War.
The Spencer is a seven shot repeater loaded through the stock at the back end. Operating the Spencer required both working the lever to load a fresh cartridge and separately cocking the hammer. An experienced man could shoot all seven shots in about fifteen seconds. The Confederates could not use captured Spencers after the supply of captured cartridge ammunition was used up, as it could not be loaded and fired with separate powder, percussion cap, and bullet.
Length 42 Inches
Weight 8 pounds
Caliber 52 (.540 to .555")
Bullet Weight 350 grains
Power Charge 45 grains
Muzzle Velocity 1200 feet per second
Muzzle Energy 1125 foot pounds
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