|
WHITWORTH RIFLE BULLET IN THE ORIGINAL PAPER
WRAPPER – EXCELLENT EXAMPLE OF THE UNIQUE BULLET USED IN
THE FAMOUS CONFEDERATE WHITWORTH SNIPER RIFLES – RARE
OFFERING: In 1854, Sir Joseph
Whitworth, a prominent British engineer and
entrepreneur, patented the concept of cannons which had
a twisted hexagonal bore rather than the established
smooth or rifled round bore. The combination of the
hexagonal cross section of the bore, and the
corresponding shaped shell eliminated the need for the
traditional rifling in order to impart the spin to the
projectile.
Whitworth applied this same concept to small arms with
an eye to creating a rifle that was more accurate than
the Pattern 1853 Enfield. In the subsequent Arms
Trials of 1857, Whitworth's rifle outperformed the
Enfield in both accuracy and range. Notably, the
Whitworth rifle scored successful hits on a target at a
range of 2,000 yards, while the Enfield’s effective
range was limited to 1,400 yards. In spite of
this performance, the British government
ultimately rejected Whitworth's design, citing the
tendency of the barrel to foul more than that of the
Enfield, and due to cost - the Whitworth rifle cost
approximately four times more than the Enfield to
manufacture.
Whitworth combined a bore diameter of .451 firing a
long, slender bullet – compared to the Enfield .577
caliber – with a 1-in-20" twist bore – much tighter than
the 1-in-78" twist of the 1853 Enfield, or the 1-in-48"
twist of the later M1856/1858 Enfield. These innovative
bullets proved to have greater stability, and hence
improved accuracy at longer ranges. Two bullet designs
were used in the Whitworth Rifle - hexagonal and
cylindrical. The cylindrical bullets were made of soft
lead and had a small hollow base which upon firing would
expand to form to the hexagonal shape of the barrel.
The hexagonal bullet, pre-formed to the shape of the
bore, was made of a harder, alloyed lead.
The relationship of Britain with the United States and
Confederate States governments during the American Civil
War is well recorded, as is the quantity of arms and
equipment purchased by the Confederacy from various
British dealers, so it is of no surprise that while the
British Army refused Whitworth’s rifles, he found a
ready customer base among the Confederate purchasing
agents. In the hands of the Southern sharpshooters and
snipers, his rifle earned a notable reputation and is
now regarded as one of the iconic long arms of the
war.
This specimen of the .45 caliber Whitworth Rifle Bullet
is in excellent condition, showing no wear and retaining
the protective paper sleeve with the distinctive blue
paper base and pull tab intact. There is some scuffing
to one side of the paper sleeve where it was attached to
a display case back board at one time – being in the
display case likely accounts for this specimen having
survived in this condition. The bullet is full form
with no dents or misshaping and the
hexagonal shape of the bullet body is discernable under
the paper wrapper.
This is an excellent specimen of a rare piece to add to
your Civil War ammunition display.
SOLD
|
