In my discussion with Aquachigger in his "Unknown bullet and follow-up to my last post" thread, I said I believe he found a "stretchie" minie. In that discussion, I also said I hoped some of the forum's bullet-collectors would post some photos of "stretchies" so Aquachigger could see what I meant.
I may have picked up the term "stretchie" from Emike, as a generic descriptive name for large-caliber bullets fired from a significantly smaller caliber Breechloader. Somewhat surprisingly, it IS possible to load a .58-caliber minie or bullet into a .52-caliber Breechloader (for example, a .52 Sharps Carbine) ...and to fire it without bursting the weapon. The proof is in the attached scan. I do not currently own a "working" digital camera ...so I've done a computer-scan of three stretchies from the part of my collection that I call "interesting" fired bullets.
Each of the bullets/minies in the scan bears the 6-groove rifling marks of a .52 Sharps Carbine. The precisely-measured diameter of each of them is "within a hair of" .520-inch. (By the way, I measured them between the rifling grooves, to obtain the firearm's actual bore diameter.)
Minie at left:
Williams Regulation, .58-caliber
unfired diameter .570
present diameter .518
unfired length .978
fired length 1.00 (even with impact-damage shortening the nose), the conical base-cavity is now extremely deep
Bullet at center:
Williams "Cleaner" Type 3, .58-caliber
unfired diameter .574
current diameter .522
unfired length .851
fired length .960 (but please remember that normal-caliber firing caused Williams "Cleaner" bullets to get shorter, due to the base-disc compressing the zinc washer ...but this one got longer, due to use in a .52 Breechloader -- and the zinc washer is not compressed)
Bullet at right:
Richmond Lab Sharps (Confederate-made)
original diameter .560
current diameter .518
unfired length .950
fired length .980 - note the nose curvature's unusually abrupt turn to cylindrical shape, as if the bullet had been shaved-down.
I also own a 1.25-inch-long "stretchie" fired Gardner. It too has 6-groove rifling marks. It's "somewhere" in my house. If I can find it, I'll scan it and post it.
Meanwhile, if any of you guys own a definite "stretchie," please post a photo of it, and (if possible) include its precise length and diameter size measurements.
Regards,
Pete
