Bullet and Shell Civil War Projectiles Forum

Author Topic: Hanovarian, CS Morse or ???  (Read 1976 times)

misipirelichtr

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 244
    • Email
Hanovarian, CS Morse or ???
« on: November 20, 2020, 09:12:13 AM »
I recently purchased the bullet shown in the photos from a well known and respected relic dealer.  He offered it as a "52 caliber Hanovarian".  I can find no reference to a .52 Hanovarian in any of my reference books including the RBRF series.  In Tom Stelma's "Some Civil War Bullets 2", he references and I quote "Morse bullets have been found in .52, .54, and .58, as well as the .50 caliber bullet."

The bullet measures .904 x .550, with a solid base and no apparent base casting sprue.  One of the photos shows it between .44 and .65 Hanovarians.  If it was fired, it only has the lightest of signs of rifling, and I tend to believe it is not fired but dropped.

Any ideas what this bullet is?  I tend to wonder if it is indeed a .52 or .54 Morse

misipirelichtr

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 244
    • Email
Re: Hanovarian, CS Morse or ??? photo 2
« Reply #1 on: November 20, 2020, 09:13:45 AM »
I can't figure out how to attach multiple photos.  Here is the bullet

misipirelichtr

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 244
    • Email
Re: Hanovarian, CS Morse or ???
« Reply #2 on: November 20, 2020, 09:14:42 AM »
here is the base of the bullet

emike123

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2348
    • Bullet and Shell
    • Email
Re: Hanovarian, CS Morse or ???
« Reply #3 on: November 20, 2020, 11:14:28 AM »
I don't profess to have all the answers, but I do have a couple thoughts.

First, these Hanoverian bullets come in a huge range of sizes.  They are found widely in Europe where the tige method was employed for a short time.  By the time our war came along, these had largely fallen out of favor because the post/stem upon which this system depended quickly wore down in use.  As a result, they are infrequently dug here, but many have made their way across the pond.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carabine_%C3%A0_tige

So, I don't think it is a Morse, but rather a smaller bore tige gun than the bullet example shown in McKee and Mason as #63

I will add that Hanoverians of all sizes and groove #s are among those "reproduced" by the late George Witham and among the many bullets sold to frustrated collectors as "Witham Specials"


misipirelichtr

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 244
    • Email
Re: Hanovarian, CS Morse or ???
« Reply #4 on: November 20, 2020, 08:30:10 PM »
Mike, this is very helpful and I have to admit I was unaware of the wide range in Hanovarian calibers.  So you have answered my question and much appreciated.

I will admit to considering before purchasing if it was recovered "across the pond".  I do believe it is a period bullet and not a Witham Special.  Nobody could reproduce the dug and banged around in a bullet box look that this one has.

My question now is "Has anyone on the Forum recovered this caliber Hanovarian in the US?"

Jim T

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 560
    • Thomas Publications
    • Email
Re: Hanovarian, CS Morse or ???
« Reply #5 on: November 26, 2020, 12:01:20 AM »
Yeah, what Mike said...