Bullet and Shell Civil War Projectiles Forum
Relic Discussion => Artillery => Topic started by: vcorps70 on June 22, 2022, 03:03:27 PM
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I picked up a few friction primers a few years ago, all from the Fort Craig/ Valverde New Mexico area, three different lengths. Fort Craig was active from the 1850's through the 1880's. My question to the artillery collectors and diggers is, Civil War, post war period or just different suppliers? The photos were taken using a quarter inch grid.
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Apparently Fort Craig was active for at least about 6 years longer than you were told... because the primer on the right in your photos is a US Model-1896 Radial-Vent cannon friction primer.
See the photos below. The "mushroom" on the Model-1896 primer's top was for holding a spring, which retained the primer's pull-wire, so the wire wouldn't get blown out of the cannon's vent and injure a cannoneer by ricocheting around inside a casemate or turret.
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Another view of the Model-1896 Radial-Vent friction primer, shown without the copper-wire spring. These were in an arsenal container marked made-in-1904.
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A diagram of the Model-1896 Radial-Vent primer from the "Journal of the United States Artillery" Volume 38, published in 1912.
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Pete,Thank you very much for your replies to my query about friction primers, and adding to my knowledge on the subject!
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Good group of primers. Nice to see some items from out west.
Great information Pete. Thanks for sharing.
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I believe some of the spring type primers were found in the selma river, or in another river in a dump of CS ordnance during the war. Forgive me for not recollecting exactly where. But, they were recovered from a CW site, and really there is no reason why they werent developed during the war for firing in casemates or aboard ships. Makes perfect sense. I have a dug fired one with the spring unwound from a a collection, with unfortunately no recovery location.... I understand the immediate need for the radial vented cannon to have a restraining device on them
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Dave I think you are thinking of the Oconee River at Milledgeville. A number were found there leading to the thought that there was an artillery dumping after the war as well. Some more modern shoulder arm ammunition (.30 cal?) cartridges were also found there. This led to the belief that the small Rushton bolts found there were post war until research indicated otherwise.
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Everything Carl said is correct. The bullets whose identity he was unsure about were .45-70 (Springfield Model-1873 Rifle) bullets -- another example of "postwar" Ordnance found in the Oconee River along with the Confederate shells.
IMO, the "Rushton" bolts have NOT been properly authenticated. Their white-metal bourrelet(s) measure 2.22-to-2.25 inches... which would NOT engage the rifling grooves in a 2.25"-caliber rifle.
Some people have theorized that those bolts were for the Sumner Oscillating Breechloading Rifle. But no historical document tells that cannon's caliber. Seems an awful big leap to claim those unidentified Oconee River bolts were ammo for the Sumner Rifle.