Here is an unfired Civil War Confederate 3.25” field artillery projectile commonly referred to as a Read Bolt. The cylindrical shaped piece measures just under 7” high and has a base diameter of 3.” The artillery piece that used these rounds was the Confederate Rifle aka 3.3” Rifle. Constructed of cast iron, this solid round features two wide bourrelets that indicates this round was likely made at the Selma Arsenal in Alabama. Bolt body is heavily rust-pocked and at one time has received a coat of sealant that has turned a pleasing chocolate brown color. Much of the sealant has chipped away. The undistorted sabot is a copper tapered ring of the low convex style. Read bolt weighs approximately eight pounds. Bourrelets, a French term indicating raised rings, were utilized as bearing surfaces when the bolt was fitted from the bore of the cannon. The bourrelets also served to save time and minimize tooling costs at the arsenal since the lather operators machined only these rings to tolerance and not the entire shell body. The Read projectile was designed to be fired from the Confederate 3” wrought iron rifle (ordnance rifle). This seldom seen, unfired, excavated CS “Read” makes a great addition to any Civil War field artillery display or “heavy metal” collection.

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