This set was recovered from Wolf Run Shoals in Virginia where a large quantity of Gardiner ammunition was burned.

Samuel Gardiner received patent #40,468 on November 23, 1863 for his exploding bullet or “musket shell.”  This bullet has several distinctive characteristics.  It has a dark color because it was cast of pewter which was harder than lead and would fragment.  On good specimens, “S. Gardiner Jr. Shell Patent Secured” can be found in raised letters around the base.  A fuse nozzle leads from the cavity to a powder-filled copper vessel in the center of the bullet.

This group consists of a partially melted .58 caliber Gardiner explosive bullet (the nose remains while the bottom two grooves have melted away), a copper “acorn” (the explosive capsule from within the bullet), and a blob of melted pewter containing a percussion cap and two additional copper capsules.

An interesting specimen of a controversial exploding bullet.  [jet]

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