Presented here is an original, unopened Federal .58 caliber Type 3 Williams Patent ‘cleaner’ bullet stilled wrapped in its original light brown paper. In mint condition, this .58 caliber lead projectile has a zinc disc similar to a flat washer inserted at the bullet’s base and was designed to help remove excess blackpowder and soft lead residue from the lands and grooves in a rifled musket.

A normal package of ten arsenal issued cartridges would contain eleven percussion caps and one Williams patent cleaner bullet. Soldiers were instructed to fire a William’s bullet on each 10th round. Since these bullets were designed without the hollow base like a standard minie ball, they were not as accurate and their cleaning effectiveness was dubious. Most dug cleaner bullets are found as drops and most likely discarded by veteran soldiers in the field. Cartridge has a light pencil description on the exterior and comes in its own clear plastic cylindrical tube.

A rare, mint original condition specimen of a Type 3, paper-wrapped, Williams Patent “cleaner” bullet from the Civil War.

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