Williams "cleaner" bullet

Measurements

9/16 in (dia) x 1-1/16

Materials

Lead

Credit Line

Historic Odessa Foundation

Accession Number

2013.11

Provenance

Found in collection.

Comments

58 caliber

so-named for Elijah D. Williams of Philadelphia who patented the bullet.  It was designed to expand upon firing, thereby fitting tightly against the interior walls of a rifled barrel.  The Williams bullets expanded quicker in the barrel, reducing the amount of fouling inside the barrel that required cleaning; the bullets, consequently, were “cleaner.”

the Horse Soldier is an antiques store located in Gettysburg (est. 1971)