Original bullets from the Civil War period have their own challenge. Millions of bullets were made or purchased by the two sides. No standardized caliber was used by either Union or CSA. That resulted in hundreds of bullet types and calibers being used.

     Weapons ranged from smooth bore flintlock muskets and percussion rifled muskets to cartridge firing repeaters such as the Spencer  or the Henry. As soon as possible obsolete types were withdrawn from service and replaced by better arms.

     Bullets offered for sale today are usually dug relics. There are several common descriptive terms. Fired bullets were shot and may have rifling marks and impact damage. Dropped bullets were left in place, either lost or abandoned. Pulled or Wormed bullets were extracted from a musket by a screw puller or a worm tool. Such bullets are damaged but were known to have been loaded and unloaded by a soldier.

     Lead becomes coated with lead oxide when exposed to chemical action from ground and water. This coating is called Patina and should not be removed. In fact, when shipping individual bullets of value, care should be taken not to permit bullets to rub others directly as that can damage patina.

     Two main types of musket bullets were used in muzzle loaders. A round ball is the same type of bullet which had been used for hundreds of years. A conical ball has a hollow base which expanded to fill the barrel when the rifle was fired.

     Carbines which were breech loaded used a solid base bullet which had a powder charge attached. The powder could be held in cloth, nitrated paper, or other material. Carbine bullets thus appear different than muzzle loader bullets.

     Cartridge guns used several types of ignition but all used a metal container to hold powder and bullet as a unit. Some, like the modern .22 were rim fire. Others had no primer but had a hole in the cartridge base which permitted the flash from a standard percussion cap to go through and ignite the charge.

         It is illegal to dig or to pick up bullets or other relics in protected areas such as parks and monuments. Battles took place over huge areas and no park can protect the whole area. Relics are supposed to be collected from private property with permission of the property owner.

     Some relics come from estates with no specified source. Others have been collected by hunters who take pride in researching the historical events of an area, then offering samples from a specific battle, skirmish, or campaign.

     Civil War Projectiles by McKee and Mason is a standard reference. A Handbook of Civil War Bullets and Cartridges by Thomas and Thomas is shorter, cheaper and has less explanation.