Is that bullet really old? You will have noticed that sellers have quite a range of experience, from "I found these in my grandpa's stuff and they must be. . ." to "A good exaple of MM-331 with clear spot showing it was side cast, no patina chips." So, you must read descriptions and look at pictures. Most bullets, especially cheap ones are genuine because it is a bit of trouble to fake a good one.

     However, replica rifles, molds, and newly manufactured bullets are around, too. The main bullet reference used is McKee and Mason. "Civil War Projectiles" More references are listed in my basic guide. The following group of bullets was made by making a mold from real bullets, then casting them and making them look old. They show up from time to time so somebody made them in quantity. I bought these on eBay a number of months ago. I think the seller repeated what he had been told and said they were dug in a certain location.

The bullets on the red background had strange seams, even going into areas which had been formed when the bullet was supposedly loaded or fired. When compared to bullets known to be genuine, many problems show up. The four bullets on the right are Williams Cleaners, Type I, and II which are all genuine. The one on the left is an original non-dug bullet. The others have been battlefield recovered. They show very different oxidation or patina but even the nicest one has some oxidation. Perhaps a detailed discussion of patina would help.

     This set of 5 represents another problem. With rare bullets such as the Whitworth a good amount of study is required to identify unfired Whitworth bullets. Authorities disagree, but the hexagonal bullet shape was probably not used during the CW period. An unfired bullet must be accurately measured, weighed, and evaluated. The first two on the left are probably not bullets at all. They are too light and too small to be Whitworths. The third and fourth from the left have the proper size, hexagonal form, and a reasonable weight for damaged bullets. They are likely fired Whitworths. The bullet on the right is a modern bullet cast from a modern mold and sold as an educational aid. The non-bullets were listed on eBay by a seller I used to trust. Be careful about items sold "as is" if there is anything special about them. Many dealers guarantee authenticity.

     Get to know the sellers, buy less expensive bullets to learn from, and join the fun. Most bullets you will see offered are genuine. Occasionally someone will try to sell modern jacked bullets and other material left by target shooters or plinkers. It is easy to get excited about bullets found by your husband or a neighbor which must be old and rare and wonderful.  A few months ago someone even offered unusual looking shotgun deer slugs which a hunter may have fired into a dirt bank when practicing.

     Genuine period bullets are a great bargain in historical relics. Collectors and diggers have many of them. It is worth giving sellers and finders a bit of money to cover driving, finding, listing, and shipping. If you were to spend several hundred dollars on equipment, travel hundreds of miles, and spend a day finding property owners who would give you permission to hunt and dig, you still might not find much.

     Learning is part of the fun. IF YOU FIND OTHER INFORMATION NEEDED, OR BELIEVE THIS GUIDE CONTAINS ERRORS, CONTACT THE WRITER. Other guides are being prepared and some have been submitted. A guide specifically about Williams Cleaners will soon appear. These are two sets of replica bullets made for souvenir and educational purposes. The two bullets in the red tray with the bases showing are, from left, a Gardiner explosive and a Gardner Confederate. Both have characteristics of the actual bullet, but are easy to tell from the real thing. Replica bullets come in various types of packaging and sometimes specify that they are not made from lead, but an alloy which resembles lead.