These lovely US Burton “Minie” bullets are a reproduction of the 1855 design intended for use in the M1841 Rifle commonly known as the “Mississippi” rifle.

The dimensions are taken directly from the publication “Small Arms 1856”, published by the US Army, covering the arms trials that ultimately culminated in the development and adoption of the Burton bullet and the M1855 series of arms, and the upgrades made to existing arms like the M841. My mold is a custom block created by Brooks Tru-Bore Moulds.

.54 Caliber “minies” just like these were manufactured in both theaters of war, and with slight variations, by both sides during the American Civil War. They’re functionally identical to their larger brothers in .58 and .69 caliber.

These bullets are cast, and are a very close match to gang-style 4 cavity molds documented to Harpers Ferry Arsenal. They have three cannelures and a conical cavity in the base. Overall length is .95″, diameter is nominally .538″, depth of the base cavity is .32″. Weight is 435gr cast in dead-pure soft lead.

The cartridges are made to the 1855 specifications, and contain a pre-lubricated projectile, powder cylinder and NO POWDER. These cartridges come out of the box ready to charge and fold.

Standard historical powder charge for these bullets was 50gr of “Rifle Grain” powder, modern 1.5-2Fg is closest in screen size. With a 50gr charge of 1.5fg Swiss, a 5-round string of these bullets averaged 1126fps over a chronograph when fired from my late 1990’s vintage Euroarms Mississippi, which is a 7-groove 1-66″ twist constant depth barrel.