Austrian Lorenz, or M1854 Infanteriegewehr (infantry rifle), was the third most common longarm of the American Civil War, with only US Springfield and British Enfield rifles surpassing its numbers in the field. While in American hands the Lorenz rifle was fed with a mix of imported Austrian and Belgian made cartridges as well as domestic-made Burton style minies and even copies of the English Pritchett bullet. But, in Austrian service the Lorenz exclusively used a Wilkinson-type “Kompressivkugel”, or “compression bullet,” that was known for great accuracy as well as simplicity. Historically the Lorenz had a .547″ barrel, and the .539″ bullet was paper patched up to a diameter of .545″ and lubricated with mutton tallow. It had a higher muzzle velocity and flatter trajectory than the .58-caliber Springfield and Enfield rifled muskets. The cartridge construction is similar in concept to the Enfield/Pritchett cartridge and the loading procedure is the same.

My compression bullets are cast from pure soft lead, and are .539″ in diameter. The mold was a custom block made to exacting specifications from original dimensions. The outer wrapper of the cartridge is constructed from rag vellum paper, and I lubricate it with a 50/50 mix of beef tallow and beeswax.

I shoot them (a lot) through a Pedersoli reproduction Lorenz rifle loaded with 55gr of 1.5Fg or FFg black powder. I am speaking honestly when I say that this combination is my favorite, and most-fired load in my own shooting.

These cartridges will come to you CONTAINING NO POWDER, but they come out of the box ready to be filled, twisted shut, and taken to the range. This listing is for boxes of 30 cartridges each. If you so desire, there are a variety of US, CS, and the original Austrian arsenal labels/stamps available as an add-on if you wish to wrap and package your ammunition like the originals. Check out the drop-down tab menu!

THESE CARTRIDGES ARE NOT FOR USE IN .540″ BORE DIAMETER RIFLES, THEY WILL BE TOO LARGE!