Item Number: A01692

Item Title: 12pdr Confederate sideloader with iron fill plug

Price: $400

Shipping: Not included

Provenance: CS

Type: Spherical case shot shell

Size: 12pdr

Sabot:

Fuse: Confederate copper time fuse adapter

Book:

Location Recovered: Petersburg area

Description:12pdr "sideloader" shell. This has an iron sideplug which was what the Confederates used when they moved on from lead sideplugs. I always thought it was odd that the reason they made sideloaders to begin with was a shortage of lead for the shot, but then they went and used lead for the sideplugs!

When the case shot shell has lead shot in it, the manufacturing process is to fill it with shot in a gooey matrix and drill the powder cavity once the matrix sets. But it is nearly impossible to drill through iron shot in this way so a dowel was placed in the fuse hole and the shot and matriz were loaded from the side. When the matrix set, the dowel was removed and "presto!" instant powder cavity!