The Nessler ball -- or balle Nessler -- is a type of

muzzle-loading A muzzleloader is any firearm into which the projectile and the propellant charge is loaded from the muzzle of the gun (i.e., from the forward, open end of the gun's barrel). This is distinct from the modern (higher tech and harder to make) desig ...

musket bullet. It was developed to increase the accuracy and range of

smoothbore A smoothbore weapon is one that has a barrel without rifling. Smoothbores range from handheld firearms to powerful tank guns and large artillery mortars. History Early firearms had smoothly bored barrels that fired projectiles without signi ...

muskets and was used in the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...

. It featured a short conical-cylindrical soft lead bullet, with a conical hollow in its base. The bullet was designed with a lead skirting. Its intended purpose was to expand under the pressure and

obturate In the field of firearms and airguns, obturation denotes necessary barrel blockage or fit by a deformed soft projectile (obturation in general is closing up an opening). A bullet or pellet, made of soft material and often with a concave base, ...

the barrel and increase muzzle velocity. The bullet could be quickly removed from a

paper cartridge A paper cartridge is one of various types of small arms ammunition used before the advent of the metallic cartridge. These cartridges consisted of a paper cylinder or cone containing the bullet, gunpowder, and in some cases, a primer or a lub ...

with the

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). Th ...

poured down the barrel and the bullet pressed past the muzzle. It was then rammed home with the

ramrod A ramrod (or scouring stick) is a metal or wooden device used with muzzleloading firearms to push the projectile up against the propellant (mainly blackpowder). The ramrod was used with weapons such as muskets and cannons and was usually held ...

, which ensured that the charge was packed and the hollow base was filled with powder. When fired, the expanding gas pushed forcibly on the base of the bullet, deforming it to form a better seal for consistent velocity, longer range, and accuracy. A similar ball design called the Chace ball (after its inventor W.B. Chace) was developed in 1861 in the United States but was not adopted.

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External links

*http://www.civilwarguns.com/9910b.html *http://www.littlegun.info/arme%20francaise/collection%20fusils/a%20a%20coll%20fusil%20evolution%20projectiles%20gb.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:Nessler ball Bullets

See also

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References

External links