Rare, British WD Marked .702” Pattern 1851 Minie Rifle 4 Groove Rifleing Steel Bullet Mould. Sn - 19561 Rare, British WD Marked .702” Pattern 1851 Minie Rifle 4 Groove Rifleing Steel Bullet Mould. Sn - 19561 Muzzleloader None Rifles

This is a rare British Army WD marked bullet mould for the .702” Pattern Minie rifle. The Minié rifle was an important infantry weapon in the mid-19th century (see page 65 and page 64 item 60 of British Military Longarms By Bailey). The Minié rifle was adopted in 1849 following the invention of the Minié ball in 1847 by the French Army captains Claude-Étienne Minié of the Chasseurs d'Orléans and Henri-Gustave Delvigne. The bullet was designed to allow rapid muzzle loading of rifles and was an innovation that brought about the widespread use of the rifle as the main battlefield weapon for individual soldiers. In 1851 the British Enfield factory embarked upon production of the .702” Calibre Pattern 1851 Minié rifle using the conical Minie bullet, which replaced the Pattern 1842 smoothbore musket as the primary weapon issued to regular troops. The Pattern 1851 was referred to as a rifled musket and was longer than previous production rifles, conforming to the length of prior muskets which allowed for consistency in standards for firing in ranks and bayonet combat. Relatively few of these were produced since a new design was adopted within two years. The Pattern 1851 Minié rifle was in use for only had a short service life with the British Army from 1851 to 1855. This is an original British WD stamped .702 inch Minie rifle bullet mould. The mould halves and handles are each made out of a one piece steel held together with a dome bolt and nut. The moulds are aligned bu a steel pin in the bottom of the mould. The sprue cutter screwed onto the top of the mould so it can pivot an cut the sprue off. The sprue cutter is stamped on the top WD & 12. The bullet mould is approximately 11 inches long and casts 920 grain bullets. We also have a .702” Pattern 1851 Minie Rifle 4 Groove Rifle stock number 19135:21 available on the site. The price includes U.K delivery. Sn 19561