View single post by Colonel Coffee
 Posted: Thu Sep 24th, 2009 09:16 pm
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Colonel Coffee
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 Every ten round pack of U.S. issue .58 cal. minies had one Williams Type I, II or III cleaner round in it. There is no evidence that the Confederacy issued any cleaner rounds to the infantry.

The Williams cleaner round had a leather or zinc washer at the base and no cavity. Without a hollow base that would expand, grip the rifling and cause the round to spin when fired, accuracy was not very good and the cleaner round was usually discarded. The cleaner round was supposed to clean the lead and black powder fouling in the rifling but how really effective it was was questionable.