Lubricated Wire Patched Boolit

[The Dust Collector]

Just as a point of intrest, I have 2 .303 Savage Lubricated Wire Patched cartridges.
From what I can determine,they were made at about the turn of the 20th century.I do
not know the weight of the bullet, but it is a round nose that has about a 1/4" of it's
wire wrap exposed and about 5/16" of exposed lead. The copper wire appears to be
maybe 18ga.. The case is what appears to be a standard Savage .303 . The cartridge
has some corrosion and natural ageing. ( What else would one expect of something
100+ years old ? ) I WILL NOT break these rounds down to see what it's made of,
as I think they're way to unusual and what the heck, they made it this long, who am
I to destroy their continuity? $$? I have never heard of anyone talking about such
a bullet, let alone rolling thier own. Has anyone else seen or know anything further
about "The Lubricated Wire Patched Boolit"? I think that these are really neat! But,
I can see where they would be VERY labor intensive. I also believe that a special
mould would be needed, as the area that the copper wire occupies is recessed for
half of the diameter of the wire at the length of the wrap. ( I am assuming the length
part as I have NOT pulled the bullet ). Maybe it was just an early atempt at metal
jackets.

DUST
:bigsmyl2:

[Bent Ramrod]

Dust Collector,

There were a couple articles written, which I can't find now and the provenance escapes me, on wire patched bullets. I think they were called "Hoxie" bullets after the inventor; you may be able to get the patent on the uspatent web site. I recall besides the wire windings some of them had a steel ball in the nose covering a hollow point. You could get the bullets themselves from Hoxie for reloading, and some commercial ammunition (like Savage) could also be purchased with them; sort of early "Fusion" ammunition.

Can't find the reference in my Gun Digest Index; maybe it was in Handloader magazine. Anyway, your estimate of the time is what I recall from the reading, i.e., before WWI, and they were labor intensive and disappeared after swaged bullets came into general use with smokeless powder.

Can't imagine them being very accurate, especially if the wire started unwinding from the bullet rotation.

[Bob B]

There is a chapter on wire patched bullets in Philip Sharps book on Handloading ammo. Bob B

[Bent Ramrod]

Bob B is right. It was the National Projectile Works bullet, and revived from time to time by other people. I guess Hoxie was some other design.

[Slowpoke]

There is a eight page article In Handloaders Bullet Making Annual II 1991 on wire wound bullets.

History and the headaches of doing it from scratch .

They tell me the bullet making annuals of the past are on CD"s today.

good luck

[The Dust Collector]

Thaks Gents for your insight. I had my doubts at first that I would get any responses. I appreciate the info!

DUST

[Bob B]

One other thing about the wire patched bullet,often the barrel rifling would cut the patching wire and the bullet would whine or howl all the way to the target.I think Hensley and Gibbs made some molds for wire patching during world war two Bob B

[TNsailorman]

I just got a little more edumication. I had never heard of a wire patched bullet in my 45 + years of reloading ---until tonight.

[Swagerman]

This is giving me some ideas on copper wire patching cast lead bullets that would perhaps have the copper wire wrapped around the bullets shank, and then swaged the wire onto the lead bullet.

The thing is, would the wire stay in place while being transported through the barrel's rifling...and on to the target. :coffee:

But, that's why they make gas checks isn't it.

Jim

[Baron von Trollwhack]

That wire wrapped patching was a short-lived branch on the evolutionary tree that led to "hobbit" made bullets moulded of carbonized (XXXX): light, cheap, yet not so good. You really got to read Sharpe's book. BvT

[finefellow]

I have a Descriptive Price List from National Projectile Works, Grand Rapids, Michigan. The document is undated, however it talks about the introduction of this NEW ammunition and shows a drawing of the wire patched bullet, patented April 11, 1899.
"In the Lubricated Wire Patched Bullet we provide a lubricated metal jacket which is sufficiently firm to engage the lands of the gun and be guided thereby. We provide a stout fabric covering for this metal jacket which prevents its contact with the gun and carries a lubricant that effecively cleans and lubricates the barrel with every shot.
We have devised a most satisfactory means for attaching the ends of the insulated wire, which is wound spirally around the projectile and in such a manner that it does not become loosened while being applied or after it has been secured. The ends of said cotton covered wire being inserted in grooves and held by swaging flanges down over the same."
The company sold a number of different rounds, including the .303 Savage, loaded with its wire patched bullets. The illustrations of the cartridges have a "NPW" headstamp. Has anyone ever seen such a cartridge so headstamped?

[Baron von Trollwhack]

Yes, there was puffery in advertising even way back then. BvT