Minié ball

bullet

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July 23, 2026

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The Minié ball, developed by French army officer Claude-Étienne Minié in 1849, was a revolutionary bullet for muzzle-loading rifles. It featured a conical head and a hollow base, often with an iron cup. When fired, this design allowed the base to expand, fitting snugly into the rifling of the gun barrel. This innovation significantly improved accuracy and range compared to earlier round balls. The Minié ball was widely adopted by armies in Europe and the United States and was famously used during the American Civil War.1234

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cartridge
…by the elongated, or cylindroconoidal, Minié ball, as it was commonly called, with a cavity in the base that expanded on explosion of the charge to engage the rifling threads in the gun barrel. Shotgun cartridges are made of paper or plastic instead of brass.
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…by the elongated, or cylindroconoidal, Minié ball, as it was commonly called, with a cavity in the base that expanded on explosion of the charge to engage the rifling threads in the gun barrel. Shotgun cartridges are made of paper or plastic instead of brass.
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Claude-Étienne Minié
…bullet became known as the Minié ball.
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…bullet became known as the Minié ball.
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rifle
…later—and far better—addressed by the Minié ball, a projectile with a conical head and a hollow base that expanded slightly from the force of the propellant charge, thereby fitting tightly into the grooves of the rifling. Somewhat later the invention of metallic cartridges (joining explosive primer, propellant charge, and projectile…
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…later—and far better—addressed by the Minié ball, a projectile with a conical head and a hollow base that expanded slightly from the force of the propellant charge, thereby fitting tightly into the grooves of the rifling. Somewhat later the invention of metallic cartridges (joining explosive primer, propellant charge, and projectile…
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bullet
…solution was found by Claude-Étienne Minié of France, who in 1849 developed a soft lead bullet with a cavity in its base into which a conical plug was fitted. The bullet’s diameter was small enough that it slid freely down the gun bore, and the sudden inflammation of the propellant…
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…solution was found by Claude-Étienne Minié of France, who in 1849 developed a soft lead bullet with a cavity in its base into which a conical plug was fitted. The bullet’s diameter was small enough that it slid freely down the gun bore, and the sudden inflammation of the propellant…
Read More