GunnyUSMC
Member
Here is an odd one next to a 5.56 round. It’s dated 1887.
Here is a little history on the round.
.43 SPANISH REFORMADO (11.5 mm x 57R) – FAMOUS SPANISH AMERICAN WAR BRASS PLATED “POISON BULLET” FOR THE SPANISH REMINGTON ROLLING BLOCK RIFLE: One of the most historic cartridges ever employed against the U.S. Armed Forces, and around which grew an aura of myth and legend, the Berdan primed .43 Spanish Reformado, also known as the 11.5 mm x 57R, features a brass plated bullet which was the unintended root of the belief that “Poisoned Bullets” were employed against our forces during the Spanish American War. Introduced in 1867, this was the original Spanish military cartridge for the Rolling Block Rifles manufactured for Spain by Remington.
While the brass plated bullet was never intended to be poisoned, exposure of the brass to the tropical climate, and being carried in leather cartridge boxes and looped cartridge belts caused the brass to readily develop a coating of the green verdigris – the result of the chemical reaction between the brass and the leather. The green, waxy deposit, while not toxic in and of itself, likely did in fact contribute to infectious wounds, and gave rise to the claims of “poisoned bullets”. Over a million of these cartridges were captured by the US troops in Cuba, along with the Spanish Remington Rifles.
Here is a little history on the round.
.43 SPANISH REFORMADO (11.5 mm x 57R) – FAMOUS SPANISH AMERICAN WAR BRASS PLATED “POISON BULLET” FOR THE SPANISH REMINGTON ROLLING BLOCK RIFLE: One of the most historic cartridges ever employed against the U.S. Armed Forces, and around which grew an aura of myth and legend, the Berdan primed .43 Spanish Reformado, also known as the 11.5 mm x 57R, features a brass plated bullet which was the unintended root of the belief that “Poisoned Bullets” were employed against our forces during the Spanish American War. Introduced in 1867, this was the original Spanish military cartridge for the Rolling Block Rifles manufactured for Spain by Remington.
While the brass plated bullet was never intended to be poisoned, exposure of the brass to the tropical climate, and being carried in leather cartridge boxes and looped cartridge belts caused the brass to readily develop a coating of the green verdigris – the result of the chemical reaction between the brass and the leather. The green, waxy deposit, while not toxic in and of itself, likely did in fact contribute to infectious wounds, and gave rise to the claims of “poisoned bullets”. Over a million of these cartridges were captured by the US troops in Cuba, along with the Spanish Remington Rifles.
