The 41 Long Colt is an early centrefire cartridge developed by the Colt company in 1877 for release with the 1877 Colt 'Thunderer' double action revolver. This calibre followed from the earlier .41 Rimfire cartridge and mimicked the performance of 41RF. The 1877 version had a lead heeled bullet head so that the diameter at the base of the bullet head would be smaller than the largest diameter of the bullet head, and the bullet head would therefore be able to fit inside the case. Due to the use of black powder and the weaker metals of the period, only soft lead could be used. The advantage of using heeled bullets in early centrefire revolvers was that many of the revolvers still in use were cap and ball conversions which were drilled through with less precision than required for a cartridge where the slightly smaller diameter of a non-heeled bullet had to be incorporated in order for the cartridge to seat correctly and safely repeatedly without giving space for build-up of fouling. The heeled bullet also featured external lubricant grooves so the bullet would be lubricated as it travelled down the barrel which was essential in the case of slightly tapered barrels. This inert cartridge features the heeled 41 bullet with beeswax and paraffin hard lubricant in the two grooves, and the brass case is crimped all round so that the diameter of the bullet is the same as the diameter of the case. These are high quality replicas which are ideal for display with early manufacture Colt Thunderers and other antique display firearms. The inert rounds do not have any powder and the primer is fitted with a deactivated primer so the round is fully inert. These are for display only and the heeled bullet is not capable of removal and refitting due to the nature of the crimp and head shape. Price is for ONE round only. Inert rounds may not be carried on Royal Mail and shipping outside the UK can only be undertaken by courier.

Extras available for this dummy round:

An new and unindented brass cup to fit into the primer pocket to give the appearance of a new, unfired round: Large Dummy Primer
Removal of the deactivated, inert primer from the round, leaving a hole or holes in the base that can be inspected to prove the round is inert and free from explosives: Depriming of Round

A closer look at the round, showing the heeled bullet which is designed so that it is inserted into the case and crimped for the diameter of the bullet and case to be exactly the same.