So its 1855 and your about to head west...

[DeadElephant]

Really interesting time in firearm development. The revolvers have only been out a few years but have likely moved west. Metallic cartridges are still not in use but paper cartridges would be (not nearly as popular yet as they were in Civil War).

So if you entered a trading company in St. Louis, about to head for what will be Denver in a few years, to purchase ammo for your various firearms what would have been appropriate terminology for the times.

Would you have asked for 500 rounds for your .44 cal and 300 rounds for your .52 Sharps.
Or would you have asked for 4 lbs of powder and 3 lbs of lead.
How was the lead provided, a brick, ingots?
Would the term ammunition have been used and what would it have implied.
How would the terms have been different when they were just coming out of the muzzleloader era and not quite to metallic cartridges?

Just curious if anyone had researched this area or had thoughts.

[HoneyBadger]

I would shoot a lot of buffalo and get 2000lbs of meat, of which I can only carry 150lbs. Then when I get back to the wagon, I learn that Mary has contracted dysentery and died and one of my oxen was lost while fjording the river.

[Bailey Guns]

All those questions... How did people survive back then without the internet and Google?

[thvigil11]

I would shoot a lot of buffalo and get 2000lbs of meat, of which I can only carry 150lbs. Then when I get back to the wagon, I learn that Mary has contracted dysentery and died and one of my oxen was lost while fjording the river.

Thinking the exact same thing!

[DeadElephant]

I would shoot a lot of buffalo and get 2000lbs of meat, of which I can only carry 150lbs. Then when I get back to the wagon, I learn that Mary has contracted dysentery and died and one of my oxen was lost while fjording the river.

Read somewhere that during this time period the top two causes of death for women were #1 child birth #2 your skirts caught fire.
I wouldn't have cared much about fashion trends and morals of the time. I'd have put on pants.

[beast556]

+1 I was thinking the same thing. As to op' s question im clueless.

I would shoot a lot of buffalo and get 2000lbs of meat, of which I can only carry 150lbs. Then when I get back to the wagon, I learn that Mary has contracted dysentery and died and one of my oxen was lost while fjording the river.

[DeadElephant]

All those questions... How did people survive back then without the internet and Google?

Yep these days not knowing the correct answer just makes you a typical poster, back then it would have made you the typical corpse

[Dave]

I would shoot a lot of buffalo and get 2000lbs of meat, of which I can only carry 150lbs. Then when I get back to the wagon, I learn that Mary has contracted dysentery and died and one of my oxen was lost while fjording the river.

I think this same thing happened to me a few times while playing Oregon Trail.....

[BushMasterBoy]

I'd have some kind of shotgun so I wouldn't starve.

[DeadElephant]

I'd have some kind of shotgun so I wouldn't starve.

The first mass produced shotgun shells were made in the early 1870's. In 1853 Sharps had a percussion breach-loading shotgun. It could be loaded with separate components, but was generally sold with a kit so a hunter could roll his own cartridges at home the night before. Commonly available percussion caps would set it off just like the revolver and rifles of the time.