The bullet that killed Lincoln

[Wesley Harris]

The purpose of rifling is to put a spin on the bullet as it leaves the barrel to provide stability in flight. Think of a well-thrown spiral in football as compared to a "wounded duck."

According to L.D. Eberhart, the #1 Deringer expert in the world, Booth's pistol has no barrel rifling. I know that contradicts what the FBI said in their examination of the pistol, but Eberhart insists that the "rifling" appears only at the muzzle of the barrel for the sake of appearance. The barrel itself has no rifling but rather minute twist marks from the drill used to create the barrel. Rifling is cut much deeper into the barrel than what exists in the Deringer, Eberhart contends. Even if it did have rifling, it would be of little use since the barrel is only two inches long and the Deringer was rarely used in instances where the target was beyond six feet. There would be no need for stability for longer flight and two inches of rifling wouldn't provide it anyway.

I don't know for a fact the caliber of the barrel or of the bullet. Every official examination of the bullet has concluded it was roughly .41 caliber. As the FBI forensic report notes, .41 balls were typically used in .44 Deringers. The pistol is itself is about .44, although one measurement puts it specifically at .4375. That would necessitate the cloth patch to hold the ball in place and prevent escape of any gunpowder.