Any info or concern i should have about this cannonball

[chriszyyyz]

I found this along the banks of the lower Niagar River by Youngstown NY.Should i have any concerns about this 6 pd cannonball? Could it still be able to blow up? I cleaned it up the best i could very carefully. I just can really find a pin-point answer on what i truly have.If you could help, Thanks

 

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[DBANDGB]

cant help, but a great find

 

[Glenn C]

Dont display it on your fire ace till you find out. Looks like it might have gunpower hole to fill it. Cant help on the ID..nice find

 

[N.O. noir et d'or]

If it's diameter is 3.58" and its weight is very close to 6lbs, it would be solid shot. It would contain no black powder. It does look like the real deal with a slight casting seam and sprue. Great recovery!

 

[parsonwalker]

You really should PM CannonballGuy (Pete George) who is THE ordinance expert. (Written several books). he could give you a "for sure" one way or the other. N.O. Noir already told you, but the first step is precise measurements. Should be 3.58" inches and very close to the same diameter at every measurement, and weigh 6.1 pounds. If it's even a little out-of-round, it's a problem. Personally, I've never seen any kind of cannonball with that circular imperfection, and I fear it may turn out to be a gate weight. But I hope it's the real deal! Good luck, and PM CannonballGuy!

Gate Weight and Chain

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Chriszyyyz, although the casting-mark resembles a fuzehole with a fuze in it, it's not that. The circular depression on that ball is a casting-mark often seen on British-made cannonballs from the Revolutionary War and the War Of 1812. Some cannonball collectors call it the British cannonball bellybutton, or navel.

Your find is a Solid-Shot... not a hollow explosive shell... so there's no need whatsoever to worry about it exploding. You can confirm that by weighing the ball on a precision Postal Shipping scale. (Typical household bathroom weighing scales are notoriously inaccurate.) The "pounder" designation for cannonballs comes from the weight of the Solid Shot of that caliber. A 6-Pounder cannonball weighs "right at" (meaning, plus or minus a litle bit) 6 pounds, a 3-pounder weighs 3 pounds, etc. A shell of the same caliber/size will weigh significantly less than the Solid Shot, because it is hollow.

Parsonwalker, I did not get a PM from Chriszyyyz. I came across the post when I was looking through the list of "recent posts" by you, to find your 12-Pounder cannonball photos and digging story.

 

[mspence]

Your experience on this subject never ceases to amaze me. A true asset to all on here. Hope every one realizes how fortunate we are to be able to tap your knowledge. Thanks for sharing cannonball guy!

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

You're welcome. I'm pleased to be of assistance to my fellow relic-hunters. Way back in my early years in this hobby (1970s), I was given a LOT of free relic-ID help from a couple of kindhearted oldtimers. I'm "paying it forward."

 

[mspence]

I thank you for passing it on!