Found my 1st round ball.

[Kenmitch]

Living out in the West I didn't really even have a round ball on my bucket list. Funny how one can check off things on the bucket list when they weren't even on it to begin with.

Was on Vacation this passed week up in the Motherlode area and had a great time! Pretty much rained on and off all week but had a couple of decent days to play around.

Found this on Thursday the 23rd. Wasn't sure what it was till I cleaned the mud and grime off of it. Looks like it was fired as a warning shot or target practice. It was sitting on bedrock when found. One of those nice loud solid targets we strive for. Was hoping for a nice gold nugget but was surprised by the find.

Looks to 45 cal and weighs in around 143gr.

 

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[Professor of Engineering]

Congratulations on the nice find!

 

[trapperart]

Congrats

 

[Relicific]

Nice going
Always a treat when you find those round balls

 

[Terry Soloman]

Great find!

 

[Kenmitch]

Thanks guys!

Out here in the once Wild West we didn't have millions of round balls flying everywhere.

 

[gsxraddict]

I don't want to bust your bubble, but it's a shotgun slug and not very old.

 

[Kenmitch]

I don't want to bust your bubble, but it's a shotgun slug and not very old.

I'm not seeing it. Googled shotgun slugs and they look similar but not the same.

Slug/ball looks to be from old school cap and ball type revolvers that were used around the time of the original CA gold rush. Was found about 15-20 miles from ground zero of CA gold rush.

 

[AlienLifeForm]

I'm not seeing it. Googled shotgun slugs and they look similar but not the same.

Slug/ball looks to be from old school cap and ball type revolvers that were used around the time of the original CA gold rush. Was found about 15-20 miles from ground zero of CA gold rush.

He is correct, it is a rifled shotgun slug.

 

[gsxraddict]

I'm not seeing it. Googled shotgun slugs and they look similar but not the same.

Slug/ball looks to be from old school cap and ball type revolvers that were used around the time of the original CA gold rush. Was found about 15-20 miles from ground zero of CA gold rush.

Look closely and you'll see the rifling on it, most shotgun slugs aren't rifled but some are, this is one of them. I use a rifled shotgun slug on occasion while hunting. You can see it was more dome shaped than round.

 

[against the wind]

Well, I think you're entitled to the excitement of finding what you think you found.
Congratulations

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

Southern California has lots of history. Lots of places where muzzle loaders were used, no need to focus on the gold fields.
Believe it or not, the old timers did a lot of practice shooting. My theory is that they carried their guns loaded and had to empty them on a regular basis to recharge with fresh powder.

Around here I find a couple each time I go out. Some fired, some freshly cast.
Sloped mountain ridges across from cabins/homesteads are good places to look.
Find an old stump or a rock that stands out on the hillside and you may find a handful of round balls.