Could this be my first musket ball???

[RubiconSarge77]

Could this possibly be a musket ball? I sure am hoping so. It looks a little small but it is very heavy. I put a marble beside it as a size comparison. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

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[Icewing]

Is it lead?
If so it's probably a muzzle loader bullet.
How old? I don't know.

 

[smokeythecat]

It certainly looks like it. They ran out of popularity after the Civil War. It could be a couple hundred years older than that however. It depends on what else was found nearby, especially ceramics, which can be dated easily.

 

[RubiconSarge77]

Icewing, it is lead.

 

[RubiconSarge77]

There is an old muster ground from the Revolutionary War about 2 miles from where I found it Smokeythecat. Is that the normal size of a musket ball?

 

[coinman123]

Icewing, it is lead.

Most likely a musketball in that case. Like other people said, most likely no later than the Civil War, and considering you are from Virginia, it could be much older. No way to tell the exact age on them though unfortunately. What is it's diameter? That will help determine what caliber it is.

 

[RubiconSarge77]

Thank you coinman. The muster ground is where the OverMountain men stayed on their way to the battle of Kings Mountain. I don’t have anything to get the exact measurements. It’s about the size of the marble beside it.

 

[Icewing]

It certainly looks like it. They ran out of popularity after the Civil War. It could be a couple hundred years older than that however. It depends on what else was found nearby, especially ceramics, which can be dated easily.

To say they went out of style around the civil war is simply not true because you can still buy them from just about every bullet manufacturer. The only thing that tells you for sure that it's not new is the (white) oxidation.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1165132904/hornady-muzzleloading-bullets-round-ball

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Sure looks like one, congrats!

 

[smokeythecat]

The sizes vary greatly. The average is .56 to .72 caliber. We found a lot of different sizes in our camps once upon a time ago.

 

[XLV]

what is seen over the years ball size plus patch most common for the revolution was .75 cal or .69 cal ....war of 1812 ....69 cal ...civil war .58 cal .52 , .50 , 44 cal 36 cal are a few of the most common sizes

 

[Yak1366]

Nice find, Congrats!!!

Dimensions help here. If you start finding more rounds, you should consider getting a set of digital calipers. It will help with ID's.

 

[RubiconSarge77]

Thanks for all the replies. Greatly appreciate!

 

[A2coins]

Good job seems correct the area and by the looks Well done on a cool piece of History. I would go back and look some more to see of theres more of those or other cool relics.

 

[A2coins]

Welcome also from MI Tommy

 

[Hawks88]

Looks a lot like the one I have. Welcome to tnet from Niagara Falls.

 

[CRUSADER]

Looks a little small for a musket so I will guess Pistol shot.