Many times, it is all about caliber. Caliber equals diameter in decimal inches. The caliber will sometimes tell a lot. A bullet 1/2" in diameter is .50 caliber. A little large for a pistol or the period.
Bullet has the right look unless there is copper on it.
Here is a period - mid to late 1800's - .32 caliber pistol bullet.
Daryl
The only way to really understand something is to play with it.
quote...." Caliber equals diameter in decimal inches."
This can be a little misleading sometimes...... Calibers most the time relate to a cartridge size and "not" their actual size. When measured with a caliper or micrometer they are different altogether.
50cal rifle bullets like 50/70......measure .510in
45cal rifles bullets like 45/70-45/110.....measure .451-454in
45cal pistol bullets vary .451-.455in
44cal pistol bullets vary .429-.430in
38cal pistol bullets vary .356-.358in
32-20 and a lot of 32cals like 32 S&W 32 H&R are actually 30cal and measure about .308in
When people here find an old bullet and say its about this...or that size...its really not enough to go on. If at all possible we need an accurate measurement with a micrometer, an accurate weight in "grains", and 3-4 pictures from every angle. With todays interest in history and people shooting reproduction weapons and able to cast new period correct bullets.....its tough to determine the history of a found bullet.
Where you found it...how you found it...and surface oxidation probably play as much a role as its style......but we still try. All I can say about your bullet is....it has a nice old patina coating, it definately was fired and not drop and has beautiful engraved rifling. It survived a soft impact without any deformation, and it kinda looks like a rifle projectile from here.
I understand what you are saying TiredIron and you are correct. Most times, I have found the calculated (from measuring with a regular ruler) caliber to be helpful and close. In working with OLD hand-molded and oxidized bullets, the measurement you get varies according to the condition of the bullet and the accuracy of the reader/instrument. So when I said that caliber = diameter in decimal inches, I mean that the number you get will correspond closely to a caliber and can be further IDed when the calculated decimal diameter is compared with the value in a table of known period calibers. The decimal diameter number is a good number to start with and it is pretty close to the old calibers. It is almost impossible to determine the exact caliber from a old shot bullet but I have found that it is usually very close. Close enough for government work as they say. Especially if you don't have access to calipers or a micrometer. Some of the calibers are so far out of the range of others that +/_ .02 or so won't lead you in the wrong direction. In the case of this bullet, 1/2" in diameter - about a .50 cal - is most likely NOT a pistol bullet.
With modern copper-jacketed bullets, it is much easier to get a measurement pretty close to the what the bullet was when it was made. Looking up that value in a chart will be pretty much right on.
So my "field" method is not as accurate but is close and using the decimal diameter as the caliber gets me to the right chart or webpage. Your methods are much more accurate and modern and if the measurements are precise, will tell the caliber of bullets that vary significantly from their decimal diameters.
Thanks for the comments to keep all the information as useful as possible.
Daryl
The only way to really understand something is to play with it.
I agree completely. Its his original post thats frustrating when he said...."Its a little less than 1/2 inch in diameter"... Thats a lot of leeway....so I'm assuming its "not"....a 50 cal and closer to something in the 44cal to 45cal range by his description. As usual..... too much accurate information is better than little to none. A projectile in this good of condition is usually a piece of cake to identify "what it is".....not so much when it was made. Weight is everything.
Keep up the good work.
.44 caliber cap and ball pistol bullet. Why? Because it has no crimping groove, just a grease groove. All but straight cased semi-autos have crimping grooves. But this is not a semi-auto bullet I don't believe. Monty
Don't make me loose the hounds! If you dig, Cover up your holes.
Looks like a .44 caliber cap and ball pistol bullet. Why? No crimping groove, just a lubricating groove. All but semi-auto handguns have crimping grooves, and it is not a semi-auto bullet. Monty
Originally Posted by Monty
Looks like a 44 caliber cap and ball pistol bullet to me. Why? It has no crimping groove , just a grease groove. Nearly all handgun bullets have a crimping groove except for semi-autos. It is not a semi-auto bullet.
Originally Posted by Monty
.44 caliber cap and ball pistol bullet. Why? Because it has no crimping groove, just a grease groove. All but straight cased semi-autos have crimping grooves. But this is not a semi-auto bullet I don't believe. Monty
Alright Monty, put the drink down and find a nice place to lie down. Actually I think Tnet was having a little hiccup when you were trying to post because I was having problems at the same time also. Still funny though.
I don't think ther was a .45 caliber cap and ball revolver was there? Back then the bullet would have been slightly over size because of the varience in the bores. It is a little bigger than a true .44 caliber dimeter. Most of the CW era rifles had much larger bores, .54, .58, .63 or even up to .68 caliber. They also usually had more grease grooves. An exception would be the very early Winchester, Henry, etc. lever action repeaters. The bullets would more resemble the revolver bullets. It could be for one of them? Monty
Don't make me loose the hounds! If you dig, Cover up your holes.
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Thats a lot of leeway....so I'm assuming its "not"....a 50 cal and closer to something in the 44cal to 45cal range by his description. As usual..... too much accurate information is better than little to none. A projectile in this good of condition is usually a piece of cake to identify "what it is".....not so much when it was made. Weight is everything.
Originally Posted by Monty
Actually I think Tnet was having a little hiccup when you were trying to post because I was having problems at the same time also. Still funny though. 
