I've dug the following up in southeastern Arizona and I'm trying to determine exactly what I have here.
During my metal detecting trips, depending on the area, I often dig up quite a bit of lead. Most of it is "mushroomed" modern bullets often with copper jackets, boattails and smooth bases and those I'm able to determine fairly easily that they're modern.
I shoot quite a bit myself and have a pretty good knowledge of bullets and cartridges but often I'll dig something up that doesn't strike me as "modern".
The attached photo is what I dug up Sunday. The bullet on the far left is obviously a typical bullet fired from a cartridge and it appears to be in the .40 caliber+ range. It strikes me as a little larger than something in .30 caliber. Does it look old to anyone?
The two lead balls in the middle have me scratching my head the most. The ball that's the second to the left is the largest I've dug up before and I'm fairly certain it came from a blackpowder pistol. The ball that's the second to the right is a little smaller but I can't discern if its buckshot or also from a "cap and ball" pistol.
Finally the ball on the far right is a small one I dug up that I'm pretty sure is just buckshot from a 20th century hunter.
What are your takes on these bullets and what advice can you offer on identifying old bullets and lead balls? The bullet on the far left has a strange "base" I guess you would say, isn't smooth like I usually see and has that hole in it and it wasn't copper jacketed and it does have some faint rifling. Are there any tell-tale signs for identifying 19th century bullets that you can tell me about? Thanks in advance for your advice.
During my metal detecting trips, depending on the area, I often dig up quite a bit of lead. Most of it is "mushroomed" modern bullets often with copper jackets, boattails and smooth bases and those I'm able to determine fairly easily that they're modern.
I shoot quite a bit myself and have a pretty good knowledge of bullets and cartridges but often I'll dig something up that doesn't strike me as "modern".
The attached photo is what I dug up Sunday. The bullet on the far left is obviously a typical bullet fired from a cartridge and it appears to be in the .40 caliber+ range. It strikes me as a little larger than something in .30 caliber. Does it look old to anyone?
The two lead balls in the middle have me scratching my head the most. The ball that's the second to the left is the largest I've dug up before and I'm fairly certain it came from a blackpowder pistol. The ball that's the second to the right is a little smaller but I can't discern if its buckshot or also from a "cap and ball" pistol.
Finally the ball on the far right is a small one I dug up that I'm pretty sure is just buckshot from a 20th century hunter.
What are your takes on these bullets and what advice can you offer on identifying old bullets and lead balls? The bullet on the far left has a strange "base" I guess you would say, isn't smooth like I usually see and has that hole in it and it wasn't copper jacketed and it does have some faint rifling. Are there any tell-tale signs for identifying 19th century bullets that you can tell me about? Thanks in advance for your advice.
