28 unspent Cavalry Colt .45 Pistol Rounds?...In One Hole!!!

[alderan33]

OK this is weird! I went back to my new hunting area near an old Fort. I spent 7 hours hunting with not much to show for it except a buckle and some old spent rifle cartridges. I decided to try another area about a half mile away. The first thing I found is what looked like an old hatchet head? Not sure. Then I found a spent rifle casing presumably from a deer hunter as there was a tree stand in the immediate vicinity. It was hot so I started walking back to the truck while I was swinging my coil and I got an iffy signal bouncing between +36 and +52. So I was thinking it was going to be another casing when out pops an unfired pistol round, completely intact. It was too hot to do the happy dance so I closed my eyes and imagined myself dancing around in my head. I checked the hole and it was clear. I got up, walked about three feet and my V3I was singing. I dug another 28 unspent pistol rounds from the second hole. Can you say two Cache finds in two hunts? So after I cleared the hole I walked the remaining 10 FEET BACK TO MY TRUCK!
So here are the pictures. Thanks for looking. HH

 

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[alderan33]

Another angle...

 

[alderan33]

Need help identifying this buckle and the other thing with the hook attached to it.

 

[alderan33]

Anyone know what this might be? Some kind of Axe or hatchet?

 

[alderan33]

This is the strangest looking rifle round I've ever seen. It's so skinny!

 

[alderan33]

cool!

 

[jewelerguy]

This is the strangest looking rifle round I've ever seen. It's so skinny!

that looks like a modern .223 round

 

[Slabman]

Fun stuff!! I think your blob of rust might be an old oxen shoe.

Slab

 

[allan]

That hook thing seems almost like a sword hanger, but I am no expert. Great finds

 

[steif]

Congrats! I think these are not 45 rounds, but .50 centerfire for the 1871 army single shot pistol. The small crimps above the rim is the indentations to hold the primer in, they were called Benet Primed rounds. The one that is disintegrated and has several lines around the bullet looks to be a 56-56 spencer round. And yes, the skinny one is a .223 or 5.56 nato for the modern m-16 or many hunting rifles.

 

[ivan salis]

the hook item is a military style knapsack hook *the button part fits in a slit in the outer flap of the knap sack and the hook part lays inside the flap and goes around a button on the main body of the knap sack -- thus it holds a knap sack closed --the thing you think is a axe --is a claw type hammer head most likely used for shoeing horses the pry bar on rear to pull shoeshoes off or to pry crates open -- looks like the fronts busted looks like you got the middle / rear part . ---buckle can either be a knap sack shoulder sling or maybe a rifle sling buckle

I see what looks to be a cuff sized uniform button along side the knap sack hook

there are two or three modern rounds mixed in there --easy to figger out which ones --lol-- but there are several cool older type rounds there -- spencers , and pistol rounds for the 1871 50 cal single shot pistol * which are HIGHLY COLLECTIBLE AND VALUIBLE -- ONLINE -- I have seem them quoted at $75 each for intact good condition unfired ones -- for ammo collectors .

even at say $25 each for 28 of em thats --- $700 bucks

the 223 has a bottle neck design--- lots of powder behind a long thin diameter small bullet --very fast speed - thus lots of kentic energy --older slower black powder bullets were much slower so they need to be large and use their massive weight to generate crushing "knock down" power ---as smokeless powder came on the scene --bullets became much faster and large sized heavy bullets were a draw back rather than a plus -- so smaller , lighter bullets pushed out the larger slower bullets of the blackpowder era.

 

[High Plains Digger]

It looks like you may also have a .45-70 in there. Typical for the period.

 

[Woodland Detectors]

Wow, that's pretty cool !

 

[alderan33]

the hook item is a military style knapsack hook *the button part fits in a slit in the outer flap of the knap sack and the hook part lays inside the flap and goes around a button on the main body of the knap sack -- thus it holds a knap sack closed --the thing you think is a axe --is a claw type hammer head most likely used for shoeing horses the pry bar on rear to pull shoeshoes off or to pry crates open -- looks like the fronts busted looks like you got the middle / rear part . ---buckle can either be a knap sack shoulder sling or maybe a rifle sling buckle

I see what looks to be a cuff sized uniform button along side the knap sack hook

there are two or three modern rounds mixed in there --easy to figger out which ones --lol-- but there are several cool older type rounds there -- spencers , and pistol rounds for the 1871 50 cal single shot pistol * which are HIGHLY COLLECTIBLE AND VALUIBLE -- ONLINE -- I have seem them quoted at $75 each for intact good condition unfired ones -- for ammo collectors .

even at say $25 each for 28 of em thats --- $700 bucks

the 223 has a bottle neck design--- lots of powder behind a long thin diameter small bullet --very fast speed - thus lots of kentic energy --older slower black powder bullets were much slower so they need to be large and use their massive weight to generate crushing "knock down" power ---as smokeless powder came on the scene --bullets became much faster and large sized heavy bullets were a draw back rather than a plus -- so smaller , lighter bullets pushed out the larger slower bullets of the blackpowder era.

Great ID's Thanks! The item that looks like a cuff-sized button is actually a spent .50 caliber Musket Ball.

 

[steif]

From the looks of the first picture The flattened empty rounds are 45/70. I believe that someone has id'd these are well. But they do look to have the benet priming on them as well. You can do the search on benet priming and find out a lot on it. this type was usually undated. If you look on the bases of the more modern rounds and clean them up a bit you should be able to see what caliber they were. I had forgotten that there were two pistols chambered for the 50 cf round. both single shots, 1867 navy and the 1871 army. Overall, these are a great find!

 

[RFrady]

Congrats! I think these are not 45 rounds, but .50 centerfire for the 1871 army single shot pistol. The small crimps above the rim is the indentations to hold the primer in, they were called Benet Primed rounds. The one that is disintegrated and has several lines around the bullet looks to be a 56-56 spencer round. And yes, the skinny one is a .223 or 5.56 nato for the modern m-16 or many hunting rifles.

Good call. Yes, they are .45 ACP and 5.56 or .223 cartriges.

 

[cyberborikua]

OK this is weird! I went back to my new hunting area near an old Fort. I spent 7 hours hunting with not much to show for it except a buckle and some old spent rifle cartridges. I decided to try another area about a half mile away. The first thing I found is what looked like an old hatchet head? Not sure. Then I found a spent rifle casing presumably from a deer hunter as there was a tree stand in the immediate vicinity. It was hot so I started walking back to the truck while I was swinging my coil and I got an iffy signal bouncing between +36 and +52. So I was thinking it was going to be another casing when out pops an unfired pistol round, completely intact. It was too hot to do the happy dance so I closed my eyes and imagined myself dancing around in my head. I checked the hole and it was clear. I got up, walked about three feet and my V3I was singing. I dug another 28 unspent pistol rounds from the second hole. Can you say two Cache finds in two hunts? So after I cleared the hole I walked the remaining 10 FEET BACK TO MY TRUCK!
So here are the pictures. Thanks for looking. HH

Is there a chance of old rounds to be unstable and get fired by accident?

 

[alderan33]

OK this is weird! I went back to my new hunting area near an old Fort. I spent 7 hours hunting with not much to show for it except a buckle and some old spent rifle cartridges. I decided to try another area about a half mile away. The first thing I found is what looked like an old hatchet head? Not sure. Then I found a spent rifle casing presumably from a deer hunter as there was a tree stand in the immediate vicinity. It was hot so I started walking back to the truck while I was swinging my coil and I got an iffy signal bouncing between +36 and +52. So I was thinking it was going to be another casing when out pops an unfired pistol round, completely intact. It was too hot to do the happy dance so I closed my eyes and imagined myself dancing around in my head. I checked the hole and it was clear. I got up, walked about three feet and my V3I was singing. I dug another 28 unspent pistol rounds from the second hole. Can you say two Cache finds in two hunts? So after I cleared the hole I walked the remaining 10 FEET BACK TO MY TRUCK!
So here are the pictures. Thanks for looking. HH

Is there a chance of old rounds to be unstable and get fired by accident?

I don't think so. Most of them are showing some signs of cracks where they took on water. As for the others, I don't wanna find out so I'm treating them like baby rattlesnakes.