Big Ass Musketball!

[thedukeofdelaware]

I know you're probably thinking, "What in the world is an ass musketball?" Well, "Ass" is added to the adjective "big" to enhance the magnitude of the description "big". Thus, a very large musketball (0.59 - 0.6 inch). It was found in a battlefield where the British and the Continental Army were known to have rumbled. I hope it isn't a reenactment deal?

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

How to Research for Treasure Hunting and Metal Detecting From Lead Generation to Vetting - Grab it through Amazon!

[fyrffytr1]

You should make a display case and put your big A** musket ball in it next to your old A** fork.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

A Handbook of Civil War Bullets and Cartridges - Grab it through Amazon!

[smokeythecat]

When I dug Brandywine Battlefield a zillion years ago, I mainly found smaller caliber balls. I was digging on the Continental line, and most were .62 to .67, fyi. I used to use a micrometer on them just to sort them out.

 

[HAJ]

You can also use grams to calculate the original size. Find the cube root of the weight in grams and multiple that by 0.2232204.

 

[Jason in Enid]

You can also use grams to calculate the original size. Find the cube root of the weight in grams and multiple that by 0.2232204.

Check out the big brain on haj. I should have known there would be a method to figure size of a ball from its mass. I assume your method is correct for the density of lead?

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

The various Long Land Patterns (Bess) were a 0.75" bore (11 gauge). Balls were around 0.69" (relatively lose fit because they were wrapped in a paper cartridge)

Charlevilles (US muskets) were 0.69" bore and use a 0.63" +/- ball.

Some British troops used a "carbine" caliber of 0.662" (16 bore - 16 balls to the pound) with a 0.600" ball

 

[Icewing]

How about some theme music.

 

[HAJ]

Hah! My brain isn't that big. The method I described comes from this article:

https://www.jstor.org/stable/25616460?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

And yes, this formula applies to lead, based on an average density.

 

[coinman123]

You should make a display case and put your big A** musket ball in it next to your old A** fork.