Cut pistol bullets?

IronSpike · Jan 14, 2010

Found these cut bullets within a 10' diameter area. Based size I'm guessing pistol/revolver. Why are the bullets cut?

Broken knee · Jan 14, 2010

IronSpike said:
Found these cut bullets within a 10' diameter area. Based size I'm guessing pistol/revolver. Why are the bullets cut?

IronSpike, maybe they were cut by a wheel harrow? were they found in a farm field?
Broken Knee

IronSpike · Jan 14, 2010

Broken knee said:
IronSpike said:

Found these cut bullets within a 10' diameter area. Based size I'm guessing pistol/revolver. Why are the bullets cut?

Click to expand...

IronSpike, maybe they were cut by a wheel harrow? were they found in a farm field?
Broken Knee

They were found in a horse pasture/wooded area. Cut by a wheel barrow

vayank54 · Jan 14, 2010

Civil war soldiers carved bullets when they were bored. We find them fairly often. I've even found bullets cut into pieces like yours and a few all found all the pieces

IronSpike · Jan 14, 2010

vayank54 said:
Civil war soldiers carved bullets when they were bored. We find them fairly often. I've even found bullets cut into pieces like yours and a few all found all the pieces

That would explain that there were all found in a small area. Also, found some lead waste in the same pasture and CW era finds on same hunt site. I'll green check on bullets carved in boredom. Thanks vayank54 and Broken knee :icon_thumright:

Maybe saved as scrap lead. Wasn't sure if the bullets had been carved/cut to cause more damage when fired. Not even sure they could be fired.

Monty · Jan 14, 2010

.22 long rifle bullets splatter like that if shot into something hard such as steel or a rock. Several in one spot would suggest someone was shooting at something hard on the ground for target prctice or just plinking. Monty

vayank54 · Jan 14, 2010

Monty said:
.22 long rifle bullets splatter like that if shot into something hard such as steel or a rock. Several in one spot would suggest someone was shooting at something hard on the ground for target prctice or just plinking. Monty

Monty is right about bullets splattering. I've found civil war bullets that had splattered but the pieces are stretched & deformed. The one posted are smooth so I really think the were cut up for some reason. One old house site I used to dig had a ton of cut up bullets around it. I have no idea why they would cut them up into little pieces though.

Kieth-Tx · Jan 14, 2010

I believe vayank54 nailed it....BOREDOM...I have seen small coins filed out in intricate detail. Lots of free time with nothing to do. Have found them down here in Texas also.

SkyPirate · Jan 14, 2010

Probably got cut by a tiller or mower

vayank54 · Jan 14, 2010

I dug these in the same hole a few months ago and happened to have them handy where I could scan them real quick. I tried but couldn't find the rest of the pieces

IronSpike · Jan 15, 2010

The bullets are cut and not splattered. This one cut in half. Old standing trees so a wheel barrow may have been in the woods :dontknow:

Not much lead in this tiny bullet so if not cut in order to ration lead, plain boredom or bullet surgical removed?

IronSpike · Jan 15, 2010

vayank54 said:
I dug these in the same hole a few months ago and happened to have them handy where I could scan them real quick. I tried but couldn't find the rest of the pieces

Nice one hole dig :icon_thumright:

Maybe the bullet fragments were carried as scrap lead possibly could be used if new bullets hadn't been produced :dontknow:

vayank54 · Jan 15, 2010

The one in the bottom pic has been fired. You can see the rifling marks on the side (toward the bottom)of the bullet. I don't know what could have cut it. It's an awfully clean cut not to have been done intentionally

Broken knee · Jan 15, 2010

vayank54 said:
The one in the bottom pic has been fired. You can see the rifling marks on the side (toward the bottom)of the bullet. I don't know what could have cut it. It's an awfully clean cut not to have been done intentionally

maybe someone shooting at an ax intentionally trying to split them?

sniper100 · Jan 17, 2010

The last post is most likely correct. Splitting the axe is still a past time game played today. As example the Blue Grass Sportsman's League in Kentucky has a axe head welded to a table just for such an event. Typically they would put something on each side of the blade to indicate the bullet did split striking the objects, clay disk for example. A good marksmen on a good day, with the sun out of his face and the wind dead calm, temperature of 72.5 and bone dry humidity, owing no outstanding bills, on the range with his wife's true and professed blessing, on a full stomach,, may have a chance of spiting the bullet, maybe. (only with black powder guns)

IronSpike · Jan 19, 2010

Kind of like Robin Hood splitting the arrow

vayank54 said:
The one in the bottom pic has been fired. You can see the rifling marks on the side (toward the bottom)of the bullet. I don't know what could have cut it. It's an awfully clean cut not to have been done intentionally

Which bullet has rifling marks?

Difficult to get measurement, but appear to be about 8 mm.

vayank54 · Jan 19, 2010

It the lower pictures you posted. The one below the carved sharps I posted. You can see vertical lines near the bottom of the bullet. These are rifling marks from the gun barrel.

IronSpike · Jan 19, 2010

vayank54 said:
It the lower pictures you posted. The one below the carved sharps I posted. You can see vertical lines near the bottom of the bullet. These are rifling marks from the gun barrel.

Ok I see what you mean vayank54. Some of the other bullets have similar marks. 7 for 7 must have been quite a sharpshooter.

Could it be that those bullets were extracted from a hit target like game?

vayank54 · Jan 19, 2010

First of all I don't know how that picture of the spencer got there. I was scanning the bullet for someone else and have no idea how it ended up on my comment.
I don't know if the bullets could have come from some game or not. I did see on myth busters where they shot at an axe and split a bullet so that's possible. It's just kind of odd the cuts are so nice and clean on the bullets. I'm sorry I can't be of more help.

IronSpike · Jan 19, 2010

vayank54 said:
First of all I don't know how that picture of the spencer got there. I was scanning the bullet for someone else and have no idea how it ended up on my comment.
I don't know if the bullets could have come from some game or not. I did see on myth busters where they shot at an axe and split a bullet so that's possible. It's just kind of odd the cuts are so nice and clean on the bullets. I'm sorry I can't be of more help.

Your help as always has been great vayank54 :icon_thumright:

Cut in boredom may be the answer. Only found these 7 cut bullet fragments and some of them if hitting an axe would have been sideways flying bullets :icon_scratch: