fragment of shell

[nagant]

looks like rifled shrapnel? came from Rock Island Arsenal. They had a test range a long time ago, maybe pre WWII.

 

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[TheCannonballGuy]

It does appear to have 19th-Century cannonbarrel rifling marks on it. The Rock Island Arsenal did not begin manufacturing military goods and ordnance until the 1880s, so presumably your piece of artilley shell is from after that date. Your photos do not reveal what metal or two metals the object is made of. I assume it is part iron, but is the part with the grooves and rifling-marks made of lead or of brass/copper? Also, there's nothing in the photos to tell us its size, and you didn't supply that information. How about some additional photos, with a ruler in them?

 

[nagant]

Sorry, it's 2 1/2" long by 1" high. The core is iron, A magnet sticks hard there but less on the rifled part. Tried to show what looks like a layer or jacket line on the end.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

I asked what metal (lead or copper/brass) the part with the grooves is made of, but you didn't answer. If you can't identify that non-iron metal, make a small scrape on it and tell me its color. It the scraped spot silvery, or yellow/golden, or orange, or pink-ish?

 

[nagant]

Too hard to scrape but chipped a little off. Black crystalline look to it.