Montana Treasure
Greenie
- May 9, 2022
- 10
- 10
Great finds!
All of these bullets were dug anywhere from 4 to20 inches in the ground.I gave you a guess on your other post.Timbermaster is correct in his IDs.For ID of US bullets Diameter in thousandths of an inch is more useful than Millimeters. Example-9mm is most often .355", 45ACP-.452", 38 SPL-.357",44 MAG-.429",40 S&W .410",I can,t pull the 32ACP from memory. 45 Long Colt can vary from.452"to .457" depending on the vintage of the piece fired in. The FMJ type is widely used in both civil and military ammo,and is the only Geneva Convention type legal for use in war. Your C and F possibly could be JHP or JSP bullets,lack of exposed lead at the base would indicate this.
The bullets you posted don,t correspond to the cartridge cases you found.I don,t know what,s going on with that,but your bullets are of modern design,not black powder era or Civil War,or Indian Wars. The 45-60 case is from the black powder era but doesn,t go with your bullets.An anomaly for which I don,t have an answer.Let me ponder a while! The bullets are not old as bullets go.Your cases are.Again,the bullets don,t go with the cases. To clarify some, a bullet is usually referred to as the part that goes out the barrel when you shoot.The case is the part that is ejected after shooting.A cartridge is the complete round of ammunition prior to loading and shooting. A shotgun cartridge is often called a shell, No.12 refers to 12 Gauge. If all that,s left of a shotgun shell is the brass part it,s often referred to as a headstamp.But headstamp is properly the information stamped into the cartridge case base,such a caliber,maker etc.In one of yours,W.R.A. Co..45-60 W.C.F. is a headstamp indicating Winchester Repeating Arms,45-60 Winchester Center Fire. I told you this is a many faceted hobby,cartridge and bullet identification. Fascinating too.All of these bullets were dug anywhere from 4 to20 inches in the ground.
What books would help identify these old bullets.
They were located in a public park here in Montana in a town dating back
to 1841.
What is unusual is that I found all of these in an area maybe 10 x 10.
Total bullets found totaled,200 plus, different calibers in a time frame of about 3 weeks.
I also found in the same spot the following:
Winchester Repeater No.12
W.R.A..Co
New No. 4
My research shows that the New No. 4 is for the primer.
The "New No. 4" primer in production from -1904-1932.
W.R.A.Co
45-60
W.C.F
in production from -1879–1935
The Creedmoor Cartridge Company of Barberton, Ohio
Headstamp - C -in production from -1892-1894.
Thanks for your help!