✅ SOLVED Help identifying bullet

[Hoosier Digger]

This weekend I was searching a farm in Indiana that was established in 1860 when I came across this bullet. It has a solid, flat base (not concave) I do not own guns and have no knowledge of bullets, so any help is greatly appreciated. I am interested in caliber, was it a pistol vs. rifle bullet and an approximate time period if possible. As always, thanks in advance for your help.

 

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[tamrock]

.44 Special, maybe .45 Auto Hard to say with a yardstick. Do you have one of these ?

 

[Hoosier Digger]

Sorry. I'm not mechanical so I don't have too many tools. Right now, the crude ruler is the closest I can come to showing dimensions.

 

[Hoosier Digger]

Here is the closest I can come. The diameter appears to be about 7/16 in or 11 mm. The height is just slightly more than 11/16th in (23/32 in) or about 18 mm. I don't have any gram scale for weight.

 

[ivan salis]

ok for starters--its more "modern' see the crimp line type marking around the bullet ? that's were the cartridge and bullet were 'mated together " until the cartridge was fired expanding gases forced the bullet forward down the barrel expanding the crimped case's neck as it did so --the bullet also appears to be "copper plate" another modern age giveaway... a 1/2 inch is 50 cal -- 3/8th is basically .375 on a inch or (38 cal)--so 7/ 16th is about a .44 / .45 cal (normally a pistol caliber round )

offhand looks like a copper jacketed 45 acp (automatic colt pistol) pistol bullet to me -- say for a old 45 cal. colt army type 1911 semiautomatic pistol --the gun was used in WW1 and WW2 and korea as well as veitnam -- lots of this type are still in use today by the way

 

[Tedyoh]

Your bullet has a copper jacket and I believe the copper jacketing process started in the early 1880's, so no older than that, it looks more modern than that to me, more than likely pistol ammunition but some rifles shoot pistol ammunition, some of the more common ones are the .44 magnum & .45 Colt. An exact OD measurement would help, 10mm is a pistol round, the .40 S&W is also = to 10mm (pistol round as well).

 

[Hoosier Digger]

Thanks Ivan! That's what I was looking for. I had absolutely no clue to any aspect of this. It is funny thinking about my wife's great, great spinster, missionary aunt firing off a Colt 45, but I know times were different then.

 

[BosnMate]

Your crude measurement suggests that the bullet is .45 caliber. 7/16 = .4375 which is about as close as we are going to get without calipers or micrometer. An actual .45 bullet
would be .452, slightly oversize for a tight fit in the barrel In the photo it looks like there is a copper jacket on the bullet, and the little grooves around the bullet is called the
cannelure. Copper jackets were invented in the 1890's, along with the cannelure grooves, and smokeless powder. But the use of all three didn't really become common until after 1900.
.45 caliber pistol cartridges date to 1873 with the Colt army revolver, however those were
all lead bullets. The most common .45 caliber full metal jacket bullet has got to be for the Colt Automatic Pistol, which was on the market in 1911. With the minimal amount of
information provided, and the fact that .45 ACP is probably the most common copper jacketed bullet close to that size, my swag is you have a model 1911 ACP bullet fired sometime
after 1911.

 

[Hoosier Digger]

Again, I am impressed with the knowledge base and willingness to share of this forum. Thanks!!