✅ SOLVED Help IDing bullet

[hdmech71]

Help ID'ing bullet

Found this bullet today and I am not sure what kind it could be. I have found three ringers before and some other style bullets but this one is a little different. I have one pic sizing it up to some of my others. The one on the left is the one in question. It is the size of the 69 three ringer but it only has two rings that I can tell. I am not used to finding to many bullets so please forgive my knowledge level. The bullet has plow damage but is still a good find for my area. Thanks for the help.

 

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[DirtyMike]

I think the reason for the damage and the missing ring is due to it being a fired bullet. I think what you see is impact damage. It's a fired 3 ring mini ball.

 

[hdmech71]

Hmmm. ok , well thank ya much. I am just not that fimilar with id'ing the bullets.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Your 2-groove .69-caliber mystery bullet is definitely a civil war era machine-pressed-and-lathe-turned yankee Minie-ball. This variety is incorectly identified as a Prussian (German) minie in the McKee-&-Mason bullet book. We now know with certainty that they aren't an imported European variety, they were made in a bullet-press machine up in yankeeland. In addition to having lathe-cut grooves, the key ID-clue is an "elipsoid" or "ogival" base-cavity. There are several variations, some having 2 grooves, some with three, and some with none. Your 2-groove .69-caliber bullet is bullet #188b in "A Handbook of Civil War Bullets & Cartridges" by Jim and Dean Thomas. In the M&M book, it is bullet #286.

 

[Stumpy Johnson]

Wow! Do I love a guy that speaks with authority and backs it up with attribution, two of them no less!! Good on ya' mate!

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Thanks, Stumpy. It comes from being a civil war projectiles digger, dealer, and historical-researcher for nearly 40 years. I post here only to help out my fellow relic-diggers (and collectors) with getting accurate ID for their finds, like a couple of very knowledgeable oldtimers for me when I was new to the hobby. By the way, I see that you are brand-new here, so let me be among the first to say "Welcome to TreasureNet."

 

[hdmech71]

Your 2-groove .69-caliber mystery bullet is definitely a civil war era machine-pressed-and-lathe-turned yankee Minie-ball. This variety is incorectly identified as a Prussian (German) minie in the McKee-&-Mason bullet book. We now know with certainty that they aren't an imported European variety, they were made in a bullet-press machine up in yankeeland. In addition to having lathe-cut grooves, the key ID-clue is an "elipsoid" or "ogival" base-cavity. There are several variations, some having 2 grooves, some with three, and some with none. Your 2-groove .69-caliber bullet is bullet #188b in "A Handbook of Civil War Bullets & Cartridges" by Jim and Dean Thomas. In the M&M book, it is bullet #286.

Yer sir. I knew it was a little different. Thank you so much for you expertise.