Is this a musket ball?

[EC.Mason]

Hey guys and gals, found this in the yard of an old home built around 1915. There was a log home that sat in the same spot before it was built. Any idea if this is a small musket ball? Any help would be appreciate!

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

A History of Mining on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska - Grab it through Amazon!

[Gambrinus]

Since the late 1700s, small shot (up to about 3.8mm as a maximum) was usually made by pouring molten lead through a sieve at the top of a chimney-like tower (a process patented in 1782). The sieve broke up the stream into small droplets which then formed spheres as they dropped from a height into a cold water tank at the bottom. The shot was then sorted by tipping it onto a slightly inclined table and anything that didn't roll down the slope went for re-melting. In 1848 a patent was filed for the addition of a cold air blast that shortened the height of the drop required.

Before these processes, shot was usually made by dribbling the lead directly into cold water without first free-falling in a tower (poor quality of roundness, but cheap) or in moulds (good quality of roundness, but expensive). Larger shot was usually made by cutting lead sheet into small pieces and barrel-tumbling them until they were round.

I agree with this, however the OPs ball was not dropped from a shot tower or tumbled because it has a parting line and had a sprue which was cut off.
Here is a mold from that time period.



A classic, original brass mold, Revolutionary War period, casting 26 buckshot.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Diving for Pleasure and Treasure - Grab it through Amazon!

[Red-Coat]

I agree with this, however the OPs ball was not dropped from a shot tower or tumbled because it has a parting line and had a sprue which was cut off.

Indeed. I wasn't disagreeing with that. I was responding with background information relating to @l.cutler's post saying: "I may be wrong on this, but I don't think buck shot was made by casting in a mold."

That would have been clearer if I had used the "Quote" option but I had already hit the "Post Quick Reply" button instead.

 

[EC.Mason]

Hey Ill try that! Thank you!!

If you don't have or can't borrow a set of callipers do you have a full set of drill bits for wood? If so, you can bore a series of holes into a piece of wood and get a pretty accurate measure of diameter by trying the ball progressively in the holes.