Musket ball?

[pjroo33]

Found this along with a few other musket balls. This one looks like it has an indention of mesh around the outside. Can you tell me what that might be?

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

As for as the end of muzzleloaders, it hasn't happened yet!

Yes they still make muzzleloaders for primitive hunting sport, but historically patch and round ball was replaced by minnieballs that needed no patch. Im not sure when. Then cartridges replaced that at the end of the Civil War.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Would it be wrong to assume that these are from the period of the Revolution? They were found in an area with a lot of Revolutionary War activity.

i dont know. Try to find out when rifling of barrels became popular. Rifling made rifles accurate. Smoothbores couldnt hit the broad side of a barn. I thought it was way before the Civil War. (cutler said later half of 18th century). I am guessing sometime between and including the Revolutionary War and the end of the Civil War.

 

[pjroo33]

Would it be wrong to assume that these are from the period of the Revolution? They were found in an area with a lot of Revolutionary War activity.

i dont know. Try to find out when rifling of barrels became popular. Rifling made rifles accurate. Smoothbores couldnt hit the broad side of a barn. I thought it was way before the Civil War. (cutler said later half of 18th century). I am guessing sometime between and including the Revolutionary War and the end of the Civil War.

So you think it came from a rifled barrel? The location they were found would definitely point to the time of the revolution but I guess there's no way to know.

 

[watercolor]

Maybe this lead shot was fired from a smoothbore and struck a soft target that was (or was wearing ) a piece of linen?

 

[pjroo33]

Maybe this lead shot was fired from a smoothbore and struck a soft target that was (or was wearing ) a piece of linen?

You know... I actually thought that, but the side that shows an impact is the opposite side of the ball. So I'm not sure that could be.

 

[watercolor]

You know, that thought crossed my mind too. . . maybe (I may be stretching it here) it could have struck something hard first (like a rock) then was deflected to it's "linen-patterned" target.

Whatever the true story is, it's always fun to speculate. . . I guess that's what history is all about.

Take care, I'm all "speculated" out
watercolor

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Speaking of speculating, i might as well. i think it was wrapped as a quick-loader, and not fired for a long time or not at all, and the patch pattern left an imprint.

 

[jack b leedy]

ive seen this before on shipreck lead sheeting i guess you found it on a civil war site

 

[fyrffytr1]

Could we please see a picture of the other side?

 

[Joe-Dirt]

I read this on a site about musket balls...

" Musket balls were wrapped in a greased linen patch to facilitate ramming them down the barrel as well as aid them traveling under pressure back up. Also, the greased patch helped to clean the barrel of the residue produced by blackpowder"

So maybe a linen patch caused the marks?

I think that’s a possibility, I shoot a ton of black powder weapons and I’ve seen some heavier gauge patches ( like pillow ticking) engrave itself into the ball upon firing from a long barreled rifle. It must have been a very tight fit to engrave that deep. Cool find!!

 

[jolinemelina]

Is this an unusual looking bullet?

 

[villagenut]

I would have to say a fabric impression from the patch. I found two 54 caliber roundballs recently, one dropped and one fired. The fired one has the same fabric cloth impression. I know this is an old thread but it may help to clarify this seeing it was never answered for sure.....CBG where are you

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Here's a .50 ball I fired showing the patch pattern. The liquid lube does not compress, so a wet patch leaves the weave pattern in the soft lead. This is the only .50 I have everrecovered from a deer. Most pass through.