🔎 UNIDENTIFIED Musket Bullet?

jurd

Newbie
Oct 29, 2021
1
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CreakyDigger

Gold Member
Jul 23, 2019
7,150
23,454
Upstate NY
Detector(s) used
White's Spectra v3; Equinox 600
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Does it have a seam? Also, is it lead or some other metal?

It seems too big for a musket ball, not sure if it could be grape shot.
 

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Kype

Full Member
Mar 4, 2019
187
379
New Jersey
Detector(s) used
Tesoro tejon/Garret AT pro
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
looks to be a ball bearing IMO. its to perfect. ball bearings are machined to perfection for optimal operation of a bearing for mechanical devices.

although, i could be wrong.
 

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crashbandicoot

Gold Member
Sep 27, 2020
12,129
27,099
Dumas,AR
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
looks to be a ball bearing IMO. its to perfect. ball bearings are machined to perfection for optimal operation of a bearing for mechanical devices.

although, i could be wrong.
Take a hammer and whack it medium hard,if it flattens out it,s probably lead and a ball for some firearm or slingshot,etc.If it doesn,t it,s most likely steel and a bearing tho there once was a type of steel slingshot ammo.Can you get a diameter measurement? that might help.
 

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Charlie P. (NY)

Gold Member
Feb 3, 2006
13,003
17,106
South Central Upstate NY in the foothills of the h
Detector(s) used
Minelab Musketeer Advantage Pro w/8" & 10" DD coils/Fisher F75se(Upgraded to LTD2) w/11" DD, 6.5" concentric & 9.5" NEL Sharpshooter DD coils/Sunray FX-1 Probe & F-Point/Black Widows/Rattler headphone
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
If it is lead consider that Speer, Hornady and others make swaged lead balls for muzzleloaders that have no seam or sprue.

20140703_172048_Android.jpg
 

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Almy

Bronze Member
Mar 18, 2011
1,034
1,891
Maritime Provinces
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Cibola
Primary Interest:
Other
It looks to be slightly less than 2 cm in diameter, consistent with musket ball (.69") diameter. There were huge numbers of musket balls made in England and imported to N. America I have read, and they were cast and tumbled somehow so that they were perfectly round and had no mould or sprue marks. I've found some, as well as locally-cast ones with the marks. You can tell whether it is lead by its weight (density really), no need to deform it. You can also scratch it, lead scratches easily. But IMO damaging it is not good because it is a nice artifact.
 

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