Musket? Year?

[suberdave]

Need help identifying this ball. Thanks

 

[NOLA_Ken]

at 16.5 grams it's about right for a .56 cal round ball.... dating round balls is pretty much impossible though as there is no real variety of types among them, they are just round...

 

[dts52]

at 16.5 grams it's about right for a .56 cal round ball.... dating round balls is pretty much impossible though as there is no real variety of types among them, they are just round...

Plus a lot of guys up this way hunt an extra deer season with black powder and use many of the traditional old caliber lead balls.
HH
dts

 

[Old Pueblo]

Where did you find it? How many inches down? (If any)

 

[suberdave]

I found it in South Pasadena, CA not far from where the Portola party supposedly celebrated the first Easter under a Cathedral Oak in 1770. The first adobe was also near by that was 1847
I found the ball on a hill. I've scoured that hill for a long time. Found three Winchester riffle bullets from 1870s. That part of the hill I've never been able to get to. There was a fire recently and all the under brush was burnt. I also found two bottles from the 1890s under the roots of a fallen tree. The ball wasn't too buried maybe an inch or so. I think the recent fire plus the water used to put the fire out shifted dirt. I'm not giving up on that hill, I think there is a lot of history there waiting for me.
Thanks

 

[Old Pueblo]

I found it in South Pasadena, CA not far from where the Portola party supposedly celebrated the first Easter under a Cathedral Oak in 1770. The first adobe was also near by that was 1847
I found the ball on a hill. I've scoured that hill for a long time. Found three Winchester riffle bullets from 1870s. That part of the hill I've never been able to get to. There was a fire recently and all the under brush was burnt. I also found two bottles from the 1890s under the roots of a fallen tree. The ball wasn't too buried maybe an inch or so. I think the recent fire plus the water used to put the fire out shifted dirt. I'm not giving up on that hill, I think there is a lot of history there waiting for me.
Thanks

Great work. I think its a real old one, based on the history of the area and where you found it. Hilltops are good places to look for this kind of thing, especially after a fire or heavy rains have. Could have been a sentinel sitting on that hill keeping an eye out, or maybe there was a battle there. Either way, thats a special find for our side of the country.

 

[Old Pueblo]

Does anyone know if these size of round balls were used in the Mexican War? There was more than a few little battles in California back then, and if you're near a site that goes back to the 1840s, it could definitely be from around this time.

 

[NOLA_Ken]

Does anyone know if these size of round balls were used in the Mexican War? There was more than a few little battles in California back then, and if you're near a site that goes back to the 1840s, it could definitely be from around this time.

If I'm remembering correctly the standard US musket in service them was still in .69 cal. I don't know offhand what calibers would have been used by the Mexican troops

 

[suberdave]

Thanks for all the replies. How do you measure the caliber? This on must have hit a rock, it’s sitting flat on the scale. Also there are no mold lines. Do all round balls have mold lines? The are is really close to where Mexico seceded to California