Pointed musket ball?

[castletonking]

I found this lead ball while detecting my field yesterday..yes i know the picture is bad all i have is a scanner to do the image with..i have found multiple musket balls in the field,i live near Fort Warren, a revolutionary war fort in Vermont.,however I have never come across one with a pointed top..any ideas? i asked a civil war expert at the local college,he had never seen anything like it,I can't find anything online either. and yes it is lead,the professor did confirm it to be a ball and thats all he could say. and no i can't get a better image,all i have is a scanner.

 

[DCMatt]

Never seen anything like that.

If you can't get better pics, weight and precise measurements might help narrow the possibilities.

There are a number of very knowledgeable gun guys on this forum. They may be able to help if you can give more info.

DCMatt

 

[ABruce]

If this college professor said it was a musket ball, he must know something that no one else knows.

 

[NOLA_Ken]

I've personally never seen a musket ball like that in 20 years of shooting black powder guns and researching them. That shape would likely make it difficult to load straight down the barrel and there's no way it would fly straight, so I doubt that it's actually a bullet.

I could be wrong though and it could be some weird ball design that I've never heard of. I'll be sure to follow this thread and see what it turns out to be

 

[taz42o]

Does anybody Have a book showing types of picket bullets ? Thats The only Bullet I know with a similar shape, And they were a problem to load But very accurate.

 

[NOLA_Ken]

Taz might be onto something there, I did find a mention of a "teardrop picket bullet" but no other info.

 

[kuger]

Bullets

 

[taz42o]

Yep thats the one Kuger.
I found measurements for the .36 cal.

Diameter: .340 inch Length: .634 inch Cavity: none Weight: 89 grains

.36 cal. TEAR DROP BULLET (M&M 160) (11/13/2010)

 

[Jason in Enid]

It could also be a soldier creation. Soldiers would often carve or re-shape bullets. It could be something started and never finished.

 

[Gunrunner61]

I think it's the tear drop picket bullet.................HH

 

[austin]

Someone had a bullet mold on here. Googled-colt bullet molds. There were round molds and molds for a bullet like yours. I found one similar years ago in a park(San Pedro) here. Think now it was made in a mold.

 

[castletonking]

If this college professor said it was a musket ball, he must know something that no one else knows.

then again he seemed a little disinterested so who knows,telling me anything so i'd leave.i trust you folks more

 

[castletonking]

i fund a picture thats simmilar to it online,not quite the same as the base of mine is more rounded and theres a small ridge where the point begins to rise from the ball.

 

[castletonking]

i fund a picture thats simmilar to it online,not quite the same as the base of mine is more rounded and theres a small ridge where the point begins to rise from the ball.

mine does have the flat spot on the bottom,is just isnt as smooth down the sides from point to base,again theres a slight ridge

 

[castletonking]

were they common? being in Vermont,it's def not a hot spot for civil war activity as far as fighting,though we did provide a huge amount of soldiers.

 

[taz42o]

Im not sure how common they are,I would guess not very common.
From what Ive read those bullets were mostly used from 1840s - 1880s In civilian and target guns and by civil war sharpshooters. So it may or may not be civil war use.
You need precise caliper measurements To determine if it is a bullet and what bullet it is.
Here are the measurements for a .41 & .44 cal teardrop picket.

.41 cal. .395 dia - .605 length- This measurement from m&m book So may not be precise ,they did not have digital calipers
.44cal .437" - .468" in diameter & .75 length - this measurement from bullets cast in a vintage teardrop mold.