✅ SOLVED Possible Civil War Enfield? Plus a couple other bullets.

Stef45 · Jan 20, 2016

So I was at a park that is decently old. Not sure exactly how old. Here are three different bullets the smaller one is modern I'm sure but what is it? Also two lead bullets. One looks like an enfield. Let me know y'all. Thanks!

Here is the small cal.

Here is the mangled lead.

Here is the possible CW bullet.

Stef45 · Jan 20, 2016

last pic goes with the mangled lead. oops

TheCannonballGuy · Jan 20, 2016

The third bullet is definitely a Confederate-manufactured .577 Enfield Minie-bullet. Second bullet is "probably" the same, but it's a bit too mangled to be sure whether it's an Enfield or some other type of Minie-bullet. Third bullet is a 20th Century copper-jacketed bullet, which has been fired. We need super-precise measurement of its diameter to ID its caliber, but laying on the ruler it looks like it might be a 9-millimeter caliber.

Stef45 · Jan 20, 2016

TheCannonballGuy said:
The third bullet is definitely a Confederate-manufactured .577 Enfield Minie-bullet. Second bullet is "probably" the same, but it's a bit too mangled to be sure whether it's an Enfield or some other type of Minie-bullet. Third bullet is a 20th Century copper-jacketed bullet, which has been fired. We need super-precise measurement of its diameter to ID its caliber, but laying on the ruler it looks like it might be a 9-millimeter caliber.

Thank you Cannonball Guy! Pretty excited since this is my first CW bullet and maybe 2nd CW bullet!

TheCannonballGuy · Jan 20, 2016

If I'd known it was your first civil war bullet, I would have included the following advice in my previous reply. Experienced civil war relic diggers have learned that where one UNFIRED civil war bullet is found, there is usually more of them nearby. And, perhaps, the Confederate soldier who dropped your first civil war bullet also dropped (or lost) some other items of military equipment... such as a (brass) uniform button or a gun-tool or bullet-worm (both of those are iron, so you might want to dig some iron signals too). I would detect the immediate vicinity super-closely, and dig every reading, because trash can "mask" deeper relics.

Of course, please make sure it's legal to metal-detect and dig relics in that park.

Stef45 · Jan 20, 2016

TheCannonballGuy said:
If I'd known it was your first civil war bullet, I would have included the following advice in my previous reply. Experienced civil war relic diggers have learned that where one UNFIRED civil war bullet is found, there is usually more of them nearby. And, perhaps, the Confederate soldier who dropped your first civil war bullet also dropped (or lost) some other items of military equipment... such as a (brass) uniform button or a gun-tool or bullet-worm (both of those are iron, so you might want to dig some iron signals too). I would detect the immediate vicinity super-closely, and dig every reading, because trash can "mask" deeper relics.

Of course, please make sure it's legal to metal-detect and dig relics in that park.

For sure. I'm new but I am well read in the arts of Metal Detecting! lol Thanks for the advise!