Civil War Era Musket Ball??

Question

Found this in a field in Cental Arkansas while hunting artifacts, thinking it may be civil war era.

It weighs 550 grns and measures .815

The pic isnt that great but maybe it will help
http://img.inkfrog.com/click_enlarge1.php?image=100_4199.JPG&username=kingofquartz


Anyone know what this is and if it may be of value?

Answer 1

Lots of them turn up and some sell them on ebay for $10 each. But they are common.

Here is some history about those guns.

http://www.nps.gov/archive/anti/rifles.htm



Something else it could have been is grape shot for cannons. They would load grape shot and fire their cannons at the enemy and it was devastating. Kind of like a giant shotgun effect.





I did not take into account the weight, duh! Lol and the others are also right about it not being oxidized.

The North and south soldiers’ muskets did not shoot balls that big. (I stand corrected)

However there were civilians that did have guns that shot huge projectiles. Many were brought here from Europe, such as wall guns or rampart guns that did shoot balls over .80 cal.



There were Spanish muskets, that weighed at least eighteen pounds and generally had bore diameters of from 70 to 85 caliber, with a few specimens larger than 90 caliber.



There were many over .69 cal

The most famous British Army Musket - The Brown Bess, had a .75 caliber bore.

The French had wall guns in the 1800’s that shot .85 cal balls.

Also the early Americans shot large big bore shot guns up to 4 bore, with patched balls.

http://www.gunweek.com/2001/feature0201.html

There were Remington rolling block rifles in .81 caliber that the French used also.



However despite that; if its steel and not lead then its not from one of those guns and is likely as CIH stated a ball bearing from farm equipment.



But I did find a .82 cal musket;

http://www.proxibid.com/asp/catalog.asp?aid=6701

(Bottom of page)



“British Colonial Maritime Provinces Flintlock Musket Marked: Thomas Lynch

.82 caliber, 56 1/4-inch barrel with three barrel bands and British proofs near breech. Unmarked lock plate.”



Here are some links about large muskets;





http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:e8HcWQybLQMJ:www.geocities.com/milsurpunderground/French.html+An+81+caliber+musket+ball&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us



http://www.angelfire.com/ga4/guilmartin.com/Weapons.html

Answer 2

That's actually a tougher question than one might think. A .58-caliber bullet fired from a Springfield rifle or a .54 bullet from a Spencer had somewhere between 1000 and 1125 ft-lb of muzzle energy, a lot more than a typical handgun round, but less than some modern rifle rounds, like the .223 Remington. On the other hand, both rifles fired soft lead bullets, the exact type of projectile the ballistic vest is designed to stop. As far as piercing a vest, I would have to say "No." Even a basic Kevlar vest should prevent penetration. However, there would be some serious damage done by the impact; broken bones and internal injuries are a distinct possibility. A vest with ballistic inserts, like that worn by police tactical units, would reduce the potential injuries by not only stopping the bullet but by spreading the impact over a wider area. There would still be some bruising and potential bone fractures but the effects of blunt-force trauma would be reduced. It would still very likely knock the victim down and could temporarily incapacitate him. Good luck with your novel, but if it's a typical Civil War rifle company versus a modern police SWAT unit, the cops are going to be the winners. Superior tactics, training, equipment and weapons will make things very one-sided.

Answer 3

I'm not sure what it is. A lead ball would be white from the lead oxide on its surface. This appears to be a shade of brown making me think that is made of an iron or steel alloy. The size is too big for most rifles of that time. It would be an 82 caliber ball. I suppose it could be cannister shot. If it is cannister shot, there should be a bunch more in the same area. If you were to go back with a metal detector and find more, you should just stick little markers where you find each one. If you find enough, they will form a long conical or fan shape. From this , you can tell where the cannon was that fired the cannister shot.



The other possibility is that it is just a ball bearing from a piece of farm equipment. It's hard to tell from a photograph.

Answer 4

Well guys I think it’s not a musket ball.

But there were guns back then that shot balls of lead larger than the .69 caliber musket balls used in the American civil war. My dad has a flintlock musket that shoots a huge .80 something ball. I remember the gun well as we could not find a mould to cast balls for it and he used shot in it. This gun came from Europe with his great grandparents in the early 1800’s. Kicked like a mule! And put out so much smoke that it took a while for the air to clear to see if you hit the target.



I think you found a ball bearing also.

Answer 5

It is not a musket ball.



To the best of my knowledge, the largest bore shoulder fired arms used during the War Between the States were a number of obsolete .69 caliber Muskets dating back to before the Mexican War, most arms stored in Southern Arsenals prior to The War were obsolete or obsolesent.



If it is lead, it might be a slug for an 8 guage shotgun or rifle. If it is iron or steel, check it with a magnet, it is either a piece of grape or cannister shot, or it is an old ballbearing from some more modern piece of equipment (perhaps a piece of logging or mining equipment).



Value might range from a couple of dollars, to nothing.



Doc

Answer 6

I'm with CIH on this one. An 81 caliber ball is pretty big and not likely for a rifle bore. I sure as hell wouldn't shoot it.



He also had a great recommendation on the grapeshot searching though much of it could be folded under a bunker.



Personally, it looks too dark to be really old. Unless you scrubbed it off or something I would probably say its a ball bearing as well. But wtf do I know?



**Edit.....Damn Beads, thanks for the education! Didn't even know some of those existed much less were used in the war to bitchslap northern yankee aggression.

Answer 7

Had it been left as found, photographed to time/date same,

and left while soil sample adjacent to ball was tested there

might be organic clues enough to better date find. Carbon

testing yeilds a two hundred year swing period and would

only effectively date before 1808. As is, a collector price

guide catalogue will give reader a clue, but best market is

probably a less public free-for-all like the Internet.