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Is this a musket ball?

Bunchgrasser

Full Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2007
Messages
173
Location
Oregon - USA
Hey gang,

I've been meaning to post this for awhile now. I found this a month or two ago on my parent's farm. It looks like a musket ball - but I thought maybe someone could ID it for certain. I don't know what else it could be.

I didn't think to put something in the pic for size reference. I don't own a caliper but it measured 9/16" across. It appears to be made of lead. Is there any way to date a musket ball if it is one?

Thanks
 

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I'm no expert but it sure looks like a musket ball to me especially with the nice white oxidation of the lead. I am sure someone will be able to chime in and give you some specifics on the caliber and what era it is from. Nice relic!
 
Looks like musket ball, probably is one ;) Common muzzleloader calibres were .54 and .58, 9/16 goes pretty close to the latter. I dunno if it's possible to date them. I've found something like 50-60 musketballs and they all looked pretty much the same.

Voriax
 
Yep, a musket ball I'd say.
We find loads of these, but hardly ever two the same size. Very difficult, nigh on impossible to date. Unless you can marry it up to a particular type of gun.
 
Thanks everyone.

I guess I'll just be happy with my first one of these and look forward to adding more to my collection. Where there is one - there is likely to be more.
 
Hay BG,

Maybe this will help.

Here is a Civil War mini ball and two old musket balls
on the left side. Notice the white patina on them.
These are all three from the 1800's.

On the right are lead balls from World War I artillary
shells. I dug them out of the ground also. They are just
like musket balls. But notice the lack of white patina
and how it wore off.

9-2-1.jpg


Your musket ball looks like it is from the mid 1800's,
or earlier, to me. Almost for sure.

Happy Hunting,
 
Hay BG,

Maybe this will help.

Here is a Civil War mini ball and two old musket balls
on the left side. Notice the white patina on them.
These are all three from the 1800's.

On the right are lead balls from World War I artillary
shells. I dug them out of the ground also. They are just
like musket balls. But notice the lack of white patina
and how it wore off.

9-2-1.jpg


Your musket ball looks like it is from the mid 1800's,
or earlier, to me. Almost for sure.

Happy Hunting,


Hey Tabdog,

Thanks for the info and posting the pic of your musket balls. Yep, mine looks the same as the ones on the left side of your pic. I wouldn't mind finding one of those mini balls sometime. I'm not sure how many of those are out in this area (Oregon).
 
Hay Bunchgrasser,

There may not be many mini balls in Oregon.

I can't remember the Rebs making it any near Oregon.

But you never know.

I have only found four mini balls in my life.

I love them.

You may notice that the white patina is wore off the two old musket balls a little.

That's my falt. I just didn't know how to treat them.

I will never scrape one like that again.

Happy Hunting, and Good Luck,
 
Congratulations on what is probably you first musket ball. Sure looks like one to me. They were probably pretty common in your neck of the woods. Probably not likely to find many minnie balls though. Hope you find some more where that came from.:yes: Good luck!!
 
Archaeologists reckon that if you find a lot of musket balls on a particular site
where there may have been a battle, they should be plotted on a map.

They can give important evidence of how a battle was fought.
 
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