B5MECH
Laurence Male
Still tying to work out how to add pics, they don't seem to show up, any chance someone has a sizing chart for musket balls??
Thanks Laurence
Thanks Laurence
Musket ball????????????
- Thread starter B5MECH
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Good luck, something i would like to know also..
Are they sinkers or musket balls? That is the question.
C.
Are they sinkers or musket balls? That is the question.
C.
B5MECH
Laurence Male
The one I found would be the size of a penny if it was perfectly round, but looks like it has been fired going on the flat spots and has maybe been hit by a machine blade.
tried again to add 1 picture but comes up with file to big?
tried again to add 1 picture but comes up with file to big?
Nice going.
Looking forward to some pics.
Sure beats the shotgun pellets I panned recently from the river bed.
Looking forward to some pics.
Sure beats the shotgun pellets I panned recently from the river bed.
B5MECH
Laurence Male
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/doc/member-docs/6829/1461744348_1.pdf
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/doc/member-docs/6829/1461744348_2.pdf
ARRH IT issues I think it worked as a pdf???
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/doc/member-docs/6829/1461744348_2.pdf
ARRH IT issues I think it worked as a pdf???
Goldpick
Chris Johnson
Your particular example seems rather large if the size of a penny, many the balls I find are around a cm to half cm in width for pistols, and the larger again from smooth bore muzzleloaders. They can be identified firstly by having no holes for fishing line, or a split, and they tend to have a ridge around the circumference from the mould, and a clipped sprue on one or both sides (tabs joining the balls together in the mould which are cut off after casting). Sometimes the sprue is clipped off too close to the ball, leaving a flat edge one or both sides.
Here's a few that I regularly come across, both smooth bore pistol/musket balls, and later rifle projectiles. Many of them come out of the ground as mangled lead, whilst most these balls would have been dropped back in the day. Muzzleloader balls generally range in size from 13 - 19mm (0.50 to 0.75), and smaller again for pistol balls.
The site where these were found dates back to the 1840/50's.
Here are some weights and sizes of smooth bore projectiles.
Lead Round Ball Bullet, Weights:
0.350" Diameter Lead Round Ball Weight = 64 Grains.
0.375" Diameter Lead Round Ball Weight = 79 Grains.
0.433" Diameter Lead Round Ball Weight = 122 Grains.
0.440" Diameter Lead Round Ball Weight = 128 Grains.
0.445" Diameter Lead Round Ball Weight = 132 Grains.
0.451" Diameter Lead Round Ball Weight = 138 Grains.
0.454" Diameter Lead Round Ball Weight = 141 Grains.
0.457" Diameter Lead Round Ball Weight = 143 Grains.
0.490" Diameter Lead Round Ball Weight = 177 Grains.
0.495" Diameter Lead Round Ball Weight = 182 Grains.
0.530" Diameter Lead Round Ball Weight = 224 Grains.
0.535" Diameter Lead Round Ball Weight = 230 Grains.
0.570" Diameter Lead Round Ball Weight = 278 Grains.
Here's a few that I regularly come across, both smooth bore pistol/musket balls, and later rifle projectiles. Many of them come out of the ground as mangled lead, whilst most these balls would have been dropped back in the day. Muzzleloader balls generally range in size from 13 - 19mm (0.50 to 0.75), and smaller again for pistol balls.
The site where these were found dates back to the 1840/50's.
Here are some weights and sizes of smooth bore projectiles.
Lead Round Ball Bullet, Weights:
0.350" Diameter Lead Round Ball Weight = 64 Grains.
0.375" Diameter Lead Round Ball Weight = 79 Grains.
0.433" Diameter Lead Round Ball Weight = 122 Grains.
0.440" Diameter Lead Round Ball Weight = 128 Grains.
0.445" Diameter Lead Round Ball Weight = 132 Grains.
0.451" Diameter Lead Round Ball Weight = 138 Grains.
0.454" Diameter Lead Round Ball Weight = 141 Grains.
0.457" Diameter Lead Round Ball Weight = 143 Grains.
0.490" Diameter Lead Round Ball Weight = 177 Grains.
0.495" Diameter Lead Round Ball Weight = 182 Grains.
0.530" Diameter Lead Round Ball Weight = 224 Grains.
0.535" Diameter Lead Round Ball Weight = 230 Grains.
0.570" Diameter Lead Round Ball Weight = 278 Grains.
Hard to say, they are quite big and resemble a roman soldiers sling shot round more than a flattened ball - don't recall any Romans conquering Narrabeen though.
The streaky and pitted sides are also a bit unusual looking to me, I'll say they had a different purpose.
The streaky and pitted sides are also a bit unusual looking to me, I'll say they had a different purpose.
I doubt they are musket balls either. Did you find them on the beach Laurence? The flat spots on them are a bit wierd though for sinkers, might be home made sinkers???
I'm on the Northern Beaches too, have found quite a few projectiles .303, .25 pistol round around here but no Musket balls. Maybe they are from a model cannon? When gun laws were less stict people used to make all sorts of crazy toys that would go boom.
I'm on the Northern Beaches too, have found quite a few projectiles .303, .25 pistol round around here but no Musket balls. Maybe they are from a model cannon? When gun laws were less stict people used to make all sorts of crazy toys that would go boom.
B5MECH
Laurence Male
It came from a park behind my house which is now grass, was about a bit more than a foot deep and about 8-9"in deep in the original sand layer, the earliest pre dec. that I've found in the same area so far is a 1921 three pence but all of the pre decs. are quite shallow compared to the lead, I've also found a, I think 303 shell [haven't measured it to check its caliber] but it is a early looking shell, which was not that deep in the same area.
The pitting maybe from the salty sand area, it definitely has no hole as if it was a sinker.
It does look like it has been hit by a machine blade more than one time, it weighs 106.47 grams so is looking a little large.
Maybe the home made cannon would be it.
The pitting maybe from the salty sand area, it definitely has no hole as if it was a sinker.
It does look like it has been hit by a machine blade more than one time, it weighs 106.47 grams so is looking a little large.
Maybe the home made cannon would be it.
Cannon is the only thing I could think of that would take such a large ball. The pitting may be from the salt saturated ground, or maybe even from when it was made depening what the mould was. That is quite deep as well so it must have been there quite a long time. It might have hit a few objects after it was fired judging by the flat spots and other damage.
Here's a timeline history of the area just out of interest.
http://www.pittwater.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/44800/sustainable_living_brochure_08.pdf
It made me wonder why most of the oldest coins I've found around here aren't really old but the more I start researching the history of the area the more I realise it was settled much later than Sydney, even Manly wasn't settled until reasonably late.
Though in saying that the oldest coin I've found was near Curl Curl, a 1797 Cartwheel Penny but I reckon it was dumped there in fill.
Next oldest coin I've found was a 1902 Penny at the spot where I've been getting all my silvers, they are at a lot of different depths, from the surface all the way down to about a foot, I think the oval has been stirred up, top dressed with fill from other sites too. I found a lot of silvers there.
There has to be some sites in the area that contain some older stuff as it was a bit of a summer playground for a lot of people once the tram line went to there.
Here's a timeline history of the area just out of interest.
http://www.pittwater.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/44800/sustainable_living_brochure_08.pdf
It made me wonder why most of the oldest coins I've found around here aren't really old but the more I start researching the history of the area the more I realise it was settled much later than Sydney, even Manly wasn't settled until reasonably late.
Though in saying that the oldest coin I've found was near Curl Curl, a 1797 Cartwheel Penny but I reckon it was dumped there in fill.
Next oldest coin I've found was a 1902 Penny at the spot where I've been getting all my silvers, they are at a lot of different depths, from the surface all the way down to about a foot, I think the oval has been stirred up, top dressed with fill from other sites too. I found a lot of silvers there.
There has to be some sites in the area that contain some older stuff as it was a bit of a summer playground for a lot of people once the tram line went to there.
Brown Bess musket balls are ~.70 but only weigh 30 or so grams and they are pretty much the largest in "common" useage - so if anything weaponry related would be a cannon.
http://www.armchairgeneral.com/the-guns-of-the-battle-of-bosworth-1485.htm has some interesting info - highly unlikely to have been the source of the item here.
http://www.armchairgeneral.com/the-guns-of-the-battle-of-bosworth-1485.htm has some interesting info - highly unlikely to have been the source of the item here.
B5MECH
Laurence Male
Wow 1797 cartwheel penny nice find Heatho, It sounds like the older stuff is about the foot deep marker around here, I might have to go on a trash run to remove some of the targets so I can look deeper as it is pretty trashy in areas.
Definitely keeps my interest it that area, Thanks guys for the info.
Definitely keeps my interest it that area, Thanks guys for the info.
B5MECH said:
I do exactly that mate, take off the top levels of junk to thin it out a bit and sometimes do the same spots several times, the less targets to deal with the more you can concentrate on deeper stuff. When nothing good comes out anymore I move on to the next area.
If you want to catch up for a swing in the local area sometime in the future just gimmee a shout.
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