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Musket Ball or not?

D

Dirtdigger33

Active member
I need help with identifying this round ball about the size of a marble. I know what a lead musket ball looks like in color and I have found civil war bullets in the area of Virginia where I live. The other night out detecting I dug this round ball and at first thought it was a ball bearing of some sort but then upon closer examination I noticed one side had a slight dent like it had been fired and had struck an object and it feels heavy like lead but does not have same coloration as my lead civil war bullets. I have two questions, is there anyway to find out if it is lead? The second question I have is, did they make musket balls out of anything other than lead and pewter during the Revolutionary War or Civil War? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 

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Not all lead takes the same patina. It depends on soil conditions and type of lead. Scratch it in the dented part with a sharp object and see if it reveals shiny lead. You can also measure the diameter and weight accurately if you have the tools to do so. Do the diameter in inches and the weight in grains. Then we can look through our references to see if one is there. IF you don't have a set of calipers, just remember a quarter measures 0.953"s, a nickel is 0.834"s, a penny is 0.746"s and a dime is 0.703"s Without a good scale you won't get an accurate weight.
I bought my digital calipers from O'Reillys over ten years ago and am still on the first battery, but it does come with a spare, I got my scale from the Frankford Arsenal Reloading Tools co. Model DS-750 $31.95 at Amazon. The calipers have gone up some since I bought ten years ago.https://www.oreillyauto.com/search?q=W80152
 
fyrffytr1 said:
Not all lead takes the same patina. It depends on soil conditions and type of lead. Scratch it in the dented part with a sharp object and see if it reveals shiny lead. You can also measure the diameter and weight accurately if you have the tools to do so. Do the diameter in inches and the weight in grains. Then we can look through our references to see if one is there. IF you don't have a set of calipers, just remember a quarter measures 0.953"s, a nickel is 0.834"s, a penny is 0.746"s and a dime is 0.703"s Without a good scale you won't get an accurate weight.
I bought my digital calipers from O'Reillys over ten years ago and am still on the first battery, but it does come with a spare, I got my scale from the Frankford Arsenal Reloading Tools co. Model DS-750 $31.95 at Amazon. The calipers have gone up some since I bought ten years ago.https://www.oreillyauto.com/search?q=W80152
Click to expand...
Thank you for all this valuable information. I will do a scratch test and then decide on whether or not to purchase other stuff, but it is all good information.
 
Dirtdigger33 said:
Thank you for all this valuable information. I will do a scratch test and then decide on whether or not to purchase other stuff, but it is all good information.
Click to expand...
Those tools are Handy for many things.
The scale can help ID special rare coins that can only be ID'd by weight and thickness.
Staying detecting they come in handy.
I use the dial calipers on about everything.
Especially sizing metric standard bolt's.
Thou I prefer mechanical versions.
No batteries.
And don't need the precision of digital ones unless you do machining like I do.
And still I prefer the mechanical ones.
These are a decent set.
Any questions on use.
I'll be happy to explain.

 
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