Question about melted lead

[ndhill1976]

I am hunting a new spot (to me, not others) that is close to a small skirmish site. I have been MDing for a couple of years, but this is my first possible CW site.
I found 1 piece of melted lead about 1X2". I have been under the assumption that they would have molded bullets in a camp, and there would be several piles of it. I searched the immediate area around it without finding anything else.
Would there be a reason for lead melt to be by it's self, did they take the scraps with them to recycle? Or are there other reasons for some lead melt to be left out in the woods that are not civil war related?

I only had about 45 minutes to hunt this spot today, but I am definitely going back. I just want to know if I am actually on to something.

Thanks for your help

 

[moliver3]

Sometimes the powder from the bullet cartridges was used to help in starting camp fires. The bullet was simply removed from the cartridge, powder poured out on tinder and ignited. After fire was started not much use for the lead bullet so it was thrown in to the fire. Could possibly be why only one piece was found.

 

[coin hunter]

I live in N.Y. State and have found lead melts also. During the revolutionary period before and after lead was carried in small bars to make their bullets in the field. If you ran out of musket balls you made your own. Depending on the site you may have two time periods involved or they made bullets also during the civil war if need be. Also people in the area,early American settlers ,Indians,people camping and hunting during that period could have left it behind. That's the mystery of this hobby. That's why I call my metal detector a time machine. It links the past with the present.Have you found any bullets at all ? If its old lead it will be white in color from oxidation.

 

[ndhill1976]

I did find one small musket ball, close to a .30 caliber. I have found 4 or 5 similar musket balls at different places, and I know they could be from a wide range of time periods. Probably a hunting bullet, but it could be a CW pistol bullet. It does have a flat spot on it where it had been fired and hit something.
I only hunted this site for about 30 minutes before I had to go to work, but I plan on going back Friday when I will have a couple of hours to search.

 

[jhettel]

go back and slow down and also expand your search area.

Round balls are in indication that something was going on there. Drop your discrimination down a bit and check out the iron targets to see just what is there.

You have nothing confirmed civil war, but you do have old relics. You need a button, minnie ball, or something of that nature to confirm civil war, if you find those then work it out. I have found that when I find one minnie ball or musket ball that it is worth slowing down and walking expanding circles around that find to see what else may be there. Many times that round ball or target will have nearby targets.

I always use a gps when relic hunting and know where everything was found. A good gps is invaluable in relic hunting. Also, a good topographical map program like National Geographic state series which will interface with your gps and let you download you finds and also upload areas you wish to hunt. For great aerial views and topographic maps forget Google Earth, go to ACME Mapper 2.0 and you won't be sorry. Much better and clearer images than Google and way more options, but you cannot interface with a gps.

 

[SoArk]

Wow...... this is a very nice mapping program! Thanks for posting the link!