🔎 UNIDENTIFIED 12pdr Napoleon solid shot?

[Matej]

Hi,

a few days ago I recived 12pdr Napoleon solid shot. What would you say, is it original? I asked this question on a few FB groups and the replies said it is original, but I would also appreciate your opinions. I bought it from civil war relic shop trough their website, where it says that it was found (excavated) in northern Verginia. The cannonball has quite a lot of pitting all around. You can barely see the mold seam. 90° from mold seam is a really small flat area or depression (about 0.6 inch) which I belive is where the mold vent was. Maybe the molten iron there collapsed a little while cooling? (Or is just heavier pitting). Otherwise is nicely round. The ball is a little lighter at 11.68 pounds (5.3-5.4 kg on a bathroom scale) maybe due to heavy pitting, air bubbles inside cannonbal (casting flaw) or exposure to acidic groundwater? The diameter is also a little smaller at 14.46 inches, but probably because of a lot of pitting?

Thanks, and have a great day!

 

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[Beeps in my sleep]

Hi,

a few days ago I recived 12pdr Napoleon solid shot. What would you say, is it original? I asked this question on a few FB groups and the replies said it is original, but I would also appreciate your opinions. I bought it from civil war relic shop trough their website, where it says that it was found (excavated) in northern Verginia. The cannonball has quite a lot of pitting all around. You can barely see the mold seam. 90° from mold seam is a really small flat area or depression (about 0.6 inch) which I belive is where the mold vent was. Maybe the molten iron there collapsed a little while cooling? (Or is just heavier pitting). Otherwise is nicely round. The ball is a little lighter at 11.68 pounds (5.3-5.4 kg on a bathroom scale) maybe due to heavy pitting, air bubbles inside cannonbal (casting flaw) or exposure to acidic groundwater? The diameter is also a little smaller at 14.46 inches, but probably because of a lot of pitting?

Thanks, and have

Hi,

a few days ago I recived 12pdr Napoleon solid shot. What would you say, is it original? I asked this question on a few FB groups and the replies said it is original, but I would also appreciate your opinions. I bought it from civil war relic shop trough their website, where it says that it was found (excavated) in northern Verginia. The cannonball has quite a lot of pitting all around. You can barely see the mold seam. 90° from mold seam is a really small flat area or depression (about 0.6 inch) which I belive is where the mold vent was. Maybe the molten iron there collapsed a little while cooling? (Or is just heavier pitting). Otherwise is nicely round. The ball is a little lighter at 11.68 pounds (5.3-5.4 kg on a bathroom scale) maybe due to heavy pitting, air bubbles inside cannonbal (casting flaw) or exposure to acidic groundwater? The diameter is also a little smaller at 14.46 inches, but probably because of a lot of pitting?

Thanks, and have a great day!

TheCannonballGuy is who you want to wait for. He can identify every true projectile and weed out the fake ones

 

[Gene Mean]

That circumference puts your diameter at 4.603 inches. There is a chart that is brought up by TheCannonballGuy
from time to time but I can't locate it at the moment. The weight and diameter are the key.

 

[Matej]

That circumference puts your diameter at 4.603 inches. There is a chart that is brought up by TheCannonballGuy
from time to time but I can't locate it at the moment. The weight and diameter are the key.

I Made a mistake i meant diameter is 4.46 inches (not 14.46)

 

[Matej]

correction: diameter of the cannonball is 4.46 inches (not 14.46 inches)

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Matej, your correction of the ball's diameter measurement puts it back in the ballpark for a 12-Pounder caliber cannonball. Congratulations, your purchase is the real thing.

Let me also say, somebody educated you real good with several reasons why a genuine cannonball's diameter-&-weight measurements can be a bit "off" from the US 1861 Ordnance Manual's specifications. (12-Pounder = 12 lb 4 oz and diameter 4.52-inches.) Civil war cast-iron was notoriously porous, typically containing many internal casting-flaw airbubbles. Though the bubbles are usually small, the cast metal can contain enough of them to reduce a 12-Pounder ball's weight by several ounces. Due to the internal airbubbles, a genuine cannonball can be "too light" (according to the Manual), but it will never be "too heavy" (correct diameter but weighs more than the Ord. Manual says) -- unless somebody filled its cavity full of a much heavier metal, such as lead.

The "Shot Tables" in the US Ordnance Manual of 1861 can be viewed for free online at
www.civilwarartillery.com/shottables.htm
The Shot Tables contain very precise diameter and weight measurement data for cannon balls, Grapeshot balls, and Canister-ammo balls.

Your observation is correct... the shallow depression you are seeing at 90 degrees from the mold seam is the mold's vent-hole mark. The molten iron at that spot often collapsed a bit at it cooled.

You sound like a good student. Sorry to have to say, I'm mostly retired from doing relic identification & authentification, due to major health issues.

Still praying for a miracle, though. My thanks go out to anybody who has been praying in Agreement with me.