🔎 UNIDENTIFIED 19th Century 3 ring bullet? Civil war era?

[Hunterdon History Hunter]

Found this today in my back yard (Hunterdon County NJ). It appears to be a 3 ring bullet (two rings close together with a third ring closer to the base). It is about 18mm long with a diameter of about 7-8mm and a slightly concave base. There appears to be some markings on the base. It weighs 4.53 grams. Any help with identification would be greatly appreciated.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

How to Research for Treasure Hunting and Metal Detecting From Lead Generation to Vetting - Grab it through Amazon!

[smokeythecat]

Sure looks like it.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

The third "ring" on your bullet, near its base, is a cartridge-crimping groove, not a body-ring or body-groove. Your bullet appears to be a slightly post-civil-war (1870s) Smith & Wesson .32 brass-cartridge pistol bullet. Makes sense for its New Jersey location. The civil war .32 Smith & Wesson bullet's rings and crimping-groove were spaced exactly the same distance apart. On your bullet, the space between the crimping-groove and the lower body-ring appears to be wider than the space between the two body-rings. Or maybe that's a trick of the lighting in the photo. Which is it?

 

[VaGent]

I'm not sure exactly what that is (although thecannonballguy is probably correct) but that is definitely not a civil war projectile.

 

[Hunterdon History Hunter]

The third "ring" on your bullet, near its base, is a cartridge-crimping groove, not a body-ring or body-groove. Your bullet appears to be a slightly post-civil-war (1870s) Smith & Wesson .32 brass-cartridge pistol bullet. Makes sense for its New Jersey location. The civil war .32 Smith & Wesson bullet's rings and crimping-groove were spaced exactly the same distance apart. On your bullet, the space between the crimping-groove and the lower body-ring appears to be wider than the space between the two body-rings. Or maybe that's a trick of the lighting in the photo. Which is it?

Thank you very much for your reply. Yes, the space between the crimping-grove and the lower body-ring is wider than the space between the two body-rings.