A buddy found this Cannon Ball ???

[Sallysue]

Is this a cannon ball

(pic edited:jeff)

 

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[Sallysue]

It really round but pic makes it look oval

 

[Beeps in my sleep]

Put it in the What is it forum. TheCannonBallGuy will tell you all you need to know. He specializes in Military goodies. I don't know enough about them but I hope it is! HH!

 

[Iron Patch]

It really round but pic makes it look oval

It's because the file is too large. The site is automatically resizing it, and messing it up. You can see this when you click your post because for the first second the picture is fine.

 

[CASPER-2]

measure it around with tape measure and try and weigh it - will help with ID

 

[TNGUNS]

It looks stone. What is it made of?

 

[Sallysue]

Its steel and heavy It also has 40 stamp on it

 

[SCDigginWithAK]

Its steel and heavy It also has 40 stamp on it

According to CannonballGuy if I'm not mistaken, if this was found in North America it isn't a cannonball since it is steel. But from my other knowledge of finds from friends I believe that is a mill ball. Used to grind objects. Or since it has 40 on it, possibly a shot put ball. But that's my two cents

 

[jeff of pa]

test


OK here is a Fixed Pic

 

[Zodiacdiverdave]

I think that's a 6 pounder or there abouts, too some for a shot put. Was it found in the woods or sports field?
ZDD

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

I'm an artillery-&-projectiles historian. No artillery balls were ever marked with their weight -- nor a double-digit number. So, this ball marked "40" is not a cannonball, nor Grapeshot ball, nor Canister-ball. Artillerymen do not need to know the ball's weight... but sports contestants and uses of Counterweights do need to know the ball's weight.

If the "40" stamped into that ball is not related to its weight, there's still another way to prove it is not an artillery ball. We have historical data which tells the VERY-exact diameter and weight of cannonballs used in America & Canada from the Revolutionary War through the Civil War. You can read the size-&-weight data here: Cannon bore, shot, and shell diameters for smoothbore guns

You'll need to weigh the ball on a Postal Shipping scale, which measures in tenths-of-an-ounce. (Typical household bathroom weighing-scales are notoriously inaccurate. You'll also need to super-precisely measure the ball's diameter with Digital Calipers, as show in the photo below. This ball is small enough for using a Digital Caliper. Balls larger than about 3.25-inches will require a Diameter-Tape (also called a Pi-Tape) for accurate measuring.

Then compare the ball's precisely-measured weight and diameter with the data in the Shot Tables charts at the link given above. If you do not find an exact match-up there, the ball is not an artillery ball.

Here's a link to an article I co-authored with Mr. David Poche about how to reliably tell whether an iron ball is an artillery ball or a Civilian-usage ball (such a Sports Shot Put ball, Mining Industry rock-crusher ball, Ornamental-Ironwork ball, machinery-counterweight ball, etc).
SolidShotEssentialsMod

 

[Sallysue]

There was a gravel pit there years ago but there was also a major Indian camp there also.

 

[Thommy]

I'm an artillery-&-projectiles historian. No artillery balls were ever marked with their weight -- nor a double-digit number. So, this ball marked "40" is not a cannonball, nor Grapeshot ball, nor Canister-ball. Artillerymen do not need to know the ball's weight... but sports contestants and uses of Counterweights do need to know the ball's weight.

If the "40" stamped into that ball is not related to its weight, there's still another way to prove it is not an artillery ball. We have historical data which tells the VERY-exact diameter and weight of cannonballs used in America & Canada from the Revolutionary War through the Civil War. You can read the size-&-weight data here: Cannon bore, shot, and shell diameters for smoothbore guns

You'll need to weigh the ball on a Postal Shipping scale, which measures in tenths-of-an-ounce. (Typical household bathroom weighing-scales are notoriously inaccurate. You'll also need to super-precisely measure the ball's diameter with Digital Calipers, as show in the photo below. This ball is small enough for using a Digital Caliper. Balls larger than about 3.25-inches will require a Diameter-Tape (also called a Pi-Tape) for accurate measuring.

Then compare the ball's precisely-measured weight and diameter with the data in the Shot Tables charts at the link given above. If you do not find an exact match-up there, the ball is not an artillery ball.

Here's a link to an article I co-authored with Mr. David Poche about how to reliably tell whether an iron ball is an artillery ball or a Civilian-usage ball (such a Sports Shot Put ball, Mining Industry rock-crusher ball, Ornamental-Ironwork ball, machinery-counterweight ball, etc).
SolidShotEssentialsMod

Great advice/data. I really like your web pages, Cannonballguy. Excellent compilation of information