✅ SOLVED A Musket Ball

[EnvoyToTheMolePeople]

I think this might be a musket ball, but I've never found a musket ball before, so I'm not really certain. A lot of the pictures I have seen are far more round than this. There is a very clean indentation, I'm not sure if it would be from impact or from the molding process. The edges are flatened, maybe from rifling. I don't own a caliper, but it's about .71 in in diameter. Also, yes, it is lead.

 

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[Tony in SC]

The smooth sides would be from being rammed and fired from bore of the musket. There would be no rifling grooves.

 

[smokeythecat]

Nice find. Tony in SC has it right. It is a fired musket ball, and probably pre 1800 due to its size. A lot of Rev War British muskets were .72 and .75 caliber.

 

[EnvoyToTheMolePeople]

That's the kind of answer I like to hear, thanks a lot.

 

[smokeythecat]

BTW if found in Pennsylvania 99% sure French and Indian War or more likely, Revolutionary War.

 

[Joe-Dirt]

A lot of European odd ball firearms sold to both sides in the war of northern aggression came in some big calibers, especially the old German Potsdam’s and one could have made it out west with some settlers. Also, if pure lead is used the ball will look “belted” after firing. It’s an attribute we look for in competition with smoothbore muskets the only draw back is you must clean the bore every 5 or 6 shots due to excessive fouling. Nice find!!!!

 

[NOLA_Ken]

There was an English maker named William Ketland who exported a lot of .72 Cal muskets to the Colonies and later to the new United States.

That's a big bullet, I'd hate to have been on the wrong end of it

 

[smokeythecat]

Nola_Ken, I have a short land pattern Brown Bess and it takes a .75 ball!

 

[EnvoyToTheMolePeople]

BTW if found in Pennsylvania 99% sure French and Indian War or more likely, Revolutionary War.

Actually, I'm in NJ. There was a skirmish called the Battle of Watsessing about a mile down the road and about a quarter mile in the same direction there was a militia drilling ground.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Speaking as a multi-decade relicdigger at RevWar, 1812-War, and civil war battlesites here in Central Virginia, and a serious srudent of the projectiles uised in those battles... I'm 100% certain that your find is a fired (British) "Brown Bess" musketball. The wide flattened area encircling it (visible in your first photo) is indeed the "imprint" of that musket's smooth bore walls. I've dug many fired musketballs which show that distinctive characteristic. Also, its precisely-measured diameter of.72-inch is correct for .75-caliber Brown Bess musketballs.

 

[A2coins]

Great relic I always wanted one none around here though. Congrats keep hitting that area

 

[smokeythecat]

Yes, you absolutely need to go back and pound the site.