A whats it and bullet ID needed

[mangum]

A what's it and bullet ID needed

Hello all. These came from a house built in 1883. I have no idea what the thing with the stone is. It is about 1 1/4 inches wide. It appears to be made of bone. I also need an ID on the 2 ringer. Thanks in advance & HH!

 

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[A/CMan]

 

[A/CMan]

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Looks like a meacon bullet, Ac

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

The three varieties of civil war "Macon Carbine" bullets' diameter was .515 and .518 and .534, respectively. Mangum's bullet is a good bit smaller than that.

I can't be certain from the photos because the bullet's grooves still have dirt in them, but I think it has "reeded" grooves (tiny parallel ridges in the grooves). Mangum, please clean out the grooves and tell if they are reeded, or not.

Noting that your bullet is somewhat flattened out by a sideways impact, and comparing its wider side with the dime (.70-inch), I estimate it as a .38-caliber, for pistol. It resembles a latter-1800s-to-early-1900s era .38 Smith & Wesson bullet ...but it may be another variety. Perhaps somebody else here will recognize it for certain, and tell us.

 

[mangum]

The three varieties of civil war "Macon Carbine" bullets' diameter was .515 and .518 and .534, respectively. Mangum's bullet is a good bit smaller than that.

I can't be certain from the photos because the bullet's grooves still have dirt in them, but I think it has "reeded" grooves (tiny parallel ridges in the grooves). Mangum, please clean out the grooves and tell if they are reeded, or not.

Noting that your bullet is somewhat flattened out by a sideways impact, and comparing its wider side with the dime (.70-inch), I estimate it as a .38-caliber, for pistol. It resembles a latter-1800s-to-early-1900s era .38 Smith & Wesson bullet ...but it may be another variety. Perhaps somebody else here will recognize it for certain, and tell us.

Thanks in advance for the help

 

[mangum]

It does appear reeded

 

[NOLA_Ken]

I'm betting the second item is one side of a pocket knife.

 

[A/CMan]

It does appear reeded

Good eyes mangum!

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Mangum, thank you for cleaning the bullet's grooves and confirming my suspicion that it has reeded grooves.

Reeded-groove bullets first start showing up around 1880 ...or possibly the very-late 1870s. But that only tells us the earliest possible time a bullet can be from, because reeded-groove are still being manufactured today. However, the white patina on your bullet indicates it is a pure-lead bullet (not a lead-alloy bullet). Pure-lead bullets had mostly fallen out of favor by the end of 1890s, because it clogs the gun's rifling-grooves much more quickly than lead-alloy bullets (knoown as "hardened" lead). So, I'm sticking with my previously stated appraisal that your bullet dates from the 1880s to perhaps as late as the very-early 20th-century.

It's unfortunate that your bullet's body was so distorted by impact that its original diameter cannot be accurately measured. However, if you ever get a chance to weigh it on a Jeweler's Scale, please come back to this discussion and post its precise weight in grams or grains. That might enable me to calculate its original diameter.

 

[mangum]

Mangum, thank you for cleaning the bullet's grooves and confirming my suspicion that it has reeded grooves.

Reeded-groove bullets first start showing up around 1880 ...or possibly the very-late 1870s. But that only tells us the earliest possible time a bullet can be from, because reeded-groove are still being manufactured today. However, the white patina on your bullet indicates it is a pure-lead bullet (not a lead-alloy bullet). Pure-lead bullets had mostly fallen out of favor by the end of 1890s, because it clogs the gun's rifling-grooves much more quickly than lead-alloy bullets (knoown as "hardened" lead). So, I'm sticking with my previously stated appraisal that your bullet dates from the 1880s to perhaps as late as the very-early 20th-century.

It's unfortunate that your bullet's body was so distorted by impact that its original diameter cannot be accurately measured. However, if you ever get a chance to weigh it on a Jeweler's Scale, please come back to this discussion and post its precise weight in grams or grains. That might enable me to calculate its original diameter.

Thanks cannonball guy, now I have a better idea of the age.