Could this a cast iron grape shot ?

[GuitarGuy]

Could this be a cast iron grape shot ?

I don't have a scale to weigh it, but looks the part and was found at a mid to late 1800's house in Ky with a Etrac at about 4 inches.
It rings up at: 28:36 air testing.

Edit: It weighs 6.1 ounces and is 1 1/4 diameter

 

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[mick56]

Here are some charts to help. You should measure the diameter.

Descriptions of solid iron balls used in stands of grape​
Caliber designation	Allowable diameters in inches	Mean weight in pounds
12-Pdr.	2.02-2.06	1.14
18-Pdr.	2.36-2.40	1.8
24-Pdr.	2.60-2.64	2.4
32-Pdr.	2.86-2.90	3.15
42-Pdr.	3.13-3.17	4.2
8-inch	3.54-3.60	6.1

Descriptions of solid iron balls used in canister​
Caliber designation	Allowable diameters in inches	Mean weight in pounds
6-Pdr. Gun	1.14-1.17	.21
12-Pdr. Mountain Howitzer	.69 lead musket balls
12-Pdr. Field Howitzer	1.05-1.08	.16
12-Pdr. Gun	1.46-1.49	.43
18-Pdr. Gun	1.67-1.70	.64
24-Pdr. Gun	1.84-1.87	.86
24-Pdr. Howitzer	1.32-1.35	.32
32-Pdr. Gun	2.02-2.06	1.14
32-Pdr. Howitzer	1.46-1.49	.43
42-Pdr. Gun	2.22-2.26	1.5
8-inch Siege Howitzer	1.84-1.87	.86

 

[GuitarGuy]

I don't have a precise way of measuring the diameter but its in the 1 1/4 area and weighs 6.1 oz

 

[tamrock]

I'm thinking maybe. ??

 

[Ceredox]

I found one of these exact things as well and always thought it could be a grapeshot. I never knew for sure, though. It also was'nt found anywhere that would warrant one to be there.

 

[Icewing]

I think it's a ball from a canister shot.
If you shake it does it still have powder inside?

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

I co-wrote an "educational" article on how to determine with certainty whether or not a metal ball is an Artillery ball (cannon ball, grapehot ball, or canister-ammo ball).
SolidShotEssentialsMod
The article includes detailed how-to instructions and photos. To save you the time of reading through it to find the answer to you question, here is some info from the article which proves your ball is not an artillery ball.

ALL of the civil war (and earlier) artillery balls used in the US (except near the Texas/Mexico border) were made of cast iron or lead. A chart in the US (and CSA) Ordnance Manual Of 1861 tells the precise exact weight of balls which are made of cast iron. That chart can be viewed at the bottom of the following webpage.
www.civilwarartillery.com/shottables.htm
You say your ball is 1&1/4-inch (1.25") in diameter and it weighs 6.1 ounces. The weight chart in the Ordnance Manual says a ball made of cast iron which weighs exactly 6 ounces will be 1.40-inch in diameter. At 1.25-inch in diameter, your ball is too heavy to be made of cast iron. Its weight indicates it is made of steel, which is about 10% heavier than cast iron. Being made of steel means your ball definitely is not a civil war (or earlier) artillery ball.

Sidenote, for Icewing:
Absolutely no grapeshot and canister-ammo balls contained gunpowder... all of them were solid, not hollow.

 

[tamrock]

A big rusted ball bearing then

 

[Icewing]

Sidenote, for Icewing:
Absolutely no grapeshot and canister-ammo balls contained gunpowder... all of them were solid, not hollow.

Tell that to the one I held in my hand last week that is hollow and still has powder inside. Found only a couple miles from Pea Ridge, AR. It looks identical to this one.

 

[gunsil]

Canister balls NEVER had any powder inside of them, they are solid iron balls that went in a can or canister that also contained no gunpowder. The can opened up with firing and all the iron balls spread out like a wad of shotgun pellets. Cannonball man is correct here without a doubt!!

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Thank you, Gunsil.


Icewing, GuitarGuy says the ball he found is 1.25-inch in diameter. What is the diameter of the powder-filled ball from Pea Ridge? If it is larger than 3 inches, it is not an army-usage Grapeshot ball or a Canister ball... it's a cannon ball.

I think the disagreement here comes from misunderstanding the definitions (and sizes) of cannonballs, grapeshot balls, and canister-ammo balls. Grapeshot was anti-ship ammunition, therefoe used mostly by the Navy. No grapeshot was used at the battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas. The largest canister-ammo balls used at Pea Ridge were 1.47" in diameter. So, if the powder-filled ball from Pea Ridge is larger than that, it isn't a Canister ball, and it can't be a Grapeshot ball, because none was used at Pea Ridge.

To learn the diameters of Grapeshot balls and Canister-ammo balls (and cannon balls), go here:
www.civilwarartillery.com/shottables.htm

Here's a photo of a "Stand of Grapeshot" and a photo of Canister ammunition. Grapeshot has 9 large balls, to shred an enemy ship's masts, spars, and sails. Canister ammo gets it name from being a can filled with 27 (or more) antipersonnel balls. Canister was non-exposive. It is basically "shotgun ammo" for a cannon. The thin tin can got shredded to bits upon firing, releasing the balls. The effect of Canister ammo on massed infantry charges was devastating.