Fired musket ball??

[allison86]

Took my new garrett at pro to the old 1860s army fort I am sure this is a fired musket ball but my boyfriend thinks it's a part of one not a complete one

 

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[jewelerguy]

it doesn't look like lead (at least in the pics), most dug 100+ year old lead will have a white oxidation patina. this (at least from the pics) looks more like some kind of nickle metal slag

 

[Calgarychef]

Jeweller guy is right about the lead oxide forming. I can't think of any musket balls that I've found that hit something and completely flattened out. I think this is because of the slow velocity that they travel at.

 

[allison86]

Oh well bummer here is more pics of it anyway

 

[allison86]

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Jewelerguy is right... sure doesn't look like led, and it does look more like some other kind of metal or slag.

When you accumulate more experience digging up various metals with your detector, you'll get to recognizing lead by its distinctive greyish-white oxide color, and by its weight. Lead is one of the heavist of all metals. For example, lead is about 50% heavier than iron. You can compare the "Specific Gravity" rating of lead with the Specific Gravity of many other metals here:
80. Specific Gravity

I should mention... "impure" lead (meaning, lead which has been alloyed with another metal, such as lead-&-tin solder) won't get the greyish-white oxide that pure lead does. Musketballs and "most" civil war bullets were made of pure lead. But shortly after the civil war ended, the development of rapid-fire guns caused most bullet manufacturers to switch to using a hardened lead alloy... which doesn't turn greyish-white even after decades of burial in the ground.