Gun Shell of some sort...

[Staci (Fargo ND)]

Hey everyone...I don't have a pic right now but I'll just see if anyone has a clue as to what this is. I was searching in a local park that's been around since the late 1800s and found a rifle (?) shell. It is silver colored with some brownish showing through. It seems to be nickel plated. on the bottom I can make out a 3, an F, and an 89 (or 68?). Instead of having a notched out bottom like other shells do, this one just comes out at the bottom. Here's a pic...not sure if it's helpful :P Thanks!

 

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[lonesomebob]

I fail to understand why so many are so uninformed about shotgun and rifle and pistol ammo. They are NOT about to self destruct on your desk or in your pocket.. ammunition found from the civil war is still stable. However if you carry ammo in your pocket, a local mayor had a .22 round in his pipe tobacco pouch. he loaded his pipe ,lit it and the meeting was a BANG up good time. no injuries just a red face. Very old Bob

 

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[birdman]

Hello from Minot . Very nice first find.

 

[SomeGuy]

I can't even think of any one single incident of anyone being injured by a live rifle or pistol round exploding or going off accidentally. Monty

I agree they are generally safe, but nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool:

[Arkansas Democrat Gazette]:

Two local men were injured when their pickup truck left the road and struck a tree near Cotton Patch on State Highway 38 early Monday. Woodruff County deputy Dovey Snyder reported the accident shortly after midnight Monday. Thurston Poole, 33, of Des Arc, and Billy Ray Wallis, 38, of Little Rock , were returning to Des Arc after a frog catching trip. On an overcast Sunday night, Poole 's pickup truck headlights malfunctioned. The two men conclu ded that the headlight fuse on the older-model truck had burned out. As a replacement fuse was not available, Wallis noticed that the .22 caliber bullets from his pistol fit perfectly into the fuse box next to the steering-wheel column. Upon inserting the bullet the headlights again began to operate properly, and the two men proceeded on eastbound toward the White River Bridge. After traveling approximately 20 miles, and just before crossing the river, the bullet apparently overheated, discharged, and struck Poole in the testicles. The vehicle swerved sharply right, exiting the pavement, and striking a tree Poole suffered only minor cuts and abrasions from the accident but will require extensive surgery to repair the damage to his testicles, which will never operate as intended. Wallis sustained a broken clavicle and was treated and released. "Thank God we weren't on that bridge when Thurston shot his '''''''s off, or we might both be dead," stated Wallis. "I've been a trooper for 10 years in this part of the world, but this is a first for me. I cant believe that those two would admit how this accident happened," said Snyder. Upon being notified of the wreck, Lavinia ( Poole 's wife) asked how many frogs the boys had caught and did anyone get them from the truck

 

[steve71]

Hey everyone...I don't have a pic right now but I'll just see if anyone has a clue as to what this is. I was searching in a local park that's been around since the late 1800s and found a rifle (?) shell. It is silver colored with some brownish showing through. It seems to be nickel plated. on the bottom I can make out a 3, an F, and an 89 (or 68?). Instead of having a notched out bottom like other shells do, this one just comes out at the bottom. Here's a pic...not sure if it's helpful :P Thanks!

not sure on your find but i know there are pretty girls in ND can tell by your pic,lol.i lived in alexander if you know where that is.my uncle used to live in fargo. steve may is his name.just thought i'd mention it maybe you knew him or his kids.you just never know.ND was a blast.

 

[Monty]

I just figured out what that notch is that you said was missing. DUH! The cases with the notch are where the gun/rifle extractor fits when the case has no rim. It's called an extractor groove. It is what the extractor on a gun fits into to pull the case out of the gun chamber after the weapon is fired. The one you found is a rimmed case so no need for an extractor groove. Monty

 

[Staci (Fargo ND)]

Well, length is hard to know since it is broken off, but I did find a picture I had taken. Since the age of the shell is very close to the time Fargo (and the park) were built, do you think this was some sort of independance day shoot or something of the like, or possibly something left behind before the city came into existance?

 

[Monty]

Looks a lot like the .303 British, a very common find since thousands of the rifles were surplused to the American market after WWII. Monty

 

[David@Dixie]

Staci, one can only guess at when and how your case was left. Considered the "frontier" even during the early 1900s, the Dakota's were inhabited by not only civilian's from all walks of life, but military personnel, hunters/trappers and the like. Native American's weren't too keen on us during those times, and skirmishes were common. Today, anywhere there is a large city, many years ago it was nothing but a camp; i.e., "Deadwood." Nice piece of history.
Good hunting,
David

 

[emtrescue]

I can't even think of any one single incident of anyone being injured by a live rifle or pistol round exploding or going off accidentally. Monty

I agree they are generally safe, but nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool:

[Arkansas Democrat Gazette]:

Two local men were injured when their pickup truck left the road and struck a tree near Cotton Patch on State Highway 38 early Monday. Woodruff County deputy Dovey Snyder reported the accident shortly after midnight Monday. Thurston Poole, 33, of Des Arc, and Billy Ray Wallis, 38, of Little Rock , were returning to Des Arc after a frog catching trip. On an overcast Sunday night, Poole 's pickup truck headlights malfunctioned. The two men conclu ded that the headlight fuse on the older-model truck had burned out. As a replacement fuse was not available, Wallis noticed that the .22 caliber bullets from his pistol fit perfectly into the fuse box next to the steering-wheel column. Upon inserting the bullet the headlights again began to operate properly, and the two men proceeded on eastbound toward the White River Bridge. After traveling approximately 20 miles, and just before crossing the river, the bullet apparently overheated, discharged, and struck Poole in the testicles. The vehicle swerved sharply right, exiting the pavement, and striking a tree Poole suffered only minor cuts and abrasions from the accident but will require extensive surgery to repair the damage to his testicles, which will never operate as intended. Wallis sustained a broken clavicle and was treated and released. "Thank God we weren't on that bridge when Thurston shot his '''''''s off, or we might both be dead," stated Wallis. "I've been a trooper for 10 years in this part of the world, but this is a first for me. I cant believe that those two would admit how this accident happened," said Snyder. Upon being notified of the wreck, Lavinia ( Poole 's wife) asked how many frogs the boys had caught and did anyone get them from the truck

Other day on the History or Discovery Channel this was proven to be a false story. (However if there was a short in the wiring somewhere and it caused the bullet to become extremely hot I guess it could cause the primer to ignite the powder, but I dont think you would end up shot.)

Otherwise, when a bullet "explodes" due to heat, etc. the actual bullets will not fire per se as in a rifle, yes you might get a little shrapnel, etc. But unless they are set in a way where the bullets have only one way to go the bullets will not "fire" at you. It's the simple way a gun works - have an opening to where the controlled "burning" happens and that is the direction the pressure is released, therefore propelling the bullet in that direction. When a gun barrel gets plugged up very bad, then the pressure caused by the burning will break the gun at it's weakest point.

Take smokeless or black powder, set a pile on the ground, throw a match into it and watch it burn. It doesn't explode.