Heavy Metal Ball

[pjroo33]

Anyone here know what this might be. It's very heavy. Found it in my back yard here in PA.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Agony and Death on a Gold Rush Steamer: The Disastrous Sinking of the Side-Wheeler Yankee Blade - Grab it through Amazon!

[ivan salis]

grapeshot maybe --cleaner up & size er

 

[CRUSADER]

grapeshot maybe --cleaner up & size er

agreed, looks like it

 

[Gypsy Heart]

Flinstone golf ball

 

[BuckleBoy]

Yep. Either grape or cannister shot, depending on size.

Regards,

Buckleboy

 

[pjroo33]

Would we be talking Rev. War era grapeshot? I don't know of any activity in my immediate area. Lots of activity within 15 miles though. If it was cleaned off, would it be easier to identify and if so, what am I looking for?

 

[CRUSADER]

what am I looking for?

Made in England

 

[BuckleBoy]

Would we be talking Rev. War era grapeshot? I don't know of any activity in my immediate area. Lots of activity within 15 miles though. If it was cleaned off, would it be easier to identify and if so, what am I looking for?

It will be unmarked...and there isn't much of a way to tell the age of the piece. Most round ammo is this way--lead, grape, and cannister. It'll drive ya mad trying to figure it out.

-Buckleboy

 

[pjroo33]

What is the best way to clean it up and also what metal is grape or canister shot?

 

[pjroo33]

Oh.. It's about a little less that 1 1/4". Would that help distinguish between Grape or Canister?

 

[diggummup]

Oh.. It's about a little less that 1 1/4". Would that help distinguish between Grape or Canister?

I would say cannister shot though they are quite similar,grapeshot are usually bigger (but not always and not as a rule). If you can find a seam or lack thereof one you can determine if it was Engish made or American made. No seam-English, Seam-American, even though the English used a two piece mold, they had been making their shot for a lot longer than us here in America at the time of the Revolutionary War, thus they perfected their shot making to a point where no seam line would show.The Americans at that time were hurriedly making their shot out of neccessity for immediate supply needed and since the seam didn't greatly affect the precision of the balls, they didn't worry about it. Grape shot and cannister shot are usually made of lead or iron. The best way to clean/conserve it is with electrolysis.

Grape shot is a American Civil War era antipersonnel artillery ammunition that was very similar to canister shot. This kind of shot featured several large metal balls bound with iron rings or twine and fabric that would spray in a wide cone when fired and cut down troops like grass. Unlike canister, grape shot had no can to contain the shot and used fewer but larger metal balls. As a result, the range on grape shot was very short, from a few feet (less than a meter) from the artillery piece to two hundred yards (185 meters). Grape shot's cousin, canister shot, was effective for longer ranges (100 to 400 yards, or 90 to 365 meters). Extreme ranges of longer than 400 yards required the use of case shot.
Case shot is a American Civil War era antipersonnel artillery ammunition. A standard spherical explosive shell would be equipped with a timed fuse and filled with small lead or iron balls. Case shot was designed to explode in the air above troops' heads, showering them with shrapnel and thinning out their ranks.
Grape shot was not a common sight on the battlefields of the American Civil War -- muskets and melee combat were more common at such extremely short ranges. Civil War naval forces were more likely to use grape shot, where the larger shot could more easily punch through ship hulls.
Grapeshot-A cluster, usually nine in number, of small iron balls, put together by means of cast-iron circular plates at top and bottom, with two rings, and a central connecting rod, in order to be used as a charge for a cannon. Formerly grapeshot were enclosed in canvas bags.

Canister shot is a American Civil War era antipersonnel artillery ammunition. A tinned-iron can would be filled with small iron or lead balls and packed with sawdust. When fired, the artillery piece would act much like a shotgun, spraying lethal metal balls and yellow smoke.
Like a shotgun, canister shot was most effective at short ranges -- between one hundred and four hundred yards (90-365 meters). Beyond four hundred yards (360 meters), case shot was the antipersonnel ammunition of choice for the era. At very short ranges, from a few feet (less than a meter) to no more than two hundred yards (185 meters), artillerymen would use grape shot.
Hope this helps.