Help on dating muzzleloader bullet

[Jarod84]

Hello, Dose anyone know how old or have any information on this?

Thank you

 

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[Older The Better]

I may be corrected but the reeding would put it late 1800’s at earliest and likely not a muzzle loaded round

 

[Noah_D]

I posted one of my bullets in the "What is it" forum a few weeks ago. Charlie P. NY told me the reeding is called "cannalures" and dates from 1890ish to now.

 

[Jarod84]

What does reeding mean?

 

[Noah_D]

See the little lines in the two frontmost rings?

 

[Jarod84]

. Is that what you are talking about?

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Yep. When bullets were cast into a mold they do not have that. In the 1880's 1890's someone came up with a machine that uses a lead wire and nips a bit off and then squeezes it ("swage press") under immense pressure to form the bullet. The process then rolls the bullet to make the groove(s) for lube and the cannelure for the brass case to crimp and help hold it in place. That's when reeding first appeared - some time after metallic cartridges.

 

[Jarod84]

Thank you I didn’t know that. Good to know.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Charlie_P (NY) gave you good information. Here's a bit more. Also, a photo which very clearly shows the tiny multiple parallel ridges (called "reeding" on bullets and on the edge of a coin) inside the bullet's body-grooves. The grooves are technically called a cannelure.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannelure
Unfortunately, the Wikipedia article does not say anything about a reeded cannelure.

Yet another name for what's on your bullet is a "knurled" cannelure.

As a specialist on identifying the various forms of projectiles we relic-diggers find, I've done a fair amount of research on accurately time-dating them. The oldest "solidly documented age" version of reeded-groove/knurled-cannelure bullet I've been able to find thus far was manufactured in 1878.
Info-source: the Cartridge Collector website:
https://www.oldammo.com/picindex.htm

The .32 pistol-bullet photo below clearly shows the multiple tiny parallel ridges inside the body-groove. I should mention, the slight groove just above the reeded cannelure is the "crimp mark" caused by the brass cartridge-casing's mouth being pressed down onto the bullet during manufacture, to hold the bullet firmly in the casing.

I should also mention... the size of the bullet seems to have no relation to the presence or absence of cannelures/body-grooves. I've seen reeded grooves on everything from .22 to .50-caliber bullets.