✅ SOLVED High Velocity Impact - A Fatal Musketball ?

[ohiofinds 1]

This was found in a farm field in 2019 with no other artifacts near it.While examining it I remembered an excellent paper I had recently read ''Colonial Era Firearm Bullet Performance ''
Here is a pdf http://modernheritage.net/Scott_etal_2017.pdf Of interest in this case are the chapters on Ballistic Gel To Simulate Human Tissue and Ball Penetration And Deformation.
This musketball appears to have a fabric impression (clothing?) and deformation consiste nt with high velocity impact. The flat part on top of the second photo has the fabric impression.
Has anyone found or heard of one like this ?

 

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[Tony in SC]

The rounded impression could be from the ramrod and the fabric impression is probably from the patch.

 

[DCMatt]

The rounded impression could be from the ramrod and the fabric impression is probably from the patch.

Agree. Patched ball.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

It is amazing that fabric - coated in a liquid like lube or saliva - does not compress and instead deforms the lead. But it Does.

I pulled this one out of a deer after it entered from 12 yards just over the heart as the deer was facing me and was lodged under the skin behind a leg (femur) bone. No deformation to speak of at all as it had slowed enough to tunnel around rather than just smack it. I was also not pure lead (I cast with scrap that often has tin from plumbers solder).

 

[HuntinDog]

I agree with Tony... Ramrod and patch.

Charlie... that's a cool ball nad the SLQ is amazing..

 

[TooManyHobbies]

Charlie, the round balls from my muzzle loader come out as flat as that quarter after hitting a deer. That's pretty round for an impact ball. Sure its not a ball bearing?

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Soft deer.

I cast my own and the balls I recover from my dirt practice backstop for re-melt are usually pretty deformed.

That ball didn't hit a bone until it had passed through 28" of the deer lengthwise and was a bump under the skin on the butt. Deer went right down where he stood. I was sitting under a hemlock shivering and right at his chest level from about 12 yards away. I don't like frontal shots but being that close . . .

It was -15°F when I went into the woods before daylight and still -10°F when I got him back to the truck by about 11:00AM. I promised myself I would never go out hunting when it was that cold ever again. I thought I had freeze-dried my lungs to permanent damage after a 3/4 mile drag to the road.

 

[TooManyHobbies]

Well, that explains it...the ball was too frozen to expand.

 

[flyadive]

I also have a lead ball similar to the OP
I always thought it was clothing from the person it hit. Thanks for clearing that up. Now I now know it’s not a killer ball and and I don’t have to worry about hauntings! Lol

 

[randazzo1]

I also have a lead ball similar to the OP
I always thought it was clothing from the person it hit. Thanks for clearing that up. Now I now know it’s not a killer ball and and I don’t have to worry about hauntings! Lol

Hahahahaha. That really cracked me up.