Lead shot? Is there a way to estimate a date?

[Twisted One]

I found this last weekend in an area where there is a mine, and this was a long a near by creek that looked like maybe a panning area at one time, I only assume so because of a hand built formation of rocks near by that looks like it was once part of a shelter, or heart of some sort.

Appears to be a small caliber led shot, but not sure if it is modern, or older muzzle load or something. Appears to have a fairly rough molding, and can see an edge that looks like where you would cut the tip off after pulling it from a mold. Is there any way to estimate a date?

 

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[kuger]

No,not really.Does have a nice patina though.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Twisted One wrote:
> Appears to be a small caliber lead shot, but not sure if it is modern, or older muzzle load or
> something. Is there any way to estimate a date?

Your photo shows it is a buckshot-size lead ball, a size which was in use long before the civil war and is still in use today. So, unfortunately, there's no way to date it with any significant accuracy. For example, it could be from 1820 or 1870 or 1920 or 1970. Even just 40 years in the ground is enough to put some patina (oxidation) on the lead.

 

[Twisted One]

Thanks for the response. The best I can add is it is 1cm across, but again I am finding quite a bit used that same load. So other than the square nails I am going to write this location off for now. It's fairly well traveled, so assuming it's been picked through.

 

[BosnMate]

MM doesn't do anything for me, but if it is .36 inch, then it could be double ought "00" buck shot, which means 9 pellets loaded in the 12 gauge shotgun shell. Or if it's .36 of an inch, it could be a round ball for a .36 caliber 1851 colt pistol. There are buckshot loads smaller than .36, and it's possible that there is a long rifle or a muzzle loading pistol with a smaller caliber.

 

[Daedalus]

It looks to be a .30 cal lead shot , the age is just about impossible to tell but it does look old. And that you can see the sprue hole then it must be a hand made one .
Just make a note where you found it and keep it as a nice find to look at. An other thing you can do is ask around to the old timers in the area to see if you can find out any data about the area you found it at. That might help in getting some sort of ID .

 

[kuger]

with the thousands of men that toiled in the fields of your area....all armed it is likely from that period.....mid 19th Cent.The .31 Cal was a very common caliber

 

[Twisted One]

Thanks everyone. The area I found it in was about a mile away from the Potosi mine which I was told was one of the Chinese mining camps back in the day. I found it near a stream that feeds Clear Creek which had given up quite a bit of gold in it's day, so I assumed that between that and the old hand built rock hearth that was nearby that it had some panners along that stream at some point.

It is far from smooth, and I only used an old hand mold once during a demonstration at one of the local historic land marks years ago, and the way we clipped the side of the lead then looks like the edge on this one.
But as someone else pointed out, if it hit a rock, or bone, or whatever else when it was fired it could have produced some oddities too.