Mini Balls and a really strange....Mini Ball?

[Fullstock]

I got out to my new spot today and found a few mini balls. Three dropped (including a Williams bore cleaner) and two fired rounds. In the same area I found this weird piece of period lead. After cleaning it, it looks like a mini ball that was forced (rammed) down an under sized barrel and shot. What do you guys think?

 

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[Inspector]

Nice lead finds, congrats

 

[releventchair]

I'm drawing a blank , but here goes nothin....

The force required to extrude that backwards would be substantial.
The pics don't tell all but I only see where one land and one groove from a bore could exist.
A smooth bore musket would just flare the skirt when forced , but we can rule that smooth bore out from your odd lead pieces shape.

IF not altered for some other purpose than somehow forcing it in an undersized bore (and I can't see that much force being successful) then if it started out as a minie type ball/bullet it went through something that mangled it. Hopefully not in exchange for mangling a body being what altered it . But , that was much of the goal.

Hundreds of thousands of men , and around a million horses...

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Congrats on the nice finds!

 

[HIGHSTRUNG]

Congrats!

 

[Mr. B]

My guess would be that it was formed so as to make some lead art, so as to pass some time.

 

[Lost ball in tall weeds]

Nice finds. I happen to have found exactly the same aged lead thing. Don't think they are to be fired, would probably blow the end out, unless it's some form of early powder hold for quicker loading. Not sure it would hold enough. Yours looks to have been run over or hit from the side, rifling would leave more than 1 groove. Mine has no grooves at all. Hope somebody know what these are.

 

[A2coins]

Thats some really cool relics not sure on the piece of lead but it leads you to wonder all kinds pf possibilities Well done Tommy

 

[Whyme]

Nice old lead! Congrats!

 

[Hawks88]

Nice handfull of lead. Congrats

 

[Al.relics]

Nice CW lead!

 

[Fullstock]

Thanks, I think this site is going to be very productive.