Small cannonball or grapeshot or something else?

[Gregg3131]

Found this about 2 inches down in Virginia. Not really near an CW action. It did not read as iron but rang up 88 on T2 for silver brass etc
Perfectly round 7 inch circumfrence 2 or 2.2 inch diameter, I don't have scale but it's heavy for size probably 6 to 7 pounds at least. Any thoughts what I have here? No signs of seams or fuses.

 

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[TheCannonballGuy]

Answering your question:
Based on viewing the photo and the information you've given us, it cannot be an Artillery ball, so it must be something else.

You'll need to figure out what kind of metal the ball is made from. You said the ball did not give an iron reading on your detector, so for the moment I'll assume it isn't iron.

If the ball's Circumference is exactly 7.0 inches, its diameter is 2.23 inches. A cast-iron ball which is that exact diameter weighs precisely 1 pound 8 ounces. Lead is about 61% heavier than cast-iron, so a 2.23"-diameter lead ball would weigh about 2 pounds 6.5 ounces. The ball absolutely cannot weigh 6 or 7 pounds as you guessed it weighs, even if it is made of gold or uranium.

Typical household bathroom scales are notoriously inaccurate. You'll need to buy ($15) or borrow a Postal Shipping scale to get the ball's precise weight. A digital caliper would also be helpful, to confirm the ball's exact diameter in 1/100ths of an inch.

Too bad it's not made of iron, because at 2.23"-diameter it is precisely the correct size to be a civil war era 42-Pounder caliber Grapeshot ball (which was ONLY made of cast-iron, never lead or brass, etc). Look in the size-&-weight chart for Grapeshot balls, here:
www.civilwarartillery.com/shottables.htm

 

[TomPA]

Gregg,
As CannonballGuy notes, your weight estimate must be considerably off. Have you tried putting a magnet to it? I'm thinking that it might be iron, despite the reading on your machine. Sometimes a round ball like that gives off false numbers.

 

[Gregg3131]

Great information guys. I will take your advice and update this. I am probably off on the weight and measurement.

 

[fmerg]

i have found about 6 of these in a field near me
they are iron size and weight unknown i gave them away
what do you think on this cannonballguy

 

[Tony in SC]

Some detectors will give rusty iron a high reading. Have you tried a magnet? Looks rusty too me. Tony

 

[baspinall]

Second photo looks like grape shot.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Fmerg, I can't give you much ID help about the iron balls you found without knowing their precisely measured diameter, and precise weight. There's just too many kinds of "civilian usage" iron (or steel) balls... which being manufactured in the multi-millions actually outnumber all the cannonballs ever made in America.

Getting the precise diameter and weight lets us look for a match in the diameters and weights of historical cannonballs, Grapeshot balls, and Canister-ammo balls, here:
www.civilwarartillery.com/shottables.htm

All I can say that will be of any help about the un-measured iron ball in your photo is that although artillery balls may have a slight casting-mold seam showing around their middle, their "body" is always perfectly-round... never out-of-round (like, say, a tomato or a grape). The ball in your photo looks like it might be a bit out-of-round... but that might be only an illusion caused by rust-encrustation on some parts of the ball.

 

[Gregg3131]

Magnet does not stick to mine so I guess that eliminates iron and cannon ball?

 

[Tony in SC]

Just a thought, Could it be a mill ball for grinding something expolsive? Tony

Magnet does not stick to mine so I guess that eliminates iron and cannon ball?