I found this object and what looks to be a 50 cal. lead ball this afternoon. At the site of this 1889 military post watching over Johnstown during the aftermath of the great flood of 1889 I found it right where the rifles are stacked up there. I hope it's time period? oh yeah and what is it ? :-)
I also found a 50 cal. round ball here at this site. Can anyone tell me what kind of rifles are here in this photo ? They look like muzzle loading ones to me. Would the military in 1889 had still been using that kind of a rifle ?
In 1873 the army adopted the breech loading model 1873 Springfield rifle, which fired the 45-70 cartridge. In 1889 the army changed to the .30 caliber Krag-Jorgensen rifle. The army still used the Springfield rifle for years after adopting the Krag, and in fact National Guard Units were armed with the 45-70 during WWI. I'm sure your soldiers have stacked Springfield's with attached bayonets. The .50 caliber ball would be from a different time, except, and there is always an except, the army had a "guard round" that was 3 .45 caliber balls. one on top of the other loaded in the cartridge. So check the size of the ball carefully, if it is right at .457 or .458 it might have come from one of those cartridges. This photo is the Model 1889 Krag, and doesn't resemble your stacked arms. This is the model 1873 Springfield, and the second photo shows how the breech loading mechanism worked. The gun was nick-named the "trapdoor." Note how much it looks like a CW war Springfield muzzle loader. The second cartridge from the right is a "guard round."
thanks BosnMate, very informative. I just measured the lead ball it's 5/8th of an inch in diameter. Could that fit in with the 1889 time period photo ?
A set of calipers would give a more accurate measurement, possibly a mechanic could measure it for you they should have some calipers or a machine shop.
A set of calipers would give a more accurate measurement, possibly a mechanic could measure it for you they should have some calipers or a machine shop.
