calibre of civil war musket balls ??

[galoshers]

i am finding balls of around 15.5 > 15.75 mm regularly so does that fit for the civil war or could they be later.
?

or should they be bigger ??

[roaljodaka]

I find all sizes check out some of these.

[galoshers]

they have the cut off sprue so look about right being hand made in a mold then nipping off

[Seasider]

i am finding balls of around 15.5 > 15.75 mm regularly so does that fit for the civil war or could they be later.
?

or should they be bigger ??

During the Civil War there was no standard bore size and each gun was issued with it's own individual ball mould. If the shot didn't fit then they scraped them down till they did. In 1630 and again in 1638  the Coucil of War attempted to standardise matchlock musket bores to 12 bullets to a pound of lead. The Caviler and Arquebus used a ball that would be 17 to a pound, carbines and pistols lead balls would be 24 to the pound.

hope this helps ( Source: Detector finds 5 by Gordon Bailey )

[galoshers]

strange they dont have any flat spots where they hit a solid object , all still perfectly round and ready to fire again .they must have been wildly inaccurate before spiral grooves rifling

[david995]

or not used just dropped

[roaljodaka]

strange they dont have any flat spots where they hit a solid object , all still perfectly round and ready to fire again .they must have been wildly inaccurate before spiral grooves rifling

Or as i heard from fellow detectorists, they were used by poachers, so no noise 

[dingdong]

Just to add,a lot of musket balls were never actually fired from a musket,they were fired from a catapult by poachers,quiet and deadly!!!

[Chef Geoff]

There's nothing that unusual about them not showing signs of impact as if they come to earth without hitting something they can be as good as new, one give away can be a band of compression around the ball this is a slightly, and I do mean slightly, flattened ring where the ball has travelled up the barrel.
It was and still is the case that the vast majority of rounds fired miss their target the matchlock was only effective at about 50 yards, that not so much seeing the whites of their eyes more getting the name, address and inside leg measurement.

[roaljodaka]

more getting the name, address and inside leg measurement.LOVE THAT GEOFF 

[Dryland]

I'm probably overstepping my position on this forum, but I don't see the need for name calling on here. As far as I have read, Geoff
was only replying to your Question  



This comment is in reply to an offensive post containing foul language, that I have removed.

Handyman