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3 inch 4 pound iron ball

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erhunter

45 Cal.
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I have seen on another site a 3 inch, 4lb. cannon ball for sale for $100. What cannon would shoot this? Civil war maybe?
 
A 6 pound cannon uses a ball of about 3 5/8” diameter weighting 6 pounds. So a 3” cannon ball would weight more then 4 pounds.
 
It might be a cannon ball.
On the other hand, here's a little story about my younger days:

When I was about 9 years old, my friends and I found a "cannon ball" that was about 3" in diameter. It was made out of iron so we were sure we had found a treasure.
We took it to a local place that bought metal things with great expetations of becoming rich only to be told, "That's a ball mill ball. The big mines use them in their mills to crush the rock into little pieces so they can get the metal out of it. I've got about 300 pounds of them out back if you want to buy some more of them." :(
 
A 6 pound cannon uses a ball of about 3 5/8” diameter weighting 6 pounds. So a 3” cannon ball would weight more then 4 pounds.
Actually 4pdrs are about 3.10 inches. That is in a 4pdr "range". 4pdrs were around during the ACW, most examples being of state militias. Ames produces a 4 pdr bronze field piece.
 
It goes up fast. Four at just over three inch, six at three an a half, Twelve just over four. Thirty two just over six.
Double the diameter increase the cross section by four, increase weight by eight
 
It might be a cannon ball.
On the other hand, here's a little story about my younger days:

When I was about 9 years old, my friends and I found a "cannon ball" that was about 3" in diameter. It was made out of iron so we were sure we had found a treasure.
We took it to a local place that bought metal things with great expetations of becoming rich only to be told, "That's a ball mill ball. The big mines use them in their mills to crush the rock into little pieces so they can get the metal out of it. I've got about 300 pounds of them out back if you want to buy some more of them." :(
LOL, yup,,,,
When the strip mine and cement plant near the ranch homestead of my youth shut down they had a massive sale to dispose of the equipment. There was over 100 tons of these balls for sale. They ran them in the 100 yard long inclined rotary kiln they used to break up the cake and clumps and heat the ore to break the chemical bond in the ore. They ranged in size from a couple of inches to 4 inches or bigger.
 
a minnion or minnion drake from the 17th century would match but the ball mill answer seems way more probable with out some good evidence.
 
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