BUCK&BALL

[WalkerMountain]

Howdy y,all. Been reading this forum thinking maybe a year now, likes how it pop-up on my email. This will be my first post as I have several questions but asking only one at this time. Buck & Ball, with my metal detector found several round balls with three-dimple impression. They are very old found 8-12inch beneath the ground. Will post pictures when I figure how and not really sure what I'm looking at. When I micro most lead balls measure around .65-.69 dia, am these just buck&ball loads from a 16-gauge shotgun? Trying to connect a near by old federal fort built 1853 that look to be using Harpers U.S. Model M1841 Rifle, read somewhere most were .54 or .58 cal. but thought I read .69 cal model was made also. Got a second question now thinking what does rifle markings look like on a round ball, 30 year black-powder shooter and I never see a ball after down the barrel lol.

 

[Grenadier1758]

@WalkerMountain,
You might get better response if this post was in the General Muzzleloading Forum.

What you found is quite likely to be the ball that sat on top on three buck shot.

 

[thomas]

Welcome to the forum.
Thomas

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Cool find!

Well the Hall carbines were 58 or 64-caliber smoothbores where the 'service load' was indeed a buck&ball load for cavalry or special unit use, especially during the various Indian uprisings and US Civil War. The 58s weren't made by the Harpers Ferry armory, but by the contractor Simeon North, whereas the 1834/36 models from HF was 64-caliber, later ones issued in percussion.

In the 2nd Seminole Wars some companies were issued both 64-cal smoothbore carbines and 50-cal (fires a 0.55" ball) rifled carbines. Historians note that any reference to '69 caliber' Hall carbines were due to the reference of the pivoting chamber size.

Attached are some photos of roundballs put through Ferguson-type breech loading rifles, where one can easily see the rifling marks impressed into the ball, for ‘full bore’ balls were used. Note the obturation in the single one shown was due to forcing it through the barrel, I’ve not been successful in finding a ‘shot’ one that wasn’t fully flattened out …

I’d guess what you found came from a flintlock smoothbore arm, which were still used through the Civil War period.

 

[kelljp]

Welcome from East TN

 

[tradoerr]

Welcome from Colorado!

 

[Ponderosaman]

Welcome from AZ. My pop’s reenactment rifle is a smoothbore .69 caliber Springfield musket repro. He tells me this is the type of weapon that civil war soldiers shot buck and ball from.

 

[UndeadPoet]

Welcome! Interesting find.

 

[springfield art]

Welcome from AZ. My pop’s reenactment rifle is a smoothbore .69 caliber Springfield musket repro. He tells me this is the type of weapon that civil war soldiers shot buck and ball from.

True. I believe the 69th NY at Gettysburg used the 69 buck-n-ball, and accounts say they liked them.

 

[Old Timer 48]

Welcome!

 

[Eutycus]

Howdy and Welcome from South Texas!

 

[Eterry]

Howdy from up here on the Red River in Texas. Stonewall Jackson's "Foot Cavalry" was known to carry flintlock smoothbore 69's, so they were used in both sides in the ACW.

 

[maillemaker]

US .69 caliber Smoothbore muskets used a .65” diameter round ball.

 

[WalkerMountain]

Cool find!

Well the Hall carbines were 58 or 64-caliber smoothbores where the 'service load' was indeed a buck&ball load for cavalry or special unit use, especially during the various Indian uprisings and US Civil War. The 58s weren't made by the Harpers Ferry armory, but by the contractor Simeon North, whereas the 1834/36 models from HF was 64-caliber, later ones issued in percussion.

In the 2nd Seminole Wars some companies were issued both 64-cal smoothbore carbines and 50-cal (fires a 0.55" ball) rifled carbines. Historians note that any reference to '69 caliber' Hall carbines were due to the reference of the pivoting chamber size.

Attached are some photos of roundballs put through Ferguson-type breech loading rifles, where one can easily see the rifling marks impressed into the ball, for ‘full bore’ balls were used. Note the obturation in the single one shown was due to forcing it through the barrel, I’ve not been successful in finding a ‘shot’ one that wasn’t fully flattened out …

I’d guess what you found came from a flintlock smoothbore arm, which were still used through the Civil War period.

View attachment 135072

View attachment 135073

Thanks, and for all the warm welcomes. I took another 'good' look at these lead balls; there a flat ban around each ball looks to be made by the barrel bore. Ban width varies on each lead balls measuring from 1/16 -3/16 wide no rifle marks pretty smooth. Wow so that flat ban marking rule out 16 gauge shot-gun shooting a buck&ball load a shotgun shell which is like shooting a Sabot bullet thinking where lead ball or bullet does not touch the bore, please correct me if wrong.

 

[WalkerMountain]

US .69 caliber Smoothbore muskets used a .65” diameter round ball.

Balls that are in the best shape do measure give or take .65

 

[WalkerMountain]

Welcome from AZ. My pop’s reenactment rifle is a smoothbore .69 caliber Springfield musket repro. He tells me this is the type of weapon that civil war soldiers shot buck and ball from.

Yeah betting musket too, where balls were found close to Fort Lane 1853-55 during Indians wars Rogue River Oregon. Army Company C & E battle Indians during 1855 Rogue River war.

 

[zerosprk]

Hi and welcome from northern New Mexico!

 

[Harveyxx]

Welcome!!

 

[toot]

Welcome.

 

[LSLibelo]

Welcome from California.