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Help identifying an old bullet


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Evening all!

 

Here's a challenge to all the bullet buffs of PW.

The pics that follow were taken recently by a friend of mine who has got into metal-detecting.

He discovered this bullet in an old quarry.

It is lead, 8mm and approx 5 grams in weight.

 

14uhlap.jpg

 

bj98c7.jpg

 

33jtmb6.jpg

 

 

The head is barely deformed so I reckon it's probably a lower velocity round and hasn't hit anything too hard - possibly used in target practise?

 

I was of half a (optimistic) mind that it might be an early Lebel (french) but more likely a revolver round (I believe that 8mm translates as about .32 cal).

Hopefully someone can shed some light.

 

Cheers chaps,

 

Duncan :yp:

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The rear of the bullet ia a skirt, this may be a early bullet used in muzzel loading rfiled carbines the idea being the lead skirt would obturate and form a gas tight seal when the charge was ignited thus pushing the soft lead bullet into the rifling. If it is a pure lead bullet as i suspect then it would be a low velocity round.

 

 

 

EDIT: Captain John Norton developed the round in 1823

Edited by Beretta28g
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Could very well be a .31cal pistol bullet. I can see rifling groves. Have a search for Minie ball and see what you dig up (no pun intended).

 

John

 

Thanks John,

 

http://www.historynet.com/weaponry-the-rifle-musket-and-the-mini-ball.htm

 

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://scottsvillemuseum.com/forkids/Museum_in_a_Trunk/minieballforteacherswebsite.jpg&imgrefurl=http://scottsvillemuseum.com/forkids/Museum_in_a_Trunk/minieball.htm&h=720&w=576&sz=172&tbnid=Y9z34H4-2a8yrM:&tbnh=140&tbnw=112&prev=/images%3Fq%3DMinie%2Bball&zoom=1&q=Minie+ball&usg=__Y6l0iXFzyiWC-D0tm_McH8FlWHg=&sa=X&ei=wCZkTazkE4OY8QP3pbDxCA&ved=0CC8Q9QEwBQ

 

This does look promising other than my friends mystery bullet has two gas rings rather than 3; otherwise the design looks pretty damn close to me.

I'll see if I can find out more about the quarry and its history.

 

Thanks for the pointer :good: ,

 

Duncan

Edited by The Duncan
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This does look promising other than my friends mystery bullet has two gas rings rather than 3; otherwise the design looks pretty damn close to me.

I'll see if I can find out more about the quarry and its history.

 

 

The rings are "lube" rings, not gas rings. My guess it could have been from the Home guard who used all sorts of guns. I know of a small quarry that was used as a home guard rifle range, funny as it's only 50 yards in diameter :good:

I've found all sorts of bullets and cases in the quarry.

 

John

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Could very well be a .31cal pistol bullet. I can see rifling groves. Have a search for Minie ball and see what you dig up (no pun intended).

 

John

Its not anything from a muzzle loader its much more recent than that. The indented base is not a minie base. thats just the standard design of base used in most factory swaged lead bullets, even up to the present day.

Its almost certainly not a pistol bullet either although it is possibly a .32 Special but they were never that common.

 

It just looks to me like an ordinary old rook rifle bullet. Millions of which must be out there waiting to be picked up

Edited by Vince Green
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