Parrot Round - Live or Inert?

[MSC]

Very bizarre find this weekend. I discovered a small hidden crawl space inside my garage this week-end. Curiousity led me to open it and crawl into the space. I discovered a 15 lb cannon ball and a parrot round. Obviously left by one of the previous home owners.

My question to the forum is regarding the parrot round. Can you tell from my pictures if this is a live round or inert? I am wondering if someone has drilled this in the past and removed the gun powder.

Thank you.
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[FourLeafClover]

Sorry I can't help. it looks like a turnip to me. But I can see that your clocks badly need synchronising!

 

[reading48]

Awesome find....be very careful ...

 

[MSC]

Sorry I can't help. it looks like a turnip to me. But I can see that your clocks badly need synchronising!

The clocks are set to different time zones. What do you mean it looks like a turnip?

 

[Carronade]

It does look like a turnip from the end.

More importantly, you should be asking this question of your local bomb squad. Hate to lose you when you just got here!

 

[101combatvet]

Very bizarre find this weekend. I discovered a small hidden crawl space inside my garage this week-end. Curiousity led me to open it and crawl into the space. I discovered a 15 lb cannon ball and a parrot round. Obviously left by one of the previous home owners.

My question to the forum is regarding the parrot round. Can you tell from my pictures if this is a live round or inert? I am wondering if someone has drilled this in the past and removed the gun powder.

Thank you.

The rifling on the sabot would indicate that it was fired. Do you see a hole anywhere on the body of the round?

 

[wayne jackson]

one thing for sure it hasnt exploded,you need to get some xpert advise on it

 

[alan polk]

It looks to me to be a Parrot with a paper-time fuse and fuse adapter. (I just can't tell if the paper fuse is still in there.) I've been told that these are the easiest to disarm. Certainly, you should consult someone who has experience disarming shells. There are other web sites out there who have a lot of people with experience in this area. I don't where you live, but it is likely you are near someone who disarms shells and can do it at a very reasonable cost. By the way, it is perfectly legal to own and is worth a bit of money. Do some research for help before calling in the bomb squad! Good Luck!

 

[Red Harvest]

I don't see any indication in the images above that this round has been rendered inert. Handle it cautiously and find some expert to do the inerting.

The fuse end is out of focus so I can't really tell much about it. Looks like a Federal Parrott round with brass expansion ring that took the grooves properly. I'm wondering if the fuse is a smashed zinc Parrott percussion type?

 

[MSC]

The rifling on the sabot would indicate that it was fired. Do you see a hole anywhere on the body of the round?

Where is the rifling you are referring to? The round is intact with no holes anywhere other than the very tip. There is a slight hole at the top which leads me to believe the detonator pin was removed. I realize this does not make it any safer as it is the black powder inside which is dangerous. However, I cannot tell if this round was drilled from the top after the detonator pin was removed and subsequently had black powder removed. The hole at the top appears to be full of dirt. I am not interested in poking anything in or around the area either.

I am located in Saint Petersburg, FL. Does anyone know any local Civil War resources in my area?

 

[Bob Owen]

It appears to be armed but unless exposed to heat it should be safe enough to have someone disarm it. A knowegeable expert can disarm it without any problems. I'll try and locate one for you in that area. It's a nice one and should be saved.

 

[MSC]

It appears to be armed but unless exposed to heat it should be safe enough to have someone disarm it. A knowegeable expert can disarm it without any problems. I'll try and locate one for you in that area. It's a nice one and should be saved.

Thanks, Bob. I greatly appreciate the help.

 

[101combatvet]

Where is the rifling you are referring to? The round is intact with no holes anywhere other than the very tip. There is a slight hole at the top which leads me to believe the detonator pin was removed. I realize this does not make it any safer as it is the black powder inside which is dangerous. However, I cannot tell if this round was drilled from the top after the detonator pin was removed and subsequently had black powder removed. The hole at the top appears to be full of dirt. I am not interested in poking anything in or around the area either.

I am located in Saint Petersburg, FL. Does anyone know any local Civil War resources in my area?

Can you take a clear picture of the fuse and post it? From the top.

 

[Bob Owen]

Contact Richard Ferry in Macclenny, Florida just up the road from you. His business phone is 904-259-9154. He should be able to solve your problem.

 

[MSC]

Can you take a clear picture of the fuse and post it? From the top.

Let me know if this works:

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[MSC]

Contact Richard Ferry in Macclenny, Florida just up the road from you. His business phone is 904-259-9154. He should be able to solve your problem.

Thanks, Bob but he is located 3 1/2 hours from me. Is he the closest you would recommend?

 

[Bob Owen]

Thanks, Bob but he is located 3 1/2 hours from me. Is he the closest you would recommend?

Yes. Call him anyway and maybe he knows someone in your area. If you just want to unload it, I can have my daughter who lives in Indian Rocks Beach pick it up. She can bring it up here to Tennessee and add it to my collection!

 

[101combatvet]

Let me know if this works:

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The plunger is missing because it was fired and since it didn't explode the fuse is probably a dud. What you have there is a Parrott Type I percussion fuse. These fuses exploded on impact. If it was mine I would submerge it in a bucket of water with fuse up so water can drain into the body of the shell if the fuse has cracks or a drill hole. After a 24 hour period take the shell out of the bucket holding it upright, dry the body off. Empty the bucket clean and turn the shell over the bucket with the fuse facing down and see if any water or powder comes out. If water or wet powder comes out it is deactivated.... if not you may consider having it drilled.

 

[Red Harvest]

Thanks for posting the clearer fuse image. It looks like a zinc Parrott time fuse adapter as on page 76 or 77 of Charles Jones' Artillery Fuses of the Civil War. This should make it rather easy to inert. EDIT: But looking at it, there are some hints that it is the percussion type that 101combatvet listed. I just now noticed the little circular dimple at the bottom of the hole.

The rifling is apparent on the base ring. The brass there has expanded and deformed to match the rifling of the piece. In this case it looks like the rifling of a 10-pounder Parrott (3 lands and grooves.) Larger Parrott rifles had more lands and grooves like the 20-pounder and 30-pounders with 5, the next size with 7, and the one above that with 9 and so on.

 

[MSC]

The hole in the top looks as if it is filled with dirt. If I perform the below process you state do you think the water will soak through the dirt or do you think if it is to impacted it will simply act as a seal? I am tempted to excavate (gently) into this hole but then a memory from child hood surfaces of me doing the same with a bottle rocket and I created enough friction to set off the powder in that tiny little bottle rocket. I imagine a much different result with this if the same were to happen.

The plunger is missing because it was fired and since it didn't explode the fuse is probably a dud. What you have there is a Parrott Type I percussion fuse. These fuses exploded on impact. If it was mine I would submerge it in a bucket of water with fuse up so water can drain into the body of the shell if the fuse has cracks or a drill hole. After a 24 hour period take the shell out of the bucket holding it upright, dry the body off. Empty the bucket clean and turn the shell over the bucket with the fuse facing down and see if any water or powder comes out. If water or wet powder comes out it is deactivated.... if not you may consider having it drilled.