Ammo 1 Pounder Solid Shot

[Ethan S.]

Here is a hard to find, 1 pounder solid shot. It matches the diameter of 1.95 and weight of 1 lb. that the Civil War shot tables show, and it is 100% perfectly round. It was found in Warren County Mississippi.

I only know of one cannon off the top of my head that fired something like this, and that is the British Falconet. Because this was not found on a revolutionary war, or war of 1812 site, perhaps a Confederate Guerrilla group had one of these antiquated cannon and projectiles? Hard to say.

 

[redbob]

In the early days of trade on the Mississippi River (where Warren County/Vicksburg is located), it wasn't unusual for flatboats/riverboats plying the river to have small cannon (possibly military surplus) for protection against Native Americans or River Pirates; perhaps this ball came from one of these.

 

[DixieRifles]

Here is a hard to find, 1 pounder solid shot. It matches the diameter of 1.95 and weight of 1 lb.

That is cool. Is there any chance it was used in a canister round for a 64-pounder or such? I have googled to see what sizes were fired by different guns and it got quite complicated and confusing to me.

 

[Ethan S.]

That is cool. Is there any chance it was used in a canister round for a 64-pounder or such? I have googled to see what sizes were fired by different guns and it got quite complicated and confusing to me.

I've never heard of a 64 pounder before, but I highly doubt this is a canister ball. It matches 100% a 1 pounder solid shot, and has no manufacturing defects like canister usually exhibit.

 

[DixieRifles]

I've never heard of a 64 pounder before, but I highly doubt this is a canister ball.

I know there are solid shot balls and the molded balls with seams. Canister rounds doesn't have to be that precise as a shot. I don't know but I assume that they made canister and grape using what ever material was readily available.

Another question that came to me was how precise were the solid shot rounds? Or using modern engineering language, what was the tolerances on the diameter of these shot? Did they even have instruments that could measure to the 1/1000- inch?

 

[Ethan S.]

I am not educated enough to give a good answer, but I think a solid shot could be off by a teeny tiny little bit less than listed, but NEVER Bigger, even by a little bit. Anything bigger than what is listed on the shot tables would blow up a cannon, killing the crew.

Descriptions of solid shot for smoothbore guns​
Caliber designation​	Bore Diameter in inches​	Diameter of shot in inches​	Weight in pounds (Shot)​	Weight in pounds (Shell)​	Mean weight in pounds (Case shot)​
1-Pdr.		1.95	1
3-Pdr.	2.9	2.84	3.05
4-Pdr.	3.2	3.12	4.07
6-Pdr.	3.67	3.58	6.1		3.22
9-Pdr.	4.20	4.10	9.14
12-Pdr.	4.62	4.52	12.25	8.34	6.22
18-Pdr.	5.30	5.17	18.3	13.45	9.27
24-Pdr.	5.82	5.68	24.3	16.8	12.32
32-Pdr.	6.40	6.25	32.4	22.5	16.12
42-Pdr.	7.0	6.84	42.5	31.3	20.73
8-inch	8.0	7.88	65	44.12 (Mortar) 49.75 (Gun)	30.36
9-inch	9.0	8.87	88	70
10-inch	10.0	9.87	127.5	88.42 (Mortar) 101.67 (Gun)
11-inch	11.0	10.87	165	132
12-inch	12.0	11.87	222
13-inch	13.0	12.87	282.84	197.3 (Mortar) Model 1841
15-inch	15.0	14.85	400 (varies)	330 (varies)

Descriptions of solid iron balls used in stands of grape​
Caliber designation​	Allowable diameters in inches​	Mean weight in pounds​
12-Pdr.	2.02-2.06	1.14
18-Pdr.	2.36-2.40	1.8
24-Pdr.	2.60-2.64	2.4
32-Pdr.	2.86-2.90	3.15
42-Pdr.	3.13-3.17	4.2
8-inch	3.54-3.60	6.1

Descriptions of solid iron balls used in canister​
Caliber designation​	Allowable diameters in inches​	Mean weight in pounds​
6-Pdr. Gun	1.14-1.17	.21
12-Pdr. Mountain Howitzer	.69 lead musket balls
12-Pdr. Field Howitzer	1.05-1.08	.16
12-Pdr. Gun	1.46-1.49	.43
18-Pdr. Gun	1.67-1.70	.64
24-Pdr. Gun	1.84-1.87	.86
24-Pdr. Howitzer	1.32-1.35	.32
32-Pdr. Gun	2.02-2.06	1.14
32-Pdr. Howitzer	1.46-1.49	.43
42-Pdr. Gun	2.22-2.26	1.5
8-inch Siege Howitzer	1.84-1.87	.86

Cannon Bore Diameters Foreign and/or pre-1860 bore and projectile diameters will vary from this table​
Caliber designation​	Bore diameters in inches​	Projectile diameter in inches​
3-Pdr. Gun	2.9	2.84
4-Pdr. Gun	3.2	3.12
6-Pdr. Gun	3.67	3.58
9-Pdr. Gun	4.20	4.10
12-Pdr. Gun	4.62	4.52
18-Pdr. Gun	5.3	5.17
24-Pdr. Gun	5.82	5.68
32-Pdr. Gun	6.40	6.25
42-Pdr. Gun	7.0	6.84

 

[DixieRifles]

but I think a solid shot could be off by a teeny tiny little bit less than listed, but NEVER Bigger, even by a little bit.

Need better quality control than "tiny little bit". That table is good info and has the tolerances that run +/- 0.02 in the 2nd table and +/- 0.015 inch for the 3rd table. There is no tolerances stated for the 1st and 4th tables. There had to be some variation. Could they measure smaller than 1/100th Inch?

So if I had a 1.55 inch diameter steel shot, then this tables says the only cannon that used it was a 32-lb in a canister round. Right?
There have been at least five(5) examples of 1.5+ inch diameter steel shot dug up here in our town.

 

[DixieRifles]

Do you also have the Dia and Weight for standard Shot Sizes; i.e., No. 1, 2, .....9, 10 ?

 

[Ethan S.]

Good grief, I'm terrible at math, and this has already got me sweating.

I have no clue what they measured them with, unless it was one of these rings.

If the ball passed freely through the ring for it's size, it was good. If the ball got stuck, or had trouble fitting, it was no good.

 

[Ethan S.]

Do you also have the Dia and Weight for standard Shot Sizes; i.e., No. 1, 2, .....9, 10 ?

I am not the one who made this table, so I couldn't tell you. If you mean grape and canister, they are not listed because I don't think there were any.

 

[CWH1234]

Nice Find, Maybe I need to start metal detecting in the battlefield as well.

 

[DixieRifles]

I am not the one who made this table, so I couldn't tell you. If you mean grape and canister, they are not listed because I don't think there were any.

The Artillery Manual---I can't find the PDF copy that I downloaded---contains a table for standard shot sizes. They were manufactured in various standard sizes so someone could order a specific size to load in a cannon. I think the No. 10 was a 10 ounce. So I'm guessing the size number was the approximate weight of the round.

 

[UCVRelics]

I would say its from an 8 inch stand of grape. Several of the timberclads at Vicksburg had 8 inch guns and there are records of them firing both the 8 and 11 inch grape.

 

[Ethan S.]

I would say its from an 8 inch stand of grape. Several of the timberclads at Vicksburg had 8 inch guns and there are records of them firing both the 8 and 11 inch grape.

8 Inch is pretty close, but I just don't see the manufacturing signs that lead to grapeshot.

 

[DixieRifles]

If the ball passed freely through the ring for it's size, it was good. If the ball got stuck, or had trouble fitting, it was no good.

Good possibility. There are tools made to do this that are called Go/No-Go Gauges. They would have one for the smallest Diameter and one tool for the largest acceptable diameter.
For the cannon that I was researching, the OR's reported the caliber to the 4th decimal place! Or: X.XXXX
Could they measure things that precisely back then?

I found the table I was searching for!!
I thought the table included a Size Number. This gives a comparison of Weight vs. Diameter.

Here is one of the crusty cannon balls found here.

 

[DixieRifles]

Several of the timberclads at Vicksburg had 8 inch guns and there are records of them firing both the 8 and 11 inch grape.

But the table doesn't list a grape for a 11-inch gun. Can you explain that using the above Tables?

 

[Ethan S.]

Good possibility. There are tools made to do this that are called Go/No-Go Gauges. They would have one for the smallest Diameter and one tool for the largest acceptable diameter.
For the cannon that I was researching, the OR's reported the caliber to the 4th decimal place! Or: X.XXXX
Could they measure things that precisely back then?

I found the table I was searching for!!
I thought the table included a Size Number. This gives a comparison of Weight vs. Diameter.
View attachment 327312

Here is one of the crusty cannon balls found here.
View attachment 327311

Rusty cannon/grape/canister balls are my favorites...

 

[UCVRelics]

But the table doesn't list a grape for a 11-inch gun. Can you explain that using the above Tables?

They may have been the same size but there was an 11inch grape.

Heavy Artillery: Spherical, Canister and Stands of Grape

 

[UCVRelics]

Rusty cannon/grape/canister balls are my favorites...

I like digging them all.

 

[Ethan S.]

I like digging them all.
View attachment 327327

Gee whiz man, I'm jealous!

I've gotten the iron bug after watching too many Aquachigger videos. Through family collaboration, I am getting a Hotchkiss nose for my birthday coming in a few days, and if I make any money on some of my bottles on ebay, I might just be able to buy a cheap Parrot.