Guess the round

[OliverWendellHolmes]

Hey all,

I posted this in the relics and uniform forum and didn't get a bite so maybe it was more appropriate here.


I started relic hunting this year at an 1861 Federal camp on the north bank of the Potomac. I've been having a great time and found a bunch of stuff that may be run of the mill for more experienced relic hunters but has gotten me stoked. I've come across a few things I can't place though and was hoping you guys might know what they are.
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The first, the Minie Ball is for comparative purposes but do you know what these other rounds are?
The second is a rock(?) that was inches from the two larger rounds next to the minie ball, sets off my detector (when the discriminator is very low), and just seems too perfectly oval to not be something. Ever run across
something like this?
The third is brass, about an inch long, and the hollow portion of the end is bout 1/8th of an inch deep.

Thanks so much for looking.

 

[OliverWendellHolmes]

I also dug these today, again the minie ball for comparison. Do you know what the round next to it is? is that a percussion cap (also in 3rd photo) and is this .22 (.25?) CW era? how would I tell. (the 2nd photo is the bottom of the cartridge) thanks in advance.
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[Frederick14Va]

The first post photos.. kinda difficult to tell exactly with these based on a single photo, but the two smaller ones appear could be pistol rounds... the next two elongated objects appear to possibly be what is known as a picket bullet... a common hunting bullet of the era..

Second posting... the projectile next to the minie could be a pistol or carbine bullet depending on what caliber it might be determined to be and what the base looks like..... may or may not be civil war vintage... The object at top is a modern 22 long rifle rimfire cartridge... the head stamp is a script "W" for Western Cartridge Company.. There is a firing pin mark on the rim so most likely was a misfire and discarded... The bottom object appears to be brass... it is not a percussion cap... which would have a flush solid top and the sides would have slits/wings... so when fired it flares out and doesn't get stuck on the cone/nipple.... first impression is that it appears to be a pull nib end that people used to knot on the end of a pull string for turning on/off an overhead ceiling electrical light fixture.... but could be a stray part off of anything...

Its not uncommon when relic hunting that you might find assorted objects spanning a wide date range... Because a location is noted to have civil war era history... rarely means that's the only time period objects you might find there.... Most post war... but occasionally might find objects that predate the war equally interesting.... Years go while steadily working a civil war battlefield site in Virginia... suddenly started finding rather unusual objects and strange buttons... soon learned that we had discovered a large War of 1812 encampment site.... dead in the middle of a civil war battlefield area.... In another area one of my relic hunting pards at the time started finding some strange looking stamped metal tags... didn't understand the writing on them... a bit of research discovered the area was used as a German POW camp during WW2.... they were German soldier dog tags.... again found in a known active civil war site....

 

[Old Hickory]

The bottom object in the second photo is what's known as a battery cup primer for modern shotgun shells. They're used in both paper and plastic shot shells from .410 bore to 8 gauge, and some modern inline muzzle loaders.

 

[reading48]

Interesting response...

 

[OliverWendellHolmes]

Great info, thanks so much!

 

[Southron]

Yep, the most logical conclusion about the shotgun shell primer is that it was used by a modern deer hunter. He either discarded it during the reloading process or IF it is unfired, then he probably accidentally dropped it and lost it.

In-Line Muzzleloaders have only been around since the mid to late 1970's-so, they are not very "historic."