Lock Door Plate Impacted by a Bullet??

[Tom Hughes]

Okay, I may be way off the beaten path on this one, but I was cleaning up the old door lock plate I found a few weeks ago at the old ghost town. If you will notice, it has been noticeably impacted above one of the lock holes. What I'm curious about is whether or not the impact could've been caused by a bullet impact.
I can't help but think about the old western movies where people would take their pistol and shoot open a lock. Who knows?
Let me know what you think. I've got several images with different angles here:

 

[Mrs. V]

Very interesting. The one picture does look like it shows a bullet impact. Of what time frame, I have no clue.

 

[major bill]

Thank you for posting this. I am no expert in bullet impacts, but it looks like something hit the door lock plate.

 

[Tom Hughes]

Very interesting. The one picture does look like it shows a bullet impact. Of what time frame, I have no clue.

I'm sure this lock dates from early to mid 19th century. From where it was found on the site, it probably came off a door to a store.
The town was founded in 1830.
Ironically, I did find a cap and ball pistol bullet at the site.

 

[Tom Hughes]

Very interesting. The one picture does look like it shows a bullet impact. Of what time frame, I have no clue.

Actually, I just did a search on the internet and found a similar style lock from the 1700's...It's from the Ft. McHenry site:

 

[Pete Longstreet]

It's hard to tell... but it does look like a bullet hole. The entry point seems to be elongated where the bullet would make contact, then "mushroom" on impact. The exit portion of the hole flares out where then curls a bit, which is an indication of something went through at a high velocity. This is all based on my experience with firearms and the pictures you attached. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Tom Hughes]

It's hard to tell... but it does look like a bullet hole. The entry point seems to be elongated where the bullet would make contact, then "mushroom" on impact. The exit portion of the hole flares out where then curls a bit, which is an indication of something went through at a high velocity. This is all based on my experience with firearms and the pictures you attached. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks Pete!