Identify this bullet, found while metal detecting. - Page 1

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Identify this bullet, found while metal detecting.

Posted: 4/25/2017 7:59:18 PM EDT

I decided to metal detect around my Dad's house, knowing I wouldn't find much of interest.

The front yard has yielded clad coinage and various other junk in the past as expected.

I figured I'd do the entire back yard today, about a fifth of an acre. The house was built in '68. It's the house I grew up in, and it's 45 miles south of Chicago. Residential area and surrounding subdivisions with the Kankakee river about 3/4 of a mile away.

Besides the trash metal, I found four Lincoln pennies, a nickel, a clad dime and quarter.

We also found this bullet, about 4"-5" down. It's measuring at 7.62mm-7.65mm and 82 grains. Five-groove rifling and nicely oxidized as you can see. The base has an odd relief, almost as if it were cut from a casting sprue.

Anyone have an idea of what chambering it may be?

Pictures coming.

Attached File

Attached File

Thanks

Posted: 4/25/2017 8:00:38 PM EDT

[#1]

Looks like a minie ball

Posted: 4/25/2017 8:02:37 PM EDT

[#2]

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Quoted:
Looks like a minie ball

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yup

Posted: 4/25/2017 8:03:15 PM EDT

[#3]

Quote History

Quoted:
Looks like a minie ball

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this

Posted: 4/25/2017 8:03:51 PM EDT

[#4]

Looks like a Confederate Bullet.

Here (Just a website I found)

Posted: 4/25/2017 8:03:53 PM EDT

[#5]

Given the diameter and weight, I'd say it's from one of the various .32 cal revolver cartridges that were popular in the past (.32 S&W Short/ Long, or .32 Rimfire).

Posted: 4/25/2017 8:04:04 PM EDT

[#6]

Dirty Lead One

Posted: 4/25/2017 8:04:22 PM EDT

[#7]

Quote History

Quoted:
Looks like a minie ball

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.30 caliber?

Posted: 4/25/2017 8:05:47 PM EDT

[#8]

Pistol bullet. Not a Minnie Ball.

Posted: 4/25/2017 8:05:57 PM EDT

[#9]

Quote History

Quoted:
Looks like a minie ball

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That came to mind, but I didn't know 30 caliber was used. I thought it was 36 caliber as one of them during the civil war.

Posted: 4/25/2017 8:06:24 PM EDT

[#10]

.32 Smith and Wesson it isn't a Minnie ball because the base isn't hollow.

Posted: 4/25/2017 8:06:38 PM EDT

[#11]

Quote History

Quoted:
Looks like a minie ball

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Minie balls have a holow base. Not a minie.

Posted: 4/25/2017 8:07:07 PM EDT

[#12]

Quote History

Quoted:
Given the diameter and weight, I'd say it's from one of the various .32 cal revolver cartridges that were popular in the past (.32 S&W Short/ Long, or .32 Rimfire).

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That sounds like a good guess.

Posted: 4/25/2017 8:07:08 PM EDT

[#13]

Quote History

Quoted:
.30 caliber?

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Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:
Looks like a minie ball

.30 caliber?

Couldn't tell ya other than it looks like every other minie ball I've ever seen.

Posted: 4/25/2017 8:09:06 PM EDT

[#14]

Looks like your run of the mill round nose .38.

Posted: 4/25/2017 8:10:34 PM EDT

[#15]

This is definitely 30 caliber. Not 32 caliber.

Attached File

Posted: 4/25/2017 8:12:34 PM EDT

[#16]

Posted: 4/25/2017 8:16:32 PM EDT

[#17]

I've seen guys make light bullets like that to shoot out of their 03s.

about 1000 ft per second, some are stupid accurate

Posted: 4/25/2017 8:18:48 PM EDT

[#18]

Quote History

Quoted:
This is definitely 30 caliber. Not 32 caliber.
https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/156871/image-195370.JPG

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32 S&W is a .312 bullet

That is a bullet from a 32 S&W/Colt

Posted: 4/25/2017 8:21:10 PM EDT

[#19]

Quote History

Quoted:
32 SW is a .312 bullet

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Yep, good point.

I'm leaning toward the .32 pistol idea.

I'm guessing it got here from someone shooting up in the air 30+ years ago. Just a guess though.

Posted: 4/25/2017 8:24:20 PM EDT

[#20]

That's not a Minie, as others have said, no hollow base. That is what defines a Minie. Also, I'm fairly sure they won't made in small calibers.

That looks like a simple cast pistol bullet, or as someone else said, a .30 rifle bullet. Guys do that.

Posted: 4/25/2017 8:29:50 PM EDT

[#21]

Looks like a cast lead .30 Carbine bullet. It's not really shaped right for a pistol bullet.

Posted: 4/25/2017 11:18:04 PM EDT

[#22]

Depending on the actual accuracy of your calipers, it may be from a .32-20. The bullet weight is in the correct range for sure.

Posted: 4/25/2017 11:26:23 PM EDT

[#23]

Quote History

Quoted:
.32 Smith and Wesson it isn't a Minnie ball because the base isn't hollow.

View Quote

This

Posted: 4/25/2017 11:27:11 PM EDT

[#24]

Quote History

Quoted:
That's not a Minie, as others have said, no hollow base. That is what defines a Minie. Also, I'm fairly sure they won't made in small calibers.

That looks like a simple cast pistol bullet, or as someone else said, a .30 rifle bullet. Guys do that.

View Quote

Correct, Hollow base=Minie ball

Posted: 4/25/2017 11:28:55 PM EDT

[#25]

Quote History

Quoted:
Minie balls have a holow base. Not a minie.

View Quote View All Quotes

View All Quotes

Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:
Looks like a minie ball

Minie balls have a holow base. Not a minie.

was going to post this

Posted: 4/25/2017 11:39:10 PM EDT

[#26]

.32 rimfire?

Posted: 4/25/2017 11:40:35 PM EDT

[#27]

I have some 32 colt short and it looks slightly different and also weighs a little bit more.

Posted: 4/25/2017 11:45:49 PM EDT

[#28]

Now what.32 has 5 groove rifling?

Posted: 4/25/2017 11:59:38 PM EDT

[#29]

Quote History

Quoted:
Correct, Hollow base=Minie ball

View Quote View All Quotes

View All Quotes

Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:
That's not a Minie, as others have said, no hollow base. That is what defines a Minie. Also, I'm fairly sure they won't made in small calibers.

That looks like a simple cast pistol bullet, or as someone else said, a .30 rifle bullet. Guys do that.

Correct, Hollow base=Minie ball

They actually had wooden plugs in the bases of at least some Minie balls, my father-in-law has several in his collection like that (he used to do a LOT of metal detecting years ago).

Posted: 4/26/2017 12:06:09 AM EDT

[#30]

It's the bullet Al Pacino used in Heat.

Or a dikfer. Or a henway.

Posted: 4/26/2017 12:13:54 AM EDT

[#31]

Quote History

Quoted:
.32 rimfire?

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9inNNdoG50o/VoV9qzxaJwI/AAAAAAAARz8/-qAZXI94teg/s1600/2015-12-31%2B11_09_13-32Colt-Marlin1905Catalogjpg.jpg

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Looks like a very good possibility.

Posted: 4/26/2017 12:20:25 AM EDT

[#32]

Quote History

Quoted:
.32 rimfire?

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9inNNdoG50o/VoV9qzxaJwI/AAAAAAAARz8/-qAZXI94teg/s1600/2015-12-31%2B11_09_13-32Colt-Marlin1905Catalogjpg.jpg

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Winnah, winnah chicken dinnah.

Posted: 4/26/2017 12:53:12 AM EDT

[#33]

Attached File

Posted: 4/26/2017 1:00:59 AM EDT

[#34]

Sorry OP, but I spent a month in the Kankakee area last year for work and you guys have the absolute worst BBQ in the world. It's the only time I've ever got up and walked away from a plate of meat.

Cool find in the yard, but I'll always see your avatar and think of crappy BBQ now.

Posted: 4/26/2017 1:13:12 AM EDT

[#35]

Quote History

Quoted:
Now what.32 has 5 groove rifling?

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Smith and Wesson used a 5 groove rifling pattern for many years in their handguns.

Posted: 4/26/2017 1:46:27 AM EDT

[#36]

Quote History

Quoted:

Couldn't tell ya other than it looks like every other minie ball I've ever seen.

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Except waaaaay smaller, with a solid base.

Posted: 4/26/2017 1:49:59 AM EDT

[#37]

This has me wondering how many people who have commented have actually seen a Minie ball... That is obviously not a Minie ball. Minie balls were much larger than that.

Posted: 4/26/2017 2:03:58 AM EDT

[#38]

Quote History

Quoted:
This has me wondering how many people who have commented have actually seen a Minie ball... That is obviously not a Minie ball. Minie balls were much larger than that.

View Quote

Absolutely. I laughed at the idea. I have a Minie ball on my desk--measures .575", my 500 grain scale won't quite weigh it, and the hollow in the base extends just over half the full length.

Posted: 4/26/2017 3:37:48 AM EDT

[#39]

Quote History

Quoted:
Sorry OP, but I spent a month in the Kankakee area last year for work and you guys have the absolute worst BBQ in the world. It's the only time I've ever got up and walked away from a plate of meat.

Cool find in the yard, but I'll always see your avatar and think of crappy BBQ now.

View Quote

I'm actually 20 miles from Kankakee...although the river runs through my town.

You didn't eat at Bulls, did you?

Posted: 4/26/2017 3:47:18 AM EDT

[#40]

Quote History

Quoted:
This is definitely 30 caliber. Not 32 caliber.
https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/156871/image-195370.JPG

View Quote

.32 is still .30. (FYI .32 ACP and 7.65 Browning are the same cartridge). If you fire a .30 caliber round out of a .30 caliber barrel it will not engage the rifleing and tumble down range. Bullets are all oversized so that they can "bite" the rifling, after fireing they will match the bore because they wil have been swaged down. An unfired .32 is just that .32, but after firing it is swaged down to .30.

Way back when some manufacturers named cartridges by the bullet diameter, not the bore diameter.

Posted: 4/26/2017 3:49:06 AM EDT

[#41]

Posted: 4/26/2017 5:14:42 AM EDT

[#42]

My guess is one of the .30cal Rook rifles.

Posted: 4/26/2017 5:49:44 AM EDT

[#43]

.30 Luger bullet?

Posted: 4/26/2017 6:41:31 AM EDT

[#44]

32 S&W rim fire, they used a heel based bullet like 22 rim fire which is why the base looks odd. Neat find and likely to have been in the ground a long time.

Posted: 4/26/2017 9:15:26 AM EDT

[#45]

Quote History

Quoted:
This has me wondering how many people who have commented have actually seen a Minie ball... That is obviously not a Minie ball. Minie balls were much larger than that.

View Quote

LOL, yeah. That isn't a Minie ball.