Help Identifying This Please

[Zewlander]

Hello Forum,

I found this while metal detecting an old gold mining area. Was 3" down and on the side of a road,

I know was continuously used by horses and stagecoaches.

I think it's a saddle stud, maybe a gun belt, regular belt, etc?

Thanks Brian

[joe59]

looks like a spent bullet

[Zewlander]

Thanks Joe,

But this is copper, I should have put it in the OP.

Thanks, Brian

[shtoink]

It's the copper jacket left over from a spent bullet. I don't know enough to be able to identify it, but it looks like it's from a rifle and may have been FMJ.

Here are some more images...

A forum page dedicated to it.

Collage 1 and Collage 2

While searching, I noticed some people making jewelery from the spent rounds and selling them on Etsy. Weird...

Edited April 8, 2014 by shtoink

[Zewlander]

Ok, I seriously stand committed (corrected) now....also, sorry Joe.

Thanks, Shtoink (won't even try to guess what that's an acronym for).

Looking at the images in that link, that looks exactly like what it is.

1st glance I thought those images were pretty metal flower art...hah hah.

Almost a testament to how rough it was back in those days, this was found right where I know

they had their main operations at.

Thanks, all

Happy Leathering

Edited April 8, 2014 by Zewlander

[shtoink]

Thanks, Shtoink (won't even try to guess what that's an acronym for).

Not an acronym, but still worth an explanation. For the record, Team Fortress Class released in 1999, so I've had it a while.

Also, no problems...

Edited April 8, 2014 by shtoink

[Zewlander]

Ok, got it.

Going to measure the diam of that casing, may get me close to a date.

Thanks

[blue duck]

This is just someone out plinking with a gun. And they go odd places. This is a copper jacket from a bullet, the lead is no longer inside of it. Usually a hollow point will make that pretty flower petal look. I don't think it is very old or even a year old. If you can measure it you can tell the diameter of the bullet, but may or may not tell you what caliber the gun was.

[Zewlander]

I'm not going to try to 2nd guess anyone's theory at this point, especially after I completely missed the

whole jacket thing to begin with and I have guns also, incl an SKS.

However, when it comes to finding things w/a metal detector:

I found this at 3"-4" down and in solid ground, this dirt had not been disturbed in a very long time.

The ground is/was dry so that oxidation would have taken a while to materialize.

This site/area has absolutely no traffic, as it is in a very remote location in the Sierras.

But as I said, I'm not going to try to 2nd guess anyone else's theory.

Thanks, Brian

BTW I haven't measured it yet, but this would be one of the smallest diameter rounds, next to

a 22 I've ever seen.

Edited April 8, 2014 by Zewlander

[LTC]

remember...that projectile didn't just drop there though. it had some force behind it when it went into the dirt.

[Zewlander]

That's true, but it was in level ground.

Whenever I shoot at something, it's elevated w/a dirt hillside behind it.

Conceivable someone could have fired it into the ground, but then where's the lead?

It does look mangled and not symmetrical.

BTW right at around 5mm.

Thanks for all the input, it's really of no monetary interest only historical.

Brian