6 inch 30lb, is it a cannon ball?

Since you didn't say anything about it being a hollow shell, I presume we're talking about a solid iron ball.

Your description of the ball does not match up with any of the (well-documented) diameters and weights for actual cannonballs. According to the 1861 US Ordnance Department specifications (view them online at http://www.civilwarartillery.com/shottables.htm ) the closest actual cannonball to yours weighs 32.4 pounds and is exactly 6.25-inches in diameter.

Actual cannonballs are as round as a ball-bearing. Some of them may show a small LINEAR mold-seam, but other than that, they have no bumps, no lumps, no flat spots, flat bands, no ridges. They're perfectly round ...not "round-ish" like a grape or an apple.

If a SOLID "maybe-cannonball" is indeed round like a ball-bearing, the next test is for you to check its exact weight with a truly accurate scale ...a household bathroom scale won't be accurate enough. If it's not within a couple of ounces of one of the weights given in the Ordnance Manual, it's not an actual cannonball. If it does weigh the correct amount, then check its diameter for a match with the Ordnance Department diameter-specifications.

Regards,
Pete [PCGeorge]
 
It's important that you measure and weigh the projectile accurately.

If the projectile is 6.041 inches in diameter and about 30 pounds, my records reveal it could be a French 26-pounder. The French used a different system of weights and so 26-pounds of that era (1780) would be about 29.31 American pounds.

This is a heavy French projectile and it is unlikely it could have been fired by the French in Ohio, but it is the only projectile in my records that comes close to that diameter and weight. However, it could be a discarded souvenir, depending on where you found it.

I really suspect that if you carefully measure the projectile with calipers that it will be closer to about 6.25-inches in diameter. While a new shot would weigh about 32.5 pounds, with corrosion it's possible the weight has been reduced to about 30 pounds.

Hope this helps.

JFB (ColJFB@Aol.com)
 
IMG00107.jpg


I put two books on each side and then ran a ruler across the top, and it looks to be 6 1/8 in size. It is very round, with no visible seams, and weighs 34.84 lbs...
 
FreeEnterprise wrote:
>it looks to be 6 1/8 in size. It is very round, with no visible seams, and weighs 34.84 lbs...

Thank you for the effort of getting an extra-precise weight measurement.

The Ordnance Manual tells us that a 6.25"-diameter perfect sphere which is solid (no cavity) and made of cast-iron will weigh 32.4 pounds.
Weighing more than that is impossible, unless it contains a metal heavier than iron.
Your ball is 6.125" and weighs 34.84 lbs. Thus, it is SMALLER but weighs about 1.5 pounds MORE than the Ordnance Manual's specs for a
32-pounder caliber Solid Shot.
This means your ball is made of Steel, not cast-iron. (Steel is a "denser" alloy of iron, thus it weighs a bit more.)
There never was such a thing as a steel cannonball. Your steel ball is an ore-crusher ball from the Mining Industry.
Steel balls were used because that metal is "tougher" than cast-iron, important when you want to crush ore-bearing stone, such as Granite.
Here's a link to a book about ore-grinding in the Mining Industry, with a photo of the ore-crushing/grinding balls in the huge machine.
http://books.google.com/books?id=Kj7PSO ... #PPA102,M1

Regards,
Pete [P.C. George]
 
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