Bullet Question

[Steve4050]

Found this bullet yesterday and a couple of questions came to mind: 1. When these three ringers were fired did the act of firing the bullet compress the rings together? Or is this a different type of bullet? 2. I believe that the flattened top of this bullet was the result of it being rammed in the barrel heavily? Any help would be appreciated!5027550276

[fyrffytr1]

I have never seen a rammed bullet with a flat top like yours and, yes, firing can deform the rings. Just guessing but judging by the penny it looks like you have a 69 caliber bullet. One possible explanation for the tip is that the bullet was "nose" cast and when the sprue was removed it left the flat tip. Can you post a picture of the base?

[MangoAve]

...Well if you are already assuming the bullet was fired (which if it was from a shell type bullet then it obviously was fired) then the bullet would be deformed. Whether it hit the dirt or any other surface, it would be. That abrupt change where it goes from conical shape to cylindrical is what is making me question. The three ringers were more pointed and domed and the tapering was subtle.

[Steve4050]

Here are a couple of more pictures of that bullet. It's more of the size of maybe a .58 caliber? I'm not that knowledgeable on bullets and don't have a way to measure it yet. 5028150282

[fyrffytr1]

A penny is about .75 caliber. A dime is .70. If your bullet will set inside a dime it is probably .58 caliber. If it is almost even with a dime it's a .69. On another note, you can get a good set of digital calipers from almost any auto parts store for around $20.00. They are an invaluable tool for the detectorist. I tend to disagree with mangoave that this was a shelled bullet, if, by shelled, he means a metal shell casing. I think it was a paper casing similar to the one pictured below. And please ignore the plaid appearnce, it is in the photo editing software I use.