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Hagley Park Cache
oroplata  
Posted : Monday, 26 March 2012 4:53:19 PM(UTC)
oroplata

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Only lead unfortunately :(

All out of one hole, about 8 inches down, right beside a path.

What are they? Projectiles?

One of the undamaged ones is 34 grams. 22 of them total.

Here's my first try at uploading a photo.

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oroplata  
Posted : Monday, 26 March 2012 4:54:30 PM(UTC)
oroplata

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Damn, I wanted the photo to actually show in the post. Do you have to supply a URL for that to work?

Diameter of the undamaged one is around 14-15mm

Edited by user Monday, 26 March 2012 4:59:23 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified
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Metal Kiwi  
Posted : Monday, 26 March 2012 5:37:52 PM(UTC)
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Originally Posted by: oroplata Go to Quoted Post

Only lead unfortunately :(

All out of one hole, about 8 inches down, right beside a path.

What are they? Projectiles?

One of the undamaged ones is 34 grams. 22 of them total.

Here's my first try at uploading a photo.



Hi Oroplata,

They look like .577 Enfield Musket rifle bullets the same as I have been finding lately.

I have a bit more info on my blog on the Armed Forces finds page.

Chris.
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oroplata  
Posted : Monday, 26 March 2012 6:48:12 PM(UTC)
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Wow! They do look the same.

Weird that they were all in one hole. Some fired, some not.

I might take them into the museum and see what they have to say.
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Nugget-Hunter  
Posted : Monday, 26 March 2012 8:40:46 PM(UTC)
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They look a bit like rivets, similar to the ones i have found at the goldfields used to make sluicing nozzle supply pipes. A tin sheet rolled into a pipe, single laier overlapping, then riveted with lead rivets and sealed with tar. Just a guess.
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tonznz  
Posted : Monday, 26 March 2012 8:54:26 PM(UTC)
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Metal kiwi is right. If you have digital scales they should weigh 29 grams or so. No lubricaation rings so look like 1853 enfield mini ball. Plenty of info on the net on them. Check this link for instance.

http://firearmshistory.b...-bore-and-whitworth.html
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Lammerlaw  
Posted : Monday, 26 March 2012 10:22:06 PM(UTC)
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Yes I also think that they are Enfield rifle projectiles but all fired including the near perfect one. It depends how much powder was used and what they hit as to how deformed they would become. If they hit steel they will deform more than if they miss the target and go into soft dirt or a sand backdrop and often they did have sand.
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nzpoohbear40  
Posted : Monday, 26 March 2012 10:39:02 PM(UTC)
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hi andrew...if you down size your pics to 500 pixcels they should just show up on the page like mine do...they also have to be in jpeg format...i use ulead photo express to downsize them in pixcels...then i upload them to here right from my pics file
Chris - Fisher Dealer http://www.puiakisupply.co.nz/
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rgmcbrid  
Posted : Tuesday, 27 March 2012 6:37:37 PM(UTC)
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I completely disagree, I think they are vertebrae from a dead alien that had lead rather than iron based blood. I would put them back where you found them in case other members of the swarm arrive on earth and take offence to you using their deceased comrade as a trophy. ...or yeah, they could be mini balls.
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Lammerlaw  
Posted : Tuesday, 27 March 2012 6:53:08 PM(UTC)
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If any have the plug still in the base then they will be minnie balls and I did not suggest that above due to the lack of any visible evidence of the plugs - It would be very interesting if they were Hunts Rocket Balls but that is next to highly improbable and if anyone had an early precursor to the products of the New Havens Arms Company, that is a Hunt rifle, a Jennings rifle, a Smith - Jennings, a Smith and Wesson (later sold these interests and founded the Smith and Wesson Arms Company) or a Volcanic arms then they would not blast of ammunition willy nilly as it would have been close to impossible to replace.

A bit of everything did come to New Zealand so it is not impossible but it is highly improbable.

I think it is more likely that they are merely hollow point projectiles but not Minnie bullets as such.

Note three projectiles below - Minnie type projectile unfired, Minnie type projectile fired, Hollow base bullet...and it looks just like your ones!

Edited by user Tuesday, 27 March 2012 7:00:05 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Lammerlaw attached the following image(s):
010 (450x337).jpg
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creamer  
Posted : Tuesday, 27 March 2012 7:30:49 PM(UTC)
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Originally Posted by: rgmcbrid Go to Quoted Post
I completely disagree, I think they are vertebrae from a dead alien that had lead rather than iron based blood. I would put them back where you found them in case other members of the swarm arrive on earth and take offence to you using their deceased comrade as a trophy. ...or yeah, they could be mini balls.

Crikey, i thought i was the only out of it .... on this site...

Edited by user Tuesday, 27 March 2012 7:31:45 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

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