KRD -
A few points:
1. Having been a Rev War re-enactor when the fashion was in vogue, lead
musket balls don't rust. You are correct in that in humid weather, the
powder turns to an oily gunk that would coat the ball, so it would not
likely have picked up any iron traces from the barrell as it traveled down
the bore. Should have left no deposit for iron staining.
2. I worked at several of David Starbuck's 18th century military site
digs, and have never seen a rusted musket ball.
3. I still think that the lead ball would flatten much more on impact with
the skull, fracturing it much more than the bolt would.
4. One way to reslove this would be to measure the diameter of the hole,
and see if it fits a bolt of the period, or whatever size shot would likely
have been used then.
FCB
"Doms, Keith"
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I think I remember there a mention of a small three pounder cannon with
the Conquistadors. I am no expert. Ok, grape shot then, is as old as
artillery. The arrow and crossbow bolt wounds I have seen from Visbee
in Denmark and from England are square if the bolt has not fully
penetrated. If the quarrel did not pass clean through the skull, I
would expect
The exit wound should be square. If the bolt passed clean through
(ewwwhh!) then there could be a round or ragged exit wound. Iron traces
from the quarrel head is possible.
The musket ball is probably going to have more powder residue than any
rust after the first shot or two.
KRD
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KRD -
Canon?!
I wonder how many of those were floating around in Peru at the time?
Besides, I don't think cannister was around at that time.
Perhaps this could be the results of a crossbow bolt, a much more common
weapon at the time?
From examples I've seen from purported Coronado sites, the head was
quite
bullet like, and could have made as clean a wound as we were shown.
In fact, how would the wound have differed if it was from a crossbow
bolt
rather than from a gun? I'd ventrue that the musket(?) ball would have
shattered the skull upon impact as it flattened more than the
streamlined
bolt would have.
The beat goes on!
FCB
Lakewood, CO
"Doms, Keith"
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Ahh, but canister rounds are typically iron. True a cannon is not a
musket. It still hints at a European weapon. Reporters are not the
most informed folks. The reporter also states "... punching a piece of
bone from outside to inside...". How else could a wound be made?
KRD
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How would a lead musket ball produce iron stains?
Show all work.
Carl Barna
Lakewood, CO
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