Hi Jake, and the rest of the world: Just curious, how do we recognize "Brown Bess" musket balls as opposed to all the other national muskets from the same time period? Also, have you considered that manipulation of the surface texture of these projectiles might have been to insure clothing debris was drawn into the wound and thus improve the lethality of the shot. Love to talk guns and ammunition with anyone, "chuck" Adkins Jake Ivey <[log in to unmask]> on 01/10/2000 06:13:58 AM Please respond to HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY <[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask] cc: (bcc: Charles Adkins/NFO/AK/BLM/DOI) Subject: Re: Manipulated Munitions on Revolutionary War Sites Excavations at the 1836 battle of the Alamo, where a variety of small arms were used dating from the late 1700s on, have found a number of altered lead balls for musket and rifle. Rifle balls were frequently cut in half, or quarters, leaving the last bits still attached to hold them together until fired, and musket balls (about half of them Brown Bess) cut in half. Literally cut -- knife striations visible on the cut facrs. Also, of course, the usual other uses, hammered flat for button replacements and the like. One peculiar use we found frequently was the use of a musket or rifle ball soldered onto the end of the cone-shaped sleeve covering the point of a bayonet scabbard, replacing the brass knob that had apparently been broken off. Jake.