I had a similar experience with an old .22 short (single shot). I ended up
using a pocket knife to dig the spent cartridge out of the chamber. Though
at the time I wasn't viewing such activities with an archaeological eye, I
would imagine that the cartridges I dug out this way would be crimped or
actually have a cut mark just above the head.
Tom
W. Thomas Langhorne, Jr., Ph.D.
Pre-Health Professions Advisor, AB G18
Adjunct Assistant Professor-Anthropology
Binghamton University
PO Box 6000
Binghamton, NY 13902-6000
phone 607.777.6305 fax 607.777.2721
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-----Original Message-----
From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of David
Parkhill
Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2009 8:54 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Cartridge Case Question
The .22 rifle as well as other models of firearms have an ejector on
the bolt that sometimes breaks or is worn down when used excessively.
Folks in rural America sat on their porches and plinked for the fun
of it. I know I did as well as shooting skunks, varmits and just for
fun. I had an old single shot .22 that misfired quite a bit and I had
to dig the shell out. Sometimes the firing chamber became worn and
the cartridge did not seat as it should. Again, I had to dig the darn
casing out. Sometimes the shorts didn't fire and that was a cause for
digging the case out; however, you needed to wait a few minutes for
the weapon to REALLY make up its mind. That was called a misfire and
it was an exciting moment!!!!!
DP
At 07:07 AM 2/11/2009, you wrote:
>Hello all,
>
>We did some work recently at an 1830s plantation house in North
>Carolina. We recovered a fairly large number of cartridge cases from
>what appears to be an early 20th century deposit. It was located just
>off of the front porch, so it looks like they were sitting on the porch
>and plinking. There were some unusual calibers, including several .32
>Winchester Self-Loading Rifle and .22 Winchester Automatic. The most
>unusual thing though, was that there were more than a dozen .22 short
>and .22 long cases that appear to have been jabbed with a knife. The
>cut goes through one wall of the case and runs lengthwise just above the
>rim.
>
>Is this just random behavior indicative of boredom or is there more to
>it than that?
>
>Someone suggested that the cases were sticking in the person's gun and
>they used the knife to remove the case. That makes some sense, but
>there isn't enough space between the edge of the cut and the mouth of
>the case on the .22 shorts for it to be stuck. I can't imagine how they
>managed to get the things to stay still while they punched the hole in
>them. Risky indeed to hold something that small and stab it with enough
>force to puncture the case!
>
>I plan to try it myself as soon as I have a chance to create some empty
>.22 cases, but in the meantime, I'd like to hear from the group.
>
>Thanks!
>
>Paul G. Avery, RPA
>Senior Archaeologist
>MACTEC Engineering and Consulting
>9725 Cogdill Road
>Knoxville, TN 37932
>Phone: (865) 588-8544x1169
>Fax: (865) 588-8026
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