My dad found this...

[PinesAndProjectiles]

He was putting in a new gas line and stumbled across this. His house was built in the early fifties.

It's definitely steel and is pretty rusted. I wasn't aware anyone made steel bullets, unless the copper jacket has completely corroded, but I'm not thinking that's the case.

Any ideas?

 

[pmclaine]

Maybe a penetrator from some sort of armor piercing ammo.

Those are usually made of some pretty solid alloys though and Im not sure if they rust.

 

[texastonk]

penetrator is what im thinking as well. Used to find them all the time as a kid in the desert outside Yuma.

 

[PinesAndProjectiles]

The odd part is, he found it here:

2378 E Cabin Cir · 2378 E Cabin Cir, Makinen, MN 55763

Building

maps.app.goo.gl

 

[supercorndogs]

Is there a lead core in the middle? Lots of places make steel jacketed bullets because its cheaper than using copper.

 

[PinesAndProjectiles]

Is there a lead core in the middle? Lots of places make steel jacketed bullets because its cheaper than using copper.

I'm not sure. I'm heading up there tomorrow, I'll take another look at it.

 

[supercorndogs]

Military Surplus 8mm Mauser Slovakia Ammunition AM3027 176 Grain Full Metal Jacket Steel Core 15 Rounds

Military Surplus 8mm Mauser Slovakia Ammunition AM3027 176 Grain Full Metal Jacket Steel Core 15 Rounds

www.outdoorlimited.com

My guess would be something like this.

 

[perttime]

A lot of 7.62x54 ammunition has been made with steel jackets, and some with steel cores.

Take a magnet....

 

[Ledzep]

50 bmg AP core.

 

[Dan M]

I would guess a penetrator from a 50 BMG or similar class...way too big to be from an infantry rifle. Well, maybe a T-gewehr

 

[pmclaine]

Thats a big whatever it is when it comes to rifles at almost 2 inches long.

Mic the caliber?

 

[Dan M]

7.62x39 maybe .

Not with a 1 7/8” long projectile

 

[pmclaine]

My bad I see its almost .5 inch.

Lots of naval aircraft training for WWII on the great lakes.

 

[PinesAndProjectiles]

I'll try and throw a caliper on it. Anyone know the nominal thickness of the jacket on a 50 BMG?

 

[MK20]

I would almost guarantee that it is a .50 BMG AP core as suggested above. When I was in the mil we had a training area with a berm that used to be used by ground attack fighters in WWII or helos during Nam I think as we found tons of those cores everywhere as well as 2.75 inch rockets. We found tons of 1943 and 1944 headstamp 50 brass EVERYWHERE. The dispersion indicated aircraft firing instead of ground troops.

 

[MK20]

Keep in mind that as it rusts the diameter of the projectile will increase as the rust lifts up.

 

[Ledzep]

IIRC the 50bmg cores are .425-.440" in diameter. Somewhere in there, .428 is sticking out in my mind but don't quote me on it.

 

[Nodakplowboy]

What's it weigh?

 

[Waorani]

Sure looks like a 50BMG core. I've picked up quite a few but never one anywhere near that rusty. Most have looked like Ledzep's above.

 

[PinesAndProjectiles]

What's it weigh?

Not sure.

 

[TonyTheTiger]

I've got one thats about .415" diameter. Always assumed it was a .50 steel core.

 

[fdkay]

The US made steel jacketed ammo during WWII. I believe it was primarily '06 and .45 acp.
That being said, that does appear to be .50 cal core.

 

[Dstoenner]

I have heard of people dissembling an AP round for the steel core to use as a center punch because it is so hard. That maybe why this one has no jacket???

David

 

[Ledzep]

On impact with anything substantial the jacket rips away and the core continues. I've shot API into large boulders and rock faces and found the cores 8" deep into solid rock where a large piece broke away. The cores are still pointy to the touch after that. Epitome of "hard core". Anyway, it's common enough for them to shed the jackets and the cores to bounce and continue flying quite a ways.

I've also hammered (hammer+ anvil) jackets off of AP bullets and the cores measure round within less than .001". Tough shit whatever it is.

 

[fdkay]

On impact with anything substantial the jacket rips away and the core continues. I've shot API into large boulders and rock faces and found the cores 8" deep into solid rock where a large piece broke away. The cores are still pointy to the touch after that. Epitome of "hard core". Anyway, it's common enough for them to shed the jackets and the cores to bounce and continue flying quite a ways.

I've also hammered (hammer+ anvil) jackets off of AP bullets and the cores measure round within less than .001". Tough shit whatever it is.

One of the reasons why they used API for sniping in WWII. It tended to be more accurate.

 

[Ledzep]

I want to say 40's at the earliest. Seem to remember M2 AP and M8 API coming about in WWII.

 

[Centuriator]

The odd part is, he found it here:

2378 E Cabin Cir · 2378 E Cabin Cir, Makinen, MN 55763

Building

maps.app.goo.gl

Was that a firing range during WWII? Looks like a .50 cal slug to me. We used to find them by the gallon in the sand on the beach in my home town, Pensacola. US Navy used what we called "Gulf Beach" as a range for gun training for the pilots they were training Found TONS of 50 and 30 cal slugs, in fantastic condition. I had several large glass gallon jars filled with them. Have no idea what happened to them, dang it.

 

[PinesAndProjectiles]

Was that a firing range during WWII? Looks like a .50 cal slug to me. We used to find them by the gallon in the sand on the beach in my home town, Pensacola. US Navy used what we called "Gulf Beach" as a range for gun training for the pilots they were training Found TONS of 50 and 30 cal slugs, in fantastic condition. I had several large glass gallon jars filled with them. Have no idea what happened to them, dang it.

To my knowledge, there was never a firing range in the area, at least within 50 miles.

 

[sirhrmechanic]

50 bmg AP core.View attachment 7162247

^^^ This

And a house made in the 1950's could easily have been built on land used for gunnery practice or simply boolits falling out of the air in WW2. A lot of that happened! And a .50 going through a target easily strips off its copper jacket, leaving a penetrator to rust on the ground.

Cheers,

Sirhr