I found a few good ones Sunday

[Digger70pa]

I got out Sunday & did some relic hunting after work. Im glad I did. I found a few rare Gardiner explosive bullets. These are Gettysburg campaign.

 

[laplander]

Atta a boy Tim! Hope your weather is good we are starting to get pretty dry here,

 

[Digger70pa]

Atta a boy Tim! Hope your weather is good we are starting to get pretty dry here,

Thank you. Its almost over here. The vegetation is growing fast. We might have a couple more weeks til everything is too high.

 

[HanoverDigger]

I got out Sunday & did some relic hunting after work. Im glad I did. I found a few rare Gardiner explosive bullets. These are Gettysburg campaign.

Nice Confederate lead! They were used in the 1862 Peninsula Campaign also. Good luck hunting.

 

[Odanscoils]

That is so Cool.
Can they still blow up ?

 

[Digger70pa]

That is so Cool.
Can they still blow up ?

I really doubt it buddy. They were submersed in ground water. When black powder gets wet it becomes inert. I would guess a preserved one could possibly go off.

 

[Digger70pa]

Nice Confederate lead! They were used in the 1862 Peninsula Campaign also. Good luck hunting.

Hi buddy they are Federal bullets. They're Gardiner explosive bullets. The Confederates had a Gardner pat bullet. The Gardiner explosive bullet is on the left. The Confederate Gardner is on the right.

 

[HanoverDigger]

Ahhh...my bad. I didn't look too closely at those. Didn't know the yanks had explosive bullets too! Nice finds though.

 

[Confetrit]

Great finds and Saves. Well Done.

 

[Odanscoils]

I really doubt it buddy. They were submersed in ground water. When black powder gets wet it becomes inert. I would guess a preserved one could possibly go off.

Hmmm
From what I know of black powder.
When it gets wet/soaked.
First it turns into a mush.
Then as it drys out.
It turns into a cake. Hard rock.
If the saltpeter/potassium nitrate does not leach out.
It's burn rate will be drastically changed.
Though it will still burn and possibly explode depending on its confinement.
If I'm not mistaken.
This is the reason people have died drilling into civil war shells trying to make them inert.
Thinking the powder had gotten wet.

Black powder is actually made wet in the mixing grinding process in its manufacturing process.

Then when it partially wet.
A specific moisture content.
It pressed through sieve's for grain size.
Then coated with graphite and tumbled in a sweety barrel.

Soo
If the nitrate did not leach out.
The old powder could still ignite.
Throw one in a fire.
May just go off like a fuse.
Though I wouldn't stand to close.

 

[Digger70pa]

Great finds and Saves. Well Done.

Thanks buddy

 

[Digger70pa]

Hmmm
From what I know of black powder.
When it gets wet/soaked.
First it turns into a mush.
Then as it drys out.
It turns into a cake. Hard rock.
If the saltpeter/potassium nitrate does not leach out.
It's burn rate will be drastically changed.
Though it will still burn and possibly explode depending on its confinement.
If I'm not mistaken.
This is the reason people have died drilling into civil war shells trying to make them inert.
Thinking the powder had gotten wet.

Black powder is actually made wet in the mixing grinding process in its manufacturing process.

Then when it partially wet.
A specific moisture content.
It pressed through sieve's for grain size.
Then coated with graphite and tumbled in a sweety barrel.

Soo
If the nitrate did not leach out.
The old powder could still ignite.
Throw one in a fire.
May just go off like a fuse.
Though I wouldn't stand to close.

 

[Odanscoils]

Yes,
Though it does not become inert unless the oxidizer Leaches out.
As an old EOD tech I know a little about the reality of what does and doesn't go boom.