Correction from earlier post - "Mid
1800's to maybe very early 1900's"
I have been around Firearms for a long time also, definitely not a
later Snider projectile that
has been fired.
The early .577 Snider was a smooth bore rifle.
Kato has a fired projectile she found in her Grandfathers backyard, it dates back to the 1860's when SAPOL
had a very 'modern' new .577 Snider issued firearm.
They stopped using it 6 or 7 years later.
The later .577 Sniders were updated with a rifled barrel, so if it is a later fired projectile it would have rifling grooves.
To ID the age and what type of firearm it came out of, it is necessary to get the specs of it.
The cup in the back is how the Mini-ball projectiles sealed the gas from escaping past them inside the barrel, as 'patches' cant be used
efficiently with cartridges or Mini-balls.
They are made from pure lead, so they were very soft and sealed into the bore with the soft lead skirt as gas expanded behind it.
Heavy and soft, consequently deadly as all the energy would be exerted upon the target by the very heavy projectile.
As blackpowder cartridges were developed the Mini-ball design was taken advantage of.
BUT standard blackpowder rifles used this 'skirt' advantage also, in many calibers too.
These are commonly used now in hunting and competition shooting by Blackpowder shooters, same old system. LOL
Kato has had a NEW .577 snider projectile and a modern made cartridge that was sent to her from a Snider shooter.
Her detected projectile in pic's also.
Notice her 'skirt' is also deformed, soft lead and been in the ground for about 150 years, of a vege patch !
