bullet and shell casing info help needed

GKL · Aug 31, 2020

I found the bullet in my yard last year, found the shell casing in my yard this year.

Tried researching online and from what I can tell from the shell headstamp it seems like this one is no longer manufactured.

It is a Western 410 Super-X made in USA

The casing is about 1/2 wide, the bullet is about 3/8 inch wide.

I was wondering if the bullet could have been from this shell casing. (not any big deal, just wondering)

The only headstamp match I was able to find so far was on an Australian metal detecting web site, on the page at the link below scroll down a little past halfway, it is the 4th entry in the "Western Super-X" section -

https://aussiemetaldetecting.com/shotshell-resources/shotshell-headstamp-database/western-cartridge-company-headstamps/

Thanks in advance for any help !

beavertail · Aug 31, 2020

That’s a shotgun shell and a pistol bullet. So the answer to your question is no. IMHO

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GKL · Aug 31, 2020

beavertail said:
That’s a shotgun shell and a pistol bullet. So the answer to your question is no. IMHO

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Okay, thanks, appreciate the help !

Since they were the only 2 ammo related things I found in my front yard and similar in size and the shell casing seems to no longer be made and I could not find a complete pic of an unused one I thought maybe they went together.

They seemed like they had been in the dirt for quite a while, has to be older than 15 years ago as that is about when we moved here and I didn't shoot a 410 Super-X :lol:

Not sure why anyone would want to do shooting in the front yard, the back yard is larger and right next to woods, much better area for target practice.

MKW · Aug 31, 2020

The Western 410 Super X shotshell was made from 1932-1964.

GKL · Aug 31, 2020

MKW said:
The Western 410 Super X shotshell was made from 1932-1964.

Thanks for that info !

Wow, since they stopped making those in 1964 and what is now our house was first put here in 2001 (we moved here in 2005) and it looks like they needed to clear an area next to the woods to put the manufactured home here, then either someone had some 35+ year old ammo to use up, or someone shot that here way back when it was still woods where they shot it at in our front yard, maybe deer hunting. (we have deer walk thru our front yard occasionally :lol:

)

MKW · Aug 31, 2020

More than likely, squirrel hunting.

GKL · Aug 31, 2020

MKW said:
More than likely, squirrel hunting.

Yep, we got them around here too :lol:

In fact, last year I think it was, my wife looked out the window and told me to look at this, it was like a mini-zoo, there were deer, a couple wild turkeys, and some rabbits too I think, all in the same area walking thru the yard at the same time on the side of our house :laughing:

waltr · Aug 31, 2020

MKW said:
The Western 410 Super X shotshell was made from 1932-1964.

Correct.
Here is a head stamp data base:
https://web.archive.org/web/20170504053248/http://www.headstamps.x10.mx/database.html

MKW said:
More than likely, squirrel hunting.

Yep, 410 for small game.

Yes, this was shot long before your house was built.

I find lots and lots of older shot gun heads when detecting woods, fields and even the newer local parks. Most are pre-1960 with some back to very early 1900's.
Also find fired bullets, Deer slugs, Buck shot and occasionally a muzzle loader round ball.

GKL · Aug 31, 2020

waltr said:
Correct.
Here is a head stamp data base:
https://web.archive.org/web/20170504053248/http://www.headstamps.x10.mx/database.html

Yep, 410 for small game.

Yes, this was shot long before your house was built.

I find lots and lots of older shot gun heads when detecting woods, fields and even the newer local parks. Most are pre-1960 with some back to very early 1900's.
Also find fired bullets, Deer slugs, Buck shot and occasionally a muzzle loader round ball.

Thanks for the info and database link !

It neat finding some "somewhat" historical finds in my front yard likely there from way back when it was still a wooded area.

I'll have to detect my yard some more occasionally to see what else I might find !

waltr · Aug 31, 2020

GKL said:
Thanks for the info and database link !

It neat finding some "somewhat" historical finds in my front yard likely there from way back when it was still a wooded area.

I'll have to detect my yard some more occasionally to see what else I might find !

Yes. I also do my own yard and an early find was a 1918 Model T value stem cover. That one took a while to ID. Have also found a Tombac button (pre-1800) and a harmonica reed.
Never know what might be there.

GKL · Aug 31, 2020

waltr said:
Yes. I also do my own yard and an early find was a 1918 Model T value stem cover. That one took a while to ID. Have also found a Tombac button (pre-1800) and a harmonica reed.
Never know what might be there.

Neat finds for your own yard !

Sometimes I wonder if there were ever any wooden cabins or shacks nearby in the woods that there is now no trace of, if so they might not have had many coins to drop but maybe a few relics. If it wasn't for deer hunters likely dropping used shells in the woods I might think some signals in the woods might have a fair chance at being a good find as the woods by me stay vacant except for maybe an occasional hunter during hunting season, and even they rarely come that close.

dickyoung · Dec 4, 2020

Bullets in strange places

I don,t know about where you all live but around here folks have the odd habit of shooting off whatever weapon they own on new years eve,sounds like a war zone for 30 minutes or so at midnight.All them bullets got to come down somewhere.I was in the roofing business,flat roofs for 20 years or so and have found many of them in my roofs.They usually only penetrate about half the bullets length into the roof.These of course were modern bullets.Just a thing to consider if this occurs where you live next time you find one in a unlikely place.Thanks,Jim.

GKL · Dec 4, 2020

dickyoung said:
I don,t know about where you all live but around here folks have the odd habit of shooting off whatever weapon they own on new years eve,sounds like a war zone for 30 minutes or so at midnight.All them bullets got to come down somewhere.I was in the roofing business,flat roofs for 20 years or so and have found many of them in my roofs.They usually only penetrate about half the bullets length into the roof.These of course were modern bullets.Just a thing to consider if this occurs where you live next time you find one in a unlikely place.Thanks,Jim.

Thanks for the info, if i remember correctly the bullet was deep enough in the ground that likely it was there a while even before we moved here.

I worked for a short while as a roofer back in the 1970's it was just a temporary job for a summer or so while I was deciding what I wanted to do. I worked for an uncle who had a family roofing business doing hot tar roofs, shingle roofs and occasionally aluminum siding. We worked about 12 hour days and I was paid $15 a DAY :shock:

but hey, at least I got educated on roofing and have been able to fix my own roof when needed :lol:

jordanmills · Dec 4, 2020

Like everyone else said, that base is from a 410 shotgun, and the IDs already posted seem pretty accurate to me.

That bullet looks like it's probably a 40 S&W or 10 mm bullet, that was fired into the air and hit soft dirt where you found it. You can tell it's fired by the spiral grooves around the widest part along the axis, and that it didn't hit anything hard because it still has its original shape. The flat nose is part of the design of the cartridge to minimize overall length and/or assist reliable feeding.

GKL · Dec 4, 2020

jordanmills said:
Like everyone else said, that base is from a 410 shotgun, and the IDs already posted seem pretty accurate to me.

That bullet looks like it's probably a 40 S&W or 10 mm bullet, that was fired into the air and hit soft dirt where you found it. You can tell it's fired by the spiral grooves around the widest part along the axis, and that it didn't hit anything hard because it still has its original shape. The flat nose is part of the design of the cartridge to minimize overall length and/or assist reliable feeding.

Thanks for that info, and good point about the bullet still having the original shape. We have 1 1/2 acres of land and the ground composition varies, some areas are more easily diggable, some areas have more clay mixed in.

ecmo · Dec 5, 2020

That bullet is a modern full metal jacket (fmj) used more for target practice than hunting. It is a pistol bullet and as jordanmills stated probably about 40 cal or 10 mms. You cannot accurately get caliber dimension with a tape or ruler, bullets should be measured with a caliper to get to within the thousands of an inch. For example .38 special and 357 magnum take a .357 inch diameter bullet
The 9mm around .355",
40 S&W and 10mm use a bullet of .401"

Shotgun shells may be found nearly anywhere. I detect country church yards often where woods are just off the yard property and find .22 bullets and casings both plus shotgun shells burried and occasionally the tiny pellets from the shotgun. Country boys will sit in the church yards and watch the woods paremeters for squirrels

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GKL · Dec 5, 2020

ecmo said:
That bullet is a modern full metal jacket (fmj) used more for target practice than hunting. It is a pistol bullet and as jordanmills stated probably about 40 cal or 10 mms. You cannot accurately get caliber dimension with a tape or ruler, bullets should be measured with a caliper to get to within the thousands of an inch. For example .38 special and 357 magnum take a .357 inch diameter bullet
The 9mm around .355",
40 S&W and 10mm use a bullet of .401"

Shotgun shells may be found nearly anywhere. I detect country church yards often where woods are just off the yard property and find .22 bullets and casings both plus shotgun shells burried and occasionally the tiny pellets from the shotgun. Country boys will sit in the church yards and watch the woods paremeters for squirrels

Sent from my LM-X320 using Tapatalk

Thanks for the info, we live right next to woods and on many days we see deer and occasionally other animals, almost like a zoo sometimes :lol:

jordanmills · Dec 6, 2020

dickyoung said:
I don,t know about where you all live but around here folks have the odd habit of shooting off whatever weapon they own on new years eve,sounds like a war zone for 30 minutes or so at midnight.All them bullets got to come down somewhere.I was in the roofing business,flat roofs for 20 years or so and have found many of them in my roofs.They usually only penetrate about half the bullets length into the roof.These of course were modern bullets.Just a thing to consider if this occurs where you live next time you find one in a unlikely place.Thanks,Jim.

Thirty minutes around midnight? Man that would be nice. It sounds like a war zone all night, with plenty of fire a few nights before and after, around here.

bullet and shell casing info help needed

GKL

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