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 Replies: 37 / Views: 12,484 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7390 Posts |
Like the title says I have yet to come across a morgan with an old west bullet hole in it. You would think they would be somewhat common like counterstamps with all the Cowboys and miners of the time using them for target shooting or later with the shows like buffalo bill or pawnee bill. Maybe it's because a bullet hole 10 yrs ago would look exactly like one from 100+yrs ago and all the documented originals are in top tier collections?
-just something rattling in my brain I want put to bed
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Pillar of the Community
United States
9395 Posts |
I have an old Morgan dollar with a hole cleanly punched or drilled through it -- definitely not a bullet hole. I'd guess that a real bullet hole would be messy, and would cause a lot of deformation, bending, etc. |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
7390 Posts |
It would leave only a concave rim pushing out around the hole I would assume as silver is quite soft relative to a bullet at such high speeds
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Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
A bullet with the kinetic energy to cleanly penetrate a Morgan will probably destroy the coin. You don't see them because they're all in pieces.  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7390 Posts |
Looks like it's experiment time then  |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
So much depends on the type of Bullet. Some are soft Lead only. Some are Armor piercing. Some are plated with Copper or Brass. And too, again so much depends on the speed of the Bullet. For example there are over 12 standard varieties of a simple .38 Special cartridge. Some have flat Bullets and some have Hollow Points. All this means so much depends on what someone shoots and at what they are shooting. And too, don't forget in real life if the coin is in the air, most Bullets would push it mostly out of the way. If against something like a wooden object, some might go through. Just to many variables.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1566 Posts |
I've seen silver dollars with provenance attesting to the fact that they were shot by Annie Oakley.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7390 Posts |
Yes celtic... I must have seen one before a long time ago? Or that lawyer outlaw that used to shoot coins and playing cards and use them as his business cards. John Harden I think?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2543 Posts |
Yeah, I read somewhere that Wyatt Earp was so successful as a law man was because he had armor piercing bullets and hollow points.  One would imagine that, since most of the intact Morgans were melted for their silver, the damaged ones were the first into the smelting pot. |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
4911 Posts |
perhaps because the ones used for target practice were just dropped in the field/ where the shooting occurred or melted by the people shooting them simply because they were destroyed and probably no longer spendable if even still identifiable?
Feel free to call me Will.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
5391 Posts |
The ones that then passed through the Cowboys or outlaws are up there on Boot Hill with them  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
8904 Posts |
And a dollar was some big money back then. Most cowpokes didn't have many of them to shoot and destroy!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7390 Posts |
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
Quote:
Looks like it's experiment time then
If you're serious, think something small like .22WMR or .243. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7390 Posts |
Yup, next bag of 100 or 500 culls I get a few common ag's will feel the wrath!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1566 Posts |
Hey Cascade! Just remember Christmas Story and don't shoot your eye out.  |
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Replies: 37 / Views: 12,484 |
Posted 04/05/2015 1:20 pm
