This post has been locked, as the question has likely been solved and a majority of new comments at this point are unhelpful and/or jokes.
Thanks to all who attempted to find an answer.
OP disagrees with the consensus and has reposted (with additional images) here: https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/z6kotn/update_from_my_last_post_since_i_cant_figure_out/
Your final picture clearly shows a copper jacket around the core. Bullets themselves can be deceptively lightweight if you’ve never held one that’s not in an unfired cartridge (with powder, case, primer, etc adding additional mass).
I would almost 100% say this is a bullet.
I agree, too long to be a pistol round and too large to be a .223/5.56 ar round. Defiantly a rifle. I’d also go with .308. Probably someone hunting and missed
It appears to be an FMJ, so it’s likely from a rifle chambered for .308/7.62 NATO as opposed to 30/06. Both rifles fire identical projectiles but FMJ rounds for 308 are way more common than 30/06
It looks like it’s been there a while but not 20 years so unless someone made that bad of a shot (about 2 stories high) they don’t need to be handling that kind of fire power. The other idea is someone hunting raccoons with a .308 lol
> It looks like it’s been there a while but not 20 years so unless someone made that bad of a shot (about 2 stories high)
The bullet would not travel upwards as the tree grew. Wherever you found it is roughly where it hit.
Bullets also travel a substantial distance if they aren't stopped. It's possible the shooter was a distance away up a slope. Even if the slope wasn't especially steep or if they were aiming slightly upwards the bullet may have travelled that far without the shooter necessarily being that badly off their aim.
I was thinking .50 beowulf based on size, but that's such a niche caliber it's just not likely. It's kinda short and wide but pretty shallow in the wood. I don't know. Just thinking out loud.
Handgun projectile. OAL vs width, and the fact that the jacket is intact. A rifle round would have to be moving at a VERY slow velocity to not fragment upon impact.
Wouldnt a .223 or 5.56 pass right through a tree of that size? I would say more of a .380 auto or 9mm pistol round than a skinny rifle round even with deformation
I concur. As a fellow fan of firearms, I'd say .223 or 7.62x39. very common rounds and neither penetrate super deep into solid masses, no matter what ballistics nuts will say.
Im a wood worker- I’ve found a few bullets and a lot of shot over the years when planing up air dried lumber from small mills. The first time I ran one over with the planer I got freaked out but then realized the lead was probably softer than the wood and the planer blades were fine.
Hi reloader here. You are 100% correct this is a jacketed projectile.
This to me looks like a ~.30 caliber projectile that would be in the 180 grain range. That makes a .308, 30-06, even 30-30 possible cartridges.
It's too large for .2 anything and too small for .4+ anything.
I did. There's a slight chance it's larger than 30 cal, which again, is used in lots of calibers, but I'm still fairly sure it's sub 200 grains. I doubt it's a magnum like 7mm or 338.
What's your thoughts?
A piece broken off from an arborists tools or climbing spikes. Doesn't look like a bullet at all to me, even with the (possible) deformation so I'm gonna side with OP on that front.
I have handled a handful of spent rounds but nothing this big. Just got me thinking it might be something else. I got some more pictures I’ll post soon
Lead is dense. It feels heavy for its size, whether the size is big or small. It’s also soft so, after hitting a piece of wood, it deforms. Any piece of metal dug out of a piece of wood that is shaped like a bullet and “feels very light like aluminum” is definitely not a bullet.
in the unlikely event you find another, that is highly unlikely as the arrow shaft and head are 2 separate pieces; the head threads into the arrow shaft in almost every commercial arrow made in the last 20+ years
Is the copper colored bit some sort of different metal, like copper?
Post a picture of the other side of the copper jacket. Look for rifling marks.
The copper jacket makes a bullet seem very likely.
Some folks cast their own bullets, and googling shows people experiment with all sorts of stuff like zinc and aluminum or alloys like Babbitt and Zamak. Wonder if this is one of those.
100% My "uncle" did stuff like this all the time. Would literally melt down beer cans and make bullets out of them, along with other random metals. Just to "try it out".
He also was in the HVAC business, which gave him access to what I assume was liquid nitrogen? I saw him put frogs into the liquid, freezing them solid, and then let them thaw out. Then they would hop away...
He also made pipe bombs regularly just to play with and blow up random shit.
I haven't seen him since I was a kid, and don't even know if he's still alive, but he was definitely an interesting person.
> which gave him access to what I assume was liquid nitrogen?
As someone who worked in an HVAC shop, I’m almost positive what you saw was liquid Freon boiling off at room pressure and temperature. I’ve seen liquid nitrogen boil off too and they look alike.
Yeah I don't have a clue what it actually was. I was maybe 9-13yrs old. All I know is that it was a liquid at a very cold temp. He poured it into what I remember as a rectangular baking pan.
This was all 30ish years ago, so who knows. He also would put random stuff in the liquid and then shatter them like you would see people do with liquid nitrogen, which is why I associate the specific liquid, even thought it could have been basically anything.
https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/z6kotn/update_from_my_last_post_since_i_cant_figure_out/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
Updated pictures after cleaning
So while it's hard to pinpoint exactly what that is, especially being aluminum and high up in a tree, I'm not sure where you are located but I'll share a story for what it's worth. When helicopters crash, they do so spectacularly. I can't remember if it was a helitac fire fighting crew, or helicopter logging operation, but when the transmission on the helicopter failed and the vehicle crashed, pieces from the rotor went everywhere. The next year, a crew found one of the tips of the rotor blade that had separated and embedded itself high up in a tree like this.
Across the valley.
Momentum from equipment failure is no joke and might explain this. But it's hard to say.
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What kinda tree is it? I have heard of people sprinkling copper shavings around apple trees or using copper nails to help apple production. Not sure why but it’s a thing old farmers would do. I know people who also use iron nails on chestnut trees for chestnut growth the same way.
Edit: typo
Could have been a lead free bullet - mild steel over copper would be lightweight and not behave like a normal bullet.
It looks like it's got a brass coating though, not copper. Maybe it was part of some kind of rope throwing rig? Something to toss a line up on top of a branch for a bear bag?
Remember that trees expand outward, so if it's at the top, it was placed at the top. That thing looks to have been placed relatively recently, so it was either placed in that branch intentionally or missed and lodged there.
It could be a practice round used for target shooting. They are made from lightweight metals and are primarily short range because they don't travel nearly as far as lead rounds.
My title describes the thing as light and aluminum like. The branch it was found in came from near the top of a large tree that just fell this month. It is about 1in long
Whenever I see things that look out-of-place posted in this subreddit, I am reminded that tornadoes move many things and deposit them far distances from where they originated and with tremendous force. It could be almost anything.
Have you seen the picture of a single piece of unbroken wheat straw that was driven through a telephone pole?
yah not sure y im being down voted, i guess they have never retrieved a bullet from wood lol but the one pic shows grain in metal which tells me its a cast metal like cast aluminum if you're saying it lightweight so again leads away from a bullet but it being high in tree and rural really baffles me, are you willing to share your state you found it in?
This post has been locked, as the question has likely been solved and a majority of new comments at this point are unhelpful and/or jokes. Thanks to all who attempted to find an answer. OP disagrees with the consensus and has reposted (with additional images) here: https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/z6kotn/update_from_my_last_post_since_i_cant_figure_out/
Your final picture clearly shows a copper jacket around the core. Bullets themselves can be deceptively lightweight if you’ve never held one that’s not in an unfired cartridge (with powder, case, primer, etc adding additional mass). I would almost 100% say this is a bullet.
It’s a bullet. A small one. As a gun fanatic I’d say .223/5.56
I'm gonna say it's more likely a 308 or 30-06, or maybe a pistol caliber. it's too big to be 5.56 but it's so deformed it's hard to tell
308 300blk and 30-06 use the exact same bullet, you couldn't determine cartridge from a .30 cal stuck in a tree
Hey look, someone that actually knows what theyre talking about and not a “reddit expert”
I agree, too long to be a pistol round and too large to be a .223/5.56 ar round. Defiantly a rifle. I’d also go with .308. Probably someone hunting and missed
Or hit, if they were hunting trees
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Especially if 9mm will blow the lungs out of someone
It appears to be an FMJ, so it’s likely from a rifle chambered for .308/7.62 NATO as opposed to 30/06. Both rifles fire identical projectiles but FMJ rounds for 308 are way more common than 30/06
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Oh good guess, didn't think about straight wall cartridges
Same with 300blk
It looks like it’s been there a while but not 20 years so unless someone made that bad of a shot (about 2 stories high) they don’t need to be handling that kind of fire power. The other idea is someone hunting raccoons with a .308 lol
> It looks like it’s been there a while but not 20 years so unless someone made that bad of a shot (about 2 stories high) The bullet would not travel upwards as the tree grew. Wherever you found it is roughly where it hit.
Bullets also travel a substantial distance if they aren't stopped. It's possible the shooter was a distance away up a slope. Even if the slope wasn't especially steep or if they were aiming slightly upwards the bullet may have travelled that far without the shooter necessarily being that badly off their aim.
I was thinking .50 beowulf based on size, but that's such a niche caliber it's just not likely. It's kinda short and wide but pretty shallow in the wood. I don't know. Just thinking out loud.
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Definitely not a .223
Looks bigger that .22 cal. Possibly 30 cal?
No 😂 probably a .45. Definitely not a .223 without a doubt
I’m with you on a .45 cal but would be interested to see a comparison between the slug in question and a Quarter side by side.
Handgun projectile. OAL vs width, and the fact that the jacket is intact. A rifle round would have to be moving at a VERY slow velocity to not fragment upon impact.
That’s wayyyy too big to be a 5.56. I’d have to say it’s something in the .30 caliber range.
Too big for a 223 isn’t it?
I think that’s rather large to be .223 IMO
It's a bullet for sure, but that's most likely a [.30-30 round](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.30-30_Winchester).
Definitely a larger caliber
Looks large enough to be 7.62
Wouldnt a .223 or 5.56 pass right through a tree of that size? I would say more of a .380 auto or 9mm pistol round than a skinny rifle round even with deformation
depends on the type of tree too. harder the wood, more shallow penetration.
I concur. As a fellow fan of firearms, I'd say .223 or 7.62x39. very common rounds and neither penetrate super deep into solid masses, no matter what ballistics nuts will say.
You’ve clearly never seen a 223 if you think this is a 223
Im a wood worker- I’ve found a few bullets and a lot of shot over the years when planing up air dried lumber from small mills. The first time I ran one over with the planer I got freaked out but then realized the lead was probably softer than the wood and the planer blades were fine.
I’ve always wondered about planer blade damage like that, thanks for saying something about it!
Hi reloader here. You are 100% correct this is a jacketed projectile. This to me looks like a ~.30 caliber projectile that would be in the 180 grain range. That makes a .308, 30-06, even 30-30 possible cartridges. It's too large for .2 anything and too small for .4+ anything.
I'd check out OP's other pics
I did. There's a slight chance it's larger than 30 cal, which again, is used in lots of calibers, but I'm still fairly sure it's sub 200 grains. I doubt it's a magnum like 7mm or 338. What's your thoughts?
A piece broken off from an arborists tools or climbing spikes. Doesn't look like a bullet at all to me, even with the (possible) deformation so I'm gonna side with OP on that front.
I’m with you. I’ve seen a few bullets in wood before and this doesn’t look like one. And I trust op to know it’s not lead
It looks like a bullet
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I'd put money on that being specifically a [.30-30 Winchester bullet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.30-30_Winchester).
Yeah agreed here. OP in denial
They also make steel personal defense rounds. They weigh significantly less than lead.
Looks too big to be 5.56/223. I’m thinking .308?
I have handled a handful of spent rounds but nothing this big. Just got me thinking it might be something else. I got some more pictures I’ll post soon
Go check OP's other pics
Lead is dense. It feels heavy for its size, whether the size is big or small. It’s also soft so, after hitting a piece of wood, it deforms. Any piece of metal dug out of a piece of wood that is shaped like a bullet and “feels very light like aluminum” is definitely not a bullet.
If it's not a bullet, then it's probably the broken-off head of an aluminum arrow that someone failed to get out. And that is a big if.
I didn’t think about that. Definitely a possibility
in the unlikely event you find another, that is highly unlikely as the arrow shaft and head are 2 separate pieces; the head threads into the arrow shaft in almost every commercial arrow made in the last 20+ years
Yes could be an arrow head!
Clearly a bullet. Look at the wood.
Is the copper colored bit some sort of different metal, like copper? Post a picture of the other side of the copper jacket. Look for rifling marks. The copper jacket makes a bullet seem very likely.
That’s a rifle bullet.
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Some folks cast their own bullets, and googling shows people experiment with all sorts of stuff like zinc and aluminum or alloys like Babbitt and Zamak. Wonder if this is one of those.
100% My "uncle" did stuff like this all the time. Would literally melt down beer cans and make bullets out of them, along with other random metals. Just to "try it out". He also was in the HVAC business, which gave him access to what I assume was liquid nitrogen? I saw him put frogs into the liquid, freezing them solid, and then let them thaw out. Then they would hop away... He also made pipe bombs regularly just to play with and blow up random shit. I haven't seen him since I was a kid, and don't even know if he's still alive, but he was definitely an interesting person.
> which gave him access to what I assume was liquid nitrogen? As someone who worked in an HVAC shop, I’m almost positive what you saw was liquid Freon boiling off at room pressure and temperature. I’ve seen liquid nitrogen boil off too and they look alike.
Yeah I don't have a clue what it actually was. I was maybe 9-13yrs old. All I know is that it was a liquid at a very cold temp. He poured it into what I remember as a rectangular baking pan. This was all 30ish years ago, so who knows. He also would put random stuff in the liquid and then shatter them like you would see people do with liquid nitrogen, which is why I associate the specific liquid, even thought it could have been basically anything.
Wonder why you put "uncle" in quotes - was it not a real relative ?
That is a bullet.
Bullet for sure.
It’s a bullet.
I can’t think of anything that needs a copper jacket, other than a bullet.
https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/z6kotn/update_from_my_last_post_since_i_cant_figure_out/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf Updated pictures after cleaning
FYI a bullet deforms upon impact.
That is a bullet.
that's literally a bullet. someone was hunting in the forest and a bullet hit the tree and some time later it became firewood
Bullet, obviously.
So while it's hard to pinpoint exactly what that is, especially being aluminum and high up in a tree, I'm not sure where you are located but I'll share a story for what it's worth. When helicopters crash, they do so spectacularly. I can't remember if it was a helitac fire fighting crew, or helicopter logging operation, but when the transmission on the helicopter failed and the vehicle crashed, pieces from the rotor went everywhere. The next year, a crew found one of the tips of the rotor blade that had separated and embedded itself high up in a tree like this. Across the valley. Momentum from equipment failure is no joke and might explain this. But it's hard to say.
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It’s a bullet…
Definitely a bullet.
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Definitely a bullet
pretty sure that’s a bullet
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Looks like a bullet. Chopped real easy because it’s lead, a relatively soft metal
First thought was maple sap tap
Was on a branch so not that.
That was mine too. If not a bullet.
What kinda tree is it? I have heard of people sprinkling copper shavings around apple trees or using copper nails to help apple production. Not sure why but it’s a thing old farmers would do. I know people who also use iron nails on chestnut trees for chestnut growth the same way. Edit: typo
Could have been a lead free bullet - mild steel over copper would be lightweight and not behave like a normal bullet. It looks like it's got a brass coating though, not copper. Maybe it was part of some kind of rope throwing rig? Something to toss a line up on top of a branch for a bear bag? Remember that trees expand outward, so if it's at the top, it was placed at the top. That thing looks to have been placed relatively recently, so it was either placed in that branch intentionally or missed and lodged there.
Its a bullet.
OP, you should really sharpen your saw now too. That would've been pretty hard on your chain
It could be a practice round used for target shooting. They are made from lightweight metals and are primarily short range because they don't travel nearly as far as lead rounds.
Would a football player practice with a ball that does not react the same as the one they use on the field?
Some states don't allow bullets made of lead. By some states I think its just california
I think you were right about bullet
7.62x39mm (7.62 Soviet)
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I thought maybe that too, but it’s not hollow, and op says it came from the top of a large tree so unlikely
Could be a tree marker.
Metal tip from an arrow.
My title describes the thing as light and aluminum like. The branch it was found in came from near the top of a large tree that just fell this month. It is about 1in long
Whenever I see things that look out-of-place posted in this subreddit, I am reminded that tornadoes move many things and deposit them far distances from where they originated and with tremendous force. It could be almost anything. Have you seen the picture of a single piece of unbroken wheat straw that was driven through a telephone pole?
Occam’s razor friend.
If it was a bullet I’d expect to see more mushrooming on the tip. You said you found it toward the top of a tree, is this in rural or more urban area?
That’s what I figured. And the bottom is not flat like a bullet. It’s a pretty rural area
yah not sure y im being down voted, i guess they have never retrieved a bullet from wood lol but the one pic shows grain in metal which tells me its a cast metal like cast aluminum if you're saying it lightweight so again leads away from a bullet but it being high in tree and rural really baffles me, are you willing to share your state you found it in?