Lead shotty pellets

[ozziii]

Yesterday I called into the local historic society rooms & was talking to a couple of elderly people who look after it, the lady was telly me why there's so much lead pellets all over the gold diggings.
She was saying that the old miners, when finished digging/mining for the day, would grab the gun & fire a shot into the air to signal to other miners they were done for the day.
I'd never heard this before but its one explanation as to why alot of people find lead shot all over the old gold mining areas. Has anyone else heard of this or have any other explanations as to why it there.
I wouldn't think there would be to much wildlife being shot at in the middle of the diggings at the time.

 

[AtomRat]

I wdont think they would be there from hunts, but gunfire was certainly not an uncommon thing. Warning shots constaly set off at night to keep tresspassers away from paydirt, a noise outside a tent would set shots off in paranoia. I had not heard this one yet though, no.

If you read about some places like sebastapol, bangs and poos went off 24/7 with gunshots and explosions underground, hence its name, just like the battefield.

 

[Myazma]

Competitive rifle shooting was a big pastime on some goldfields, Tathradj can take it from here

 

[SCROUNGER]

I would have thought those 1850s diggings would have preceeded the common use of shotguns somewhat? They were around that time in England i think but not common except in bird gunning. I think you'll find it's more likely they are shot from shooters chasing bunnies before myxo and calivarous virus hit them hard. Rabbits were in plagues in the drier scrub back early mid last century and were a staple food for bushos and city folk. I used to pro hunt myself in the late 60s but of course didn't use shotguns because to sell the bunnies commercially the rabbits had to be headshot or trapped.
I've heard that as Atom said, miners would check there guns every morning and load up as protection in the fields and then shoot the loaded gun every night when then went back to camp to warn others they were armed.

 

[SCROUNGER]

Competitive rifle shooting is totally different from shotgunning Myzama. Unless you mean trap shooting etc with shotguns, and both are done in established shooting ranges from my experience.

 

[Heatho]

I read a book called Hillendia, which was a book of short stories about the Hill End NSW gold rush, in one section it said at the end of the day all the miners as they came back to camp would just start firing off shots in the air for fun mainly, the more they drank the more shots they fired. Also said there were rowdy wedding parties nearly every night of the week with wagons driving up and down the streets firing off shots all night too. This all went on every night, there was hardly ever a peaceful night during the goldrush there.

It was litterally raining lead....... Thanks old timers..... not..... lol.

 

[SCROUNGER]

Did it mention shotguns though mate? I would really have thought it would more likely be pistols being shot???

 

[AtomRat]

Competitive rifle shooting is totally different from shotgunning Myzama. Unless you mean trap shooting etc with shotguns, and both are done in established shooting ranges from my experience.

As I was looking into what a minnie ball was I stumbled across a lot of info about competative shooting back then and it was a very common and very large / popular event at times

 

[nuggetino]

Read the same thing about the Jupiter creek goldfields. Not a particularly civilized place. Huge problems associated with alcoholism and all kinds of shady characters that came with the gold. Thousands of bored miners firing off a few rounds each night would certainly add up to a lot of lead shot over the years. Actually surprised I don't find more lead shot considering. Guess it's been cleaned up pretty well over the years.

 

[AtomRat]

Did it mention shotguns though mate? I would really have thought it would more likely be pistols being shot???

It really would have been just crazy gunfire of many sorts of weapons and cannons.. absolute chaos everywhere haha

 

[SCROUNGER]

I'm sure it was Atom, but ozziii is talking about lead shot all across the gold diggings. It can't all be from competitive shooting when it's so willy nilly spread everywhere? I'm not saying it wouldn't be the case, but that's a lot of oldtimers (who were often struggling to survive i would imagine) having nothing better to do than go out everywhere into the bush and have shotgunning competitions imo. Be interesting to here from somebody with historical knowledge of this because it's an interesting question i reckon.

 

[AtomRat]

I'm sure it was Atom, but ozziii is talking about lead shot all across the gold diggings. It can't all be from competitive shooting when it's so willy nilly spread everywhere? I'm not saying it wouldn't be the case, but that's a lot of oldtimers (who were often struggling to survive i would imagine) having nothing better to do than go out everywhere into the bush and have shotgunning competitions imo. Be interesting to here from somebody with historical knowledge of this because it's an interesting question i reckon.

I'd believe it would have happened just as any sport would have and I'm sure they didn't have many back then, but to shoot at anything for money or competition would have been something they did have. If I wasn't on the gold that day and broke but knew there was a shooting comp that arvo, I'd be jumping out my crappy hole and giving a chance at winning the round instead.

I'm sure there were many that also continued digging and found it senseless but as posted above, most were drunks, crazy and just living the life of a hard prospector and any event of any sort would turn an eye for interest.

 

[AtomRat]

..or the planets evaporative power has sucked the lead shot from a chinese factory and rained it upon our goldfields..

 

[SCROUNGER]

Yeah, or a lot of it's actually from the 1950 and 1970s when rabbits were around in huge numbers in the dry country and shooting was very common?

 

[AtomRat]

Yeah, or a lot of it's actually from the 1950 and 1970s when rabbits were around in huge numbers in the dry country and shooting was very common?

I certainly wasn't suggesting or against any use of shotguns in the whole of past 150 years around our goldfields. I agree with both statements

 

[jamie]

i think its the guys with the gpx 5 & 7ks scattering it about to keep the guys with the sdc's out the way and busy while they get the bigger gold

 

[SCROUNGER]

All good Atom, i think it's a very interesting subject especially when you consider that so many of the goldfields were reworked over in the 1930s and during the depression years, when shotguns would have been the weapon of choice for those chasing a feed. I'm certainly not saying you're wrong mate, far from it, i'd just like to know the true history and magnitude of shotgun use (as opposed to rifles and pistols) on the fields in the 1850/60 etc out of interest for myself. Sorry if you think i was having a go mate

 

[ozziii]

She didn't say what sort of guns but lead shot is used in shotguns so thats what I thought it would be from, she was talking about the Smythesdale area, Vic so not sure if it was just there that she meant or other places as well.
They have records dating back to 1858 she said I could look through so when I get a chance I'll check some stuff out but they only open 1 day per week so it might take a while to learn about the area.

AtomRat, I haven't read much about Sebastopol but I probably should have a read about the place as thats where I am living at the moment.

 

[Hotrob]

i think its the guys with the gpx 5 & 7ks scattering it about to keep the guys with the sdc's out the way and busy while they get the bigger gold tongue

After 12 months with the SDC I think you're on the money there Jamie :lol:

Rob.

 

[GypsyGoldAu]

ozziii.... some of my readings of the past on the goldfields suggest (along with the other reasons put forward) that at the end of the day back at camp many miners would fire an evening shot to warn they were armed. It was also suggested that due to cap & ball arms being used, they would fire off a shot to ensure they had "dry" powder" after a day of work, and would reload with "fresh" powder & shot for while they slept in case any rogues entered their tents to rob them.

Sort of like a "peace of mind" their firearms were in working order for defense of their claim, especially in winter times where frost & fog ensue "moisture" in the air.

Gypsy