Ammo Mud-Covered 12-pounder Finally Sees Daylight

alan polk

1st Lieutenant
Joined
Jun 11, 2012
Deer season ends and the relic hunting begins.

Shuffled around in the mud and muck, swamps and brush, but lucked into this 12-pounder case-shot today while searching for an artillery impact zone. I had read about this supposed artillery affair in half-buried, obscure records. A lot of forgotten skirmish sites in the Vicksburg campaign, that’s for sure.

The Official Records, diaries, and other primary accounts work to give up hints and signs of landscapes long ago changed or overlooked by modernity. Old roads disappear, towns go extinct, so that the actual locations described by the soldiers can only be grasped by best laid theories overlaid onto a modern world.

It always turns out to be in the middle of nowhere. So it is nice when a mere theory manifests itself into actual artifacts from the event once told. The discovery made an otherwise cold and dreary day worth it.

I’ve got her soaking in water until I can find someone to drill it. It looks like the Bormann fuse was punched at the 5 second mark. So my guess is that it bounced a ways and I’m still a fair distance from the actual impact zone. Hope to get back there soon, but it appears I’m on the right track. Time will tell.

B370E3DD-52D8-4563-84E2-19320F7C7378.jpeg


622B2C88-0607-4D10-A3F0-1B92D8BE6726.jpeg
 
Nice one, Congrats and thats a DEEP muddy hole. I will send you a PM as if you want I can drill it, electrolysis and preserve it.
 
Nice one, Congrats and thats a DEEP muddy hole. I will send you a PM as if you want I can drill it, electrolysis and preserve it.
Thanks. The guy who normally drills my shells has supposedly retired. I’ve got @Tom Hughes checking that out for me. If he is, in fact, retired I’ll probably use your services.

How’d you do today with your hunt?
 
Thanks. The guy who normally drills my shells has supposedly retired. I’ve got @Tom Hughes checking that out for me. If he is, in fact, retired I’ll probably use your services.

How’d you do today with your hunt?
It was way to cold for this old relic hunter and besides I spent all trying to get the 1841 field gun I'm restoring finished and I'm really close. I want to test fire it this weekend. Don't want to show to much before the big reveal.
IMG_20201230_153211797.jpg
IMG_20210113_152424866.jpg
 
Deer season ends and the relic hunting begins.

Shuffled around in the mud and muck, swamps and brush, but lucked into this 12-pounder case-shot today while searching for an artillery impact zone. I had read about this supposed artillery affair in half-buried, obscure records. A lot of forgotten skirmish sites in the Vicksburg campaign, that’s for sure.

The Official Records, diaries, and other primary accounts work to give up hints and signs of landscapes long ago changed or overlooked by modernity. Old roads disappear, towns go extinct, so that the actual locations described by the soldiers can only be grasped by best laid theories overlaid onto a modern world.

It always turns out to be in the middle of nowhere. So it is nice when a mere theory manifests itself into actual artifacts from the event once told. The discovery made an otherwise cold and dreary day worth it.

I’ve got her soaking in water until I can find someone to drill it. It looks like the Bormann fuse was punched at the 5 second mark. So my guess is that it bounced a ways and I’m still a fair distance from the actual impact zone. Hope to get back there soon, but it appears I’m on the right track. Time will tell.

View attachment 389656

View attachment 389657
Congratulations and well done.
 
Nice find Alan. What brand machine do you use? What size head?
Whites 6000 DI Pro SL - it’s about 30 years old and Ive never hunted with anything else. I’ve had it since college days and it’s never failed me I love the old analogs. Can’t stand the new digital machines. The head is probably 10 inches.

This particular shell was actually rather shallow compared to most of the other shells I’ve found. My generation has to hunt behind folks like @ucvrelics, so we have to learn to find things deeep!!! Lol
 
Whites 6000 DI Pro SL - it’s about 30 years old and Ive never hunted with anything else. I’ve had it since college days and it’s never failed me I love the old analogs. Can’t stand the new digital machines. The head is probably 10 inches.

This particular shell was actually rather shallow compared to most of the other shells I’ve found. My generation has to hunt behind folks like @ucvrelics, so we have to learn to find things deeep!!! Lol
The 6000 is a great machine. My first Whites was the relic master no discrimination and 8 D size batts, weighted a ton but would find the shells. Now for arty shells I have the Nautilus DMCII with 15 inch head.
 
Lol on Ucv
I ve got a whites mxt pro. Took me about four years to learn how to use it. It’s a decent machine but I am not real crazy about it.
I am like you I like the old school machines. I started with a WW II mine detector in 1961 then went to a Dectron then a Fisher in the mid 1960s then a Metrotech (best machine I ever owned) then a Nautilus to my Whites. I put the whites as a far second behind the metrotech ( which I still have) it “loves” buttons!
Most of the shells I ve found are about the depth of your 12 lb.
 
The 6000 is a great machine. My first Whites was the relic master no discrimination and 8 D size batts, weighted a ton but would find the shells. Now for arty shells I have the Nautilus DMCII with 15 inch head.
Yea. Those bigger heads are a must for the deep stuff.
 
Yea. Those bigger heads are a must for the deep stuff.
Tom Dickey taught me that down in the deep South with the sandy soil you had it have big head to get the deep shells. For the camp syuff I use a Fisher GB with the after market NEL 14 inch head. The NEL is a hot head and the GB loves the lead and brass.
 
The 6000 is a great machine. My first Whites was the relic master no discrimination and 8 D size batts, weighted a ton but would find the shells. Now for arty shells I have the Nautilus DMCII with 15 inch head.

I read somewhere that Whites went out of business. I don’t know what I’ll do if my Whites breaks. I wonder if there are still technicians who work on them? If not, I guess I’ll have to look into a Nautilus like yours if you say it’s the best for artillery shells. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that mine stays in working order!
 
Tom Dickey taught me that down in the deep South with the sandy soil you had it have big head to get the deep shells. For the camp syuff I use a Fisher GB with the after market NEL 14 inch head. The NEL is a hot head and the GB loves the lead and brass.
Fisher GB 2 or GB Pro
 
Deer season ends and the relic hunting begins.

Shuffled around in the mud and muck, swamps and brush, but lucked into this 12-pounder case-shot today while searching for an artillery impact zone. I had read about this supposed artillery affair in half-buried, obscure records. A lot of forgotten skirmish sites in the Vicksburg campaign, that’s for sure.

The Official Records, diaries, and other primary accounts work to give up hints and signs of landscapes long ago changed or overlooked by modernity. Old roads disappear, towns go extinct, so that the actual locations described by the soldiers can only be grasped by best laid theories overlaid onto a modern world.

It always turns out to be in the middle of nowhere. So it is nice when a mere theory manifests itself into actual artifacts from the event once told. The discovery made an otherwise cold and dreary day worth it.

I’ve got her soaking in water until I can find someone to drill it. It looks like the Bormann fuse was punched at the 5 second mark. So my guess is that it bounced a ways and I’m still a fair distance from the actual impact zone. Hope to get back there soon, but it appears I’m on the right track. Time will tell.

View attachment 389656

View attachment 389657
Man. Nice work. I envy you guys who live close to productive sites.
 
I read somewhere that Whites went out of business. I don’t know what I’ll do if my Whites breaks. I wonder if there are still technicians who work on them? If not, I guess I’ll have to look into a Nautilus like yours if you say it’s the best for artillery shells. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that mine stays in working order!
You have it backwards. Nautilus aren’t made anymore. Whites is still in business.
The early Nautilus ( like mine) suck! They were commonly called The D handle.....obviously because the shape of the handle.
The later ones were (are) the real deal. And any serious relic hunter in my neck of the woods has or seeks one. My relic hunting friend has three and I sometimes use one of his. It’s a fantastic machine including finding small targets. But it doesn’t like hot ground.
I have a friend in northern Virginia that finds broken Nautilus and uses parts to build new ones. Usually when he finishes one someone is waiting to buy it.
I had a Fisher back in the day and know several hunters that use them today with good results. They also work well under electrical power lines- which traditionally interfere with most machines. My Whites MXT also works relatively well under electric lines and hot ground.
 
Back
Top