USAAF dump dig - 4th August 2013

[Steve T]

Hi all

It has been almost 3 months since I last did any digging, (due to various commitments with work and family), and I was having serious withdrawal symptoms !! I decided to break the dry spell with a visit to an old site of mine, a dump at an old USAAF base. I have dug the site numerous times in the past and have always had decent finds there. Salzburg, Gary J and Davejb also joined me on an 'unofficial' RRPG group dig.

After arriving at 7.45am we quickly got stuck in. However, by 9.30am we had found NOTHING worth keeping and morale was low. Salzburg and Davejb started walking around the site, trying to pinpoint a decent area to search when they spotted a couple of spent cartridges just lying on the surface in an area previously untouched. A few minutes later and they had collected 20 cartridges off the surface. Joining them, we decided to dig down and see if there were any more.


There were.





A few.






Well......more than a few !






Salzburg had as many as me..........






.......and I had a few.









I counted 347 303s and 72 .30cals when I arrived home

Just a few then.....

Absolutely no idea why they were there. We were a good mile from the small arms range and further from the cannon butts. Someone had collected them up from somewhere and taken them to the dump. Perhaps they were from the small arms range? Suppose we'll never know........




After satisfying ourselves the area had been cleared, we decided to have a go at MDing the site. We had learnt on our last trip to an airfield dump that, if you turn your discrim right up, you can pinpoint non-ferrous objects and ignore the rusty crap just below the surface. We got a few odds and ends, along with this nice 50cal which I have already cleaned, as you can see 303 and .30cal in the picture for scale.



No percussion cap in place and, after poking about in the flash hole, I determined the cartridge was devoid of any propellent as well. Consequently, a perfectly legal keeper !

An interesting headstamp as well, and not one I've seen before on a 50cal, (although lots of times on 303s and 9mms). DI - Defence Industries Ltd., Park Avenue Plant, Montreal, Canada (although other sources place the manufacture of .50cals by this company at Ajax, Ontario, Canada). Whichever location it was made, still very interesting Canadian made 50



It if wasn't for those two mooching around looking for another area to dig, the day could well have been a total wash out. Good job they found them ........ thanks guys !



Steve T

[davejb]

For once it was'nt me who fell into one of Steve's holes,,, it was Martin!!!!!!!!!,also I found it extremely amusing to see Steve detecting then realising he had'nt turned it on!!!!!), all in all a very enjoyable day,thanks Stig

[Dazbond]

will you keep all that brass Steve?

[Steve T]

It is all nicely cleaned and displayed in one of my two new garage cabinets, (the unofficial expansion area for my war room that the wife has not yet noticed)

[Dazbond]

Most has a hella of a collection of brass after all the trips ( i have seen all your videos on Youtube lol).. Same, my war room, has gone up stairs to the attic where the misses never goes!! the joy of spiders lol