Detecting in the UK questions

[no man army]

Looks like I will have to shoot all the birds first then! not really I like animals. I dont understand because people dig up worms for bait?
I'm not ignoring your advice because im very greatful for it, Im going to message the council and see if i can get permission because I realy want to find my own relics especially after seeing sebastiens hauls (and your UK finds)

James

[Steve T]

James

I've PM'd you.

Steve T

[no man army]

Well.... today I got hold of a cheap detector so me and the kids could have a go. We went to a local beach for an hour before dinner and we managed to find £2.26

not bad for an hours work.

James

[Steve T]

Excellent ! A few more visits and the detector will have paid for itself

Get used to the different tones it makes, how to use the discrimination (if you can change it), and how to make sure you don't 'toe-up' at the end of your swings. Practice by burying a coin in the back garden, then other things like an old nail, a tin can and a fag packet If you get used to the sounds it makes when it hits 'trash' now, you'll save yourself hours of digging in the future.

Cheers

Steve T

[no man army]

Cheers Steve, Our back garden is all concrete now i will have to try it on the beach. Tomorrow we will be going to Pegwell, cant wait. Hopefully I may find some spent .303's or something military.

Oh yeah nearly forgot to mention dont wear steel toe capped boots when detecting HAHA! I wore my work boots today without thinking and every time the detector got a little too close It would beep,

James

[Paul D]

The first and most important schoolboy error of detecting !!!!

[no man army]

Been detecting today for 6 hours and found some 'scrap metal' nothing good The only thing remotely cool is an old bit of metal that looks like the Browning .30 barrel housing but its too small.

I really want a detector I can use on wet sand because I know thats where all the good stuff is hiding. The detector me and the kids use only cost £30 but it found a lump of metal about a foot and a half deep in the sand. I was pretty impressed by that.

James

[Steve T]

Six hours and nothing from WW2 at all ? You're either searching in the wrong location, (you mentioned an old range of some sort?), or it's already been cleared. Mind you, saying that, most of these ranges will never truly be clear as there will always be something left behind, due entirely to the sheer volume of munitions/ordnance used on them. What kind of site was it and are you sure you're in the right spot ?

I really want a detector I can use on wet sand because I know thats where all the good stuff is hiding.

James, in all the years I've been searching, I have hardly ever found anything 'good' in wet sand. The odd bullet here and there, (although usually in the centre of a big lump of ironcrete), and one or two cartridges, (usually smashed to pieces by the waves), but that's about it. I did once find an old artillery shell in some rock pools when I wasn't even looking, but that was barely recognisable due to the thick layer of ironcrete on it.

Dry sand however is a different story. Examples of what you can find in dry sand, IF you look in the right places.













And now for something I once found in wet sand.



Check your search area, re-visit your research into the site and re-look at old and modern aerial photos. 6 hours searching on an old range and no finds ???? Nah....you're in the wrong spot my friend

PM me if you need any help.

Steve T

PS Or was the range an old AA or artillery one ? It may have been the sort where no small arms were used, hence your lack of finds.

[no man army]

See I'm not sure if it was an old range or not? on the cliff were 4 x 6" guns (according to my research) and also Ive been shown shells, cap badges and the 25pdr I told you about that were found on the beach, another thing that leads me to believe there is a bit of military history is a great big line of dragons teeth (concrete bollards)
Ive tried really hard to research this place, infact ive spent HOURS looking it up on the internet etc and asking my grandparents who were about during the second world war and I cant really find out too much about its military history.

I had ago at digging in mud earlier too and I think it's much better than digging in sand!

BTW that last pic made me lagh!

James

[Whitehunter]

Hi James, which detector do you use? I know alot of people have trouble with the wet sand. The Garret Ace 250 seem to work well with the wet sand as long as you have the sensitivity turned down slighty.