Civil War Relic Hunting

sphillips

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Jan 4, 2008
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Need some help from those in the know. I am heading to Norfolk, VA to stay at my sons home for a week. My friend here in florida just purchased 70 acres a couple of hours west of Norfolk. His neighbor in Virginia said that there was a confederate encampment on the properties around there, and said I could detect it if I want. So wondering what numbers on the Eq800 to be especially aware of when Civil War hunting relics. Any input much appreciated.

Steve
 

BH505Man

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Nov 18, 2013
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Primary Interest:
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Need some help from those in the know. I am heading to Norfolk, VA to stay at my sons home for a week. My friend here in florida just purchased 70 acres a couple of hours west of Norfolk. His neighbor in Virginia said that there was a confederate encampment on the properties around there, and said I could detect it if I want. So wondering what numbers on the Eq800 to be especially aware of when Civil War hunting relics. Any input much appreciated.

Steve

If you get a signal that bounces between 20 - 40 dig it! It could be a CSA belt buckle or US belt buckle. However if I got any signals, I'd dig them all.
Walt
 

BH505Man

Full Member
Nov 18, 2013
123
153
Granite Falls, WA
Detector(s) used
Equinox 800, 6",11" coils, Teknetics T2SE,&T2 Classic, 5", CORS Fortune 5.5x9.5", 11", CORS Strike 12x13", 15"coils, Legacy 3500, 4", 8",10" & 11"DD coils, Lesche digging Knife, Lesche T Handle Shovel
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Need some help from those in the know. I am heading to Norfolk, VA to stay at my sons home for a week. My friend here in florida just purchased 70 acres a couple of hours west of Norfolk. His neighbor in Virginia said that there was a confederate encampment on the properties around there, and said I could detect it if I want. So wondering what numbers on the Eq800 to be especially aware of when Civil War hunting relics. Any input much appreciated.

Steve

I would purchase and use the 15 X12 Minelab Equinox factory coil to enable me to cover the most ground.I'd probably use Field 1 or Field 2 mode. A good digging shovel like the Lesche Sampson T handle shovel is worth it's weight in gold and is highly recomended.
If you get a signal that bounces between 20 - 30 dig it! It could be a CSA belt buckle or US belt buckle. However if I got any signals, I'd dig them all.
Walt
 

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brianc053

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This gentleman, Larry of "Saving Local History", detects Civil War locations with an Equinox. His videos might be very helpful to you: https://www.youtube.com/c/SavingLocalHistory

I know that he digs A LOT of 3-ring bullets and similar, and on the Equinox I believe they ring up in the 13-17 range.

Good luck out there!

- Brian
 

smokeythecat

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Basically, I would dig everything above a "7". When I used the nox I would find small brass down that low, and some of the cuff buttons if deep could ring up that low.
 

Steve in PA

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Do you know what the site conditions look like? Unless the property is a cow/horse pasture, or real mature woods, you will probably be in for some tough hunting this time of year. The heat, the bugs, the undergrowth, or planted fields will all be working against you. Good luck.
 

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sphillips

sphillips

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Do you know what the site conditions look like? Unless the property is a cow/horse pasture, or real mature woods, you will probably be in for some tough hunting this time of year. The heat, the bugs, the undergrowth, or planted fields will all be working against you. Good luck.

Not sure other than google earth view, which also shows partially treed. Thx for the advice, Steve
 

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sphillips

sphillips

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Jan 4, 2008
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Western NC
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I would purchase and use the 15 X12 Minelab Equinox factory coil to enable me to cover the most ground.I'd probably use Field 1 or Field 2 mode. A good digging shovel like the Lesche Sampson T handle shovel is worth it's weight in gold and is highly recomended.
If you get a signal that bounces between 20 - 30 dig it! It could be a CSA belt buckle or US belt buckle. However if I got any signals, I'd dig them all.
Walt

Thx Walt, planning on ordering a shovel this week.

steve
 

Steve in PA

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Keep in mind that you will also be in prime colonial relic country. If you start finding flat buttons and tombac buttons, slow down and start circling around the area to confirm whether or not you are on an pre civil war house site.
 

vferrari

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Most VA relic hunters have gone to the beach at this point as the clay is hard, the heat is unbearable, and the fields are planted. Also, the ticks and mosquitos are crazy (suggest treating your digging clothes with permethrin to repel the ticks who are thick as thieves now and dangerous). Bring rain gear and plenty of water.

If you are field relic hunting, especially farm land, you need more than a T- Handled Lesch Sampson. That’s fine for parks and lawns, but you really need something with a little more mass behind it and a bigger serrated blade that can move some dirt and that can cut through roots, pasture grass, concrete hard Virginia clay, and rocks. Unless you are in somebody’s yard, you are going to dig some big deep plugs and the field conditions will be like concrete this time of year. Suggest something more along the lines of the Grave Digger brand relic shovels on the Kellyco site. Also, I personally prefer a D Handle as you can get more leverage on the shovel. You can also get away with a hefty all-metal shovel, and let the mass of the whole shovel help you do the work. But the purpose-built, larger serrated blade relic shovels are your best bet.

Relic hunting - follow the nails…put your Equinox in no disc horseshoe mode (aka “all metal”, though “all metal” in this context is technically a misnomer- no matter). Look for concentrations of square nails and other signs of established CW or Colonial human presence (oyster shells, bone, charcoal, broken glass, misc brass pieces) or more obvious CW finds such as melted minie ball lead fragments (known as “camp lead”), grommets, bone, brass or ceramic buttons, knapsack hooks, minie balls, coins and then grid the hell out of that area.

Suggest using Field 2 at the default settings unless you find 50 tones overwhelming than switch to 5 tones. Use iron bias F2 at the default setting of 6 (Equinox 800) to cut down on ferrous falsing. Don’t be afraid to push it higher if nails are still falsing, no real down side becsuse you will still hear the target in horseshoe mode and can make a dig decision. Learn to turn on a suspected iffy target to swing across it from different angles and to try to wiggle your coil into the target sweet spot such that you are getting a repeatable non-ferrous dig me signal. Frankly, as Smokey said, just dig any non-ferrous signal above 7 - that covers gold coins, brass, lead, copper, silver, and large non-ferrous such as plates. Typically brass buttons come in in the low to mid teens, minie balls at 16 to 19, and larger brass, copper and silver in the 20’s to 30’s.

If you are thinking of acquiring or already gave the larger 12x15 coil, that is good for open field swing coverage, unless you are also venturing into the woods or the site you are detecting is high in mineralization, in which case it is counterproductive because it will be overwhelmed by ground noise (unlikely to be high mineralization if you are detecting in the Tidewater/Norfolk/Williamsburg area). Otherwise, you should be just fine with the stock 11” coil which is appears to be to coil around which the performance of the Equinox is optimized.

Good luck.

PS Know your boundaries. Stay on the private property for which you have permission. Any public land hunting for relics is a no no. The high concentration of protected historic sites in the area means the local state and federal authorities are constantly on the lookout for violators and the penalties are stiff and usually felonies if the Feds are involved.

I am familiar with relic hunting and the CW history throughout VA so feel free to PM me for questions or advice. You don’t need to reveal information about your site to me for me to help you or let you know the historical context in the general area you are looking to detect, not looking to jump a permission, just want you to be able to make the most of the brief time you are in VA.
 

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sphillips

sphillips

Bronze Member
Jan 4, 2008
1,046
1,114
Western NC
Detector(s) used
Equinox 800
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All Treasure Hunting
Most VA relic hunters have gone to the beach at this point as the clay is hard, the heat is unbearable, and the fields are planted. Also, the ticks and mosquitos are crazy (suggest treating your digging clothes with permethrin to repel the ticks who are thick as thieves now and dangerous). Bring rain gear and plenty of water.

If you are field relic hunting, especially farm land, you need more than a T- Handled Lesch Sampson. That?s fine for parks and lawns, but you really need something with a little more mass behind it and a bigger serrated blade that can move some dirt and that can cut through roots, pasture grass, concrete hard Virginia clay, and rocks. Unless you are in somebody?s yard, you are going to dig some big deep plugs and the field conditions will be like concrete this time of year. Suggest something more along the lines of the Grave Digger brand relic shovels on the Kellyco site. Also, I personally prefer a D Handle as you can get more leverage on the shovel. You can also get away with a hefty all-metal shovel, and let the mass of the whole shovel help you do the work. But the purpose-built, larger serrated blade relic shovels are your best bet.

Relic hunting - follow the nails?put your Equinox in no disc horseshoe mode (aka ?all metal?, though ?all metal? in this context is technically a misnomer- no matter). Look for concentrations of square nails and other signs of established CW or Colonial human presence (oyster shells, bone, charcoal, broken glass, misc brass pieces) or more obvious CW finds such as melted minie ball lead fragments (known as ?camp lead?), grommets, bone, brass or ceramic buttons, knapsack hooks, minie balls, coins and then grid the hell out of that area.

Suggest using Field 2 at the default settings unless you find 50 tones overwhelming than switch to 5 tones. Use iron bias F2 at the default setting of 6 (Equinox 800) to cut down on ferrous falsing. Don?t be afraid to push it higher if nails are still falsing, no real down side becsuse you will still hear the target in horseshoe mode and can make a dig decision. Learn to turn on a suspected iffy target to swing across it from different angles and to try to wiggle your coil into the target sweet spot such that you are getting a repeatable non-ferrous dig me signal. Frankly, as Smokey said, just dig any non-ferrous signal above 7 - that covers gold coins, brass, lead, copper, silver, and large non-ferrous such as plates. Typically brass buttons come in in the low to mid teens, minie balls at 16 to 19, and larger brass, copper and silver in the 20?s to 30?s.

If you are thinking of acquiring or already gave the larger 12x15 coil, that is good for open field swing coverage, unless you are also venturing into the woods or the site you are detecting is high in mineralization, in which case it is counterproductive because it will be overwhelmed by ground noise (unlikely to be high mineralization if you are detecting in the Tidewater/Norfolk/Williamsburg area). Otherwise, you should be just fine with the stock 11? coil which is appears to be to coil around which the performance of the Equinox is optimized.

Good luck.

PS Know your boundaries. Stay on the private property for which you have permission. Any public land hunting for relics is a no no. The high concentration of protected historic sites in the area means the local state and federal authorities are constantly on the lookout for violators and the penalties are stiff and usually felonies if the Feds are involved.

I am familiar with relic hunting and the CW history throughout VA so feel free to PM me for questions or advice. You don?t need to reveal information about your site to me for me to help you or let you know the historical context in the general area you are looking to detect, not looking to jump a permission, just want you to be able to make the most of the brief time you are in VA.

The acreage is in Buckingham county east of Dillwynn. I looked the property up on the county website, then outlined it on google earth. Its mostly densely treed with some open areas, a small portion of which has been plowed, thinking hay. Also a small old building in this area. My initial thoughts are to just concentrate on the open area. My son is in the Navy in Norfolk so will be back there for Thanksgiving, which might be a better time to explore some of the wooded area. All very good advice and I really appreciate it. Ive only done Treasure Coast beach hunting and a few old home sights here in Ft. Pierce, so this will be a new adventure for me.

Steve
 

vferrari

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Steve - sounds like it will be a fun adventure. That area lies directly in the the retreat path of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia from Richmond and Petersburg to Appomattox. Have fun.
 

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sphillips

sphillips

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Thx to everyone for the excellent advice!
 

smokeythecat

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Wear snake boots. I have heard the copperheads are in their glory this year due to the cicada hatch.
 

GeoW

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Dig all things nonferrous!
 

BH505Man

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I wouldn't buy a wood D handled shovel because the first time you use it to pry something that is stuck out of the ground... bye, bye wooden handle (take it from someone who knows...I've dug many deep pits in my bottle digging days and have broken more wooden handles than I care to count). The all metal Leshe T handled shovel I have has a serrated blade. I use it not only for metal detecting finds recovery, but also for garden work and have used it for digging out concrete around broken fence posts. Hauling around a huge shovel all day is a pain in the derriere and will make you hate life. Trust me, the Lesche Sampson shovel is heavy duty and all metal and more than sufficient to recover most finds. If you need more than that, buy a bulldozer. BTW the Lesche Sampson shovel is a relic shovel made for metal detecting (the Grave Digger brand shovel and Predator shovel are just other brand's copies of it).
Walt
 

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vferrari

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Walt - Absolutely agree with you - all metal, all the way. I think I said that in my post (if I wasn't clear, I am clarifying that now). And, yes, D handle with an all metal shovel, to me, is the most sturdy red clay digger.

I don't endorse Grave Digger brand, was only referencing them to give Steve an idea of the style of relic digging shovel he should pursue and because we are limited to referencing only certain sponsored vendors (in this case, Kellyco) on this forum.

Regarding Lesche and genuine Lesche products etc, well Walt, I don't know if you've done a deep dive in this area, but leaving the Grave Digger brand out of this because they are just a third party, there is a sordid family rival history associated with Lesche Tools aka WWManufacturing and Predator brand. They were both founded by Lesche's (Walter and George Lesche) and use the same design and manufacturing techniques but due to some family drama the two companies exist side-by-side and produce identical hand diggers and similar digging products.
Predator appears to have larger bladed, serrated blade tools. So, no, Predator is not "just a copy" (implying a potentially inferior product).

Finally, regarding the Lesche Sampson, I am not sure if we are talking about the same model, but I would not use my Sampson on a relic farm field. The blade is too short and narrow to dig a decent plug in a red clay corn or bean field to be effective and efficient. Like I said, in a park or lawn or local woods without a lot of roots, it does great. But my (all metal and welded) Predator Pirhana just moves A LOT more dirt and starts a much deeper plug, plus the blade is serrated. I have a larger WW Manufacturing all metal D-Handled Spade for heavy duty work. Smokey hates it when I use that shovel because I tend to clang it against trees and rocks because I am a clumsy oaf and make too much racket (plus Smokey knows when I bring that thing out, I mean business) LOL.

See comparison pics below of the Sampson (small gray tool) vs. the Pirhana (large blue tool). Don't have access to my WW Shovel on the road, but it is a lot bigger. All are quality, all metal welded, and rugged products that are up for the tasks and abuse that come with relic hunting.

20210612_084539.jpg

Thanks.
 

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sphillips

sphillips

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Forgot to mention that my son in Norfolk has a neighbor that an acreage on the south fork of the shenandoah river near elkton, VA and he said I could detect there whenever I want. Wont be this coming trip though. Lots of options.
 

vferrari

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Steve - great you can get some relic detecting in on your visits to family. You have some great leads. Enjoy!
 

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sphillips

sphillips

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Thx vf. I started detecting in 2017, all beach hunting for the first 3 years since I live on the Treasure Coast. Decided to get into park, old home hunting as well about a year ago, and now hopefully relic hunting. Looking forward to the norfolk trip, which will include beach hunting along with the relic hunting.
 

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