how may of you have actually found an old gun while out MD ?

lumbercamp

Hero Member
Jun 22, 2006
948
33
After 35 years of digging, I found my first two last spring. One was a winchester with an octagon barrel and had the lever and tang still on it. The other was an octagon muzzle load barrel.
 

bigfish31

Hero Member
Jan 4, 2007
662
3
North of Sacramento,Ca.
Detector(s) used
dfx
I found a 1911 model 32 colt in a leather holster stuffed up under a rock. I was goldmining yuba river. I figure someone crossed at low water and being right below colgate powerhouse, they hid it and swam back across intending to return later. It had a few minor rust spots but the action worked and it fired. I took it to the police. They held it 6 months and returned it to me.
 

mgdigger

Full Member
Jan 31, 2004
243
2
Los Osos, CA
Detector(s) used
Garrett GTA 1000 and ACE 250
I havent found one but I know a guy who hunted a lake that was low and found 23 guns that came from a gunshop robbery. And that was most likely a model 1903 colt I have one
 

Pulltab Parson

Hero Member
Jan 20, 2007
823
84
Northwest PA
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Tejon, Tesoro Vaquero, White's Prizm III, White's Bulls-eye Pinpointer II
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I have a 1903 .32cal, its a great gun, fires perfectly (except its missing its front site) ;D
 

Silver Searcher

Gold Member
Sep 27, 2006
10,386
2,657
UK
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
XP Deus
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Never had a gun or any outher weapon, but was on a detecting rally back in 2005 when some one dug up a hand grenade :o
 

Monty

Gold Member
Jan 26, 2005
10,746
166
Sand Springs, OK
Detector(s) used
ACE 250, Garrett
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I found one while going through my deceased inlaws house just before we sold it. It was in the old garage stuffed in among some rags. Here's a picture of it. It's and old cheap break top .38 S&W copy. I have it on display in my computer room. It's safe because there's no ammo for it. It may or may not fire? Monty
 

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Sandman

Gold Member
Aug 6, 2005
13,398
3,992
In Michigan now.
Detector(s) used
Excal 1000, Excal II, Sovereign GT, CZ-20, Tiger Shark, Tejon, GTI 1500, Surfmaster Pulse, CZ6a, DFX, AT PRO, Fisher 1235, Surf PI Pro, 1280-X, many more because I enjoy learning them. New Garrett Ca
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I only found one in while on a dive training class with the sheriff dept. We were looking for it as we were told it might have been tossed there. At the time I thought it was stupid to look as it was mid winter and the water in the river was colder than I ever remembered. It was a .38 Special snub nose S&W.
 

Jeffro

Silver Member
Dec 6, 2005
4,095
143
Eugene, Oregon
Detector(s) used
Fisher CZ5, White's GM VSat
No guns, but plenty of knives. This one will always stick out in my mind.... it was bloodstained. Kinda gross, really.
 

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spez401

Hero Member
Jul 13, 2006
521
9
Coventry, RI
Detector(s) used
Excal
I found a Colt 1911 just off a bridge in Narragansett, RI. I would dive the waters under the bridge once or twice per summer. I got a big hit in the deepest part of the river (about 12' deep) just below where kids would jump off the bridge. I got a big hit near a large flat rock and started fanning on the backside of the rock. Turned up a watch, two rings, and a slightly rusted .45. I tied a float to the rock, swam to shore and had someone call the police department. Their dive team showed up about 20 mins later went and pulled out the pistol... then asked me if they could borrow my detector to search the area again....

I was hoping that I'd be able to reclaim the pistol... but when I called back they told me it was "evidence". Although, I think one of the officers really liked it...
 

Monty

Gold Member
Jan 26, 2005
10,746
166
Sand Springs, OK
Detector(s) used
ACE 250, Garrett
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Oh, I forgot about the knives. I have found several, mostly so rusted up they won't open. I did find one stainless steel knife that the wooden handles had disappeared over time. It was near an old bootleggers joint long abandoned. Use to have booze and gambling and prostitutes upstairs. There was always someone getting stabbed or shot in a fight there. Monty
 

NH Bob

Jr. Member
Jan 22, 2007
91
2
NH
Detector(s) used
E-Trac
Hey Jeffro, I have that knife. I bought mine 40 years ago, paid $30 for it and a life time guarantee. If it has a serial # on the brass endcap you can get it fixed or replaced free.
Forever and ever and ever.
 

scotto

Bronze Member
Dec 23, 2006
1,778
257
My first M/D find
Detector(s) used
Garrett Ace 250
I found an old .25 cal. revolver, still loaded. I showed to it Louisa, who is a member here. I'm trying to find where I stashed it so I can take a pic of it. You could see the brass casings and a bullet on the end of one. I took it to a gun dealer, who said it was from the 1890's or something like that.
 

T

TreasureTales

Guest
Howdy, haven't found any guns yet, although I have dug up some globs of rust that might have been guns or parts of guns at one time.

Here are a couple photos of a dagger I dug up awhile back. It's already been posted on TNet so I apologize to those who may have seen it before. Could be as old as 200 years.
 

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drygulch

Jr. Member
Jan 22, 2007
39
4
Detector(s) used
MINELAB EXPLORER II
Found several knives and one .22 rifle that had a broken stock repairable test fired it using caution now it is what I use for prairie dogs in the spring and cats
 

T

TreasureTales

Guest
Jeffro said:
Thats a sweet dagger there TT! Have you researched it yet?

Jeffro, I posted photos of it in the What is It section several weeks ago and received all kinds of interesting answers. The most logical IMO was that it was possibly from the 1790s to early 1800s and could have been brought to the area by a '49er. I dug it up near a small prospector community here in No. Cal. In fact, there was a guy who gave me permission to hunt a homesite and he saw me pull it out of the ground. His eyes nearly popped out of his head. I wouldn't be surprised if he went and bought himself a metal detector later that day. LOL
 

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