My First Live Hotchkiss Artillery Shell

genlee

Full Member
Aug 20, 2011
159
142
Cascade, MD
Detector(s) used
Whites MXT Pro & Fisher F75 LTD
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I can check this relic off my bucket list now. This is a Hotchkiss 2 1/2" diameter shell

Tony, Gerry and myself were at a new site on Saturday. Well it is not a new site as in never been hunter, but new for us. I had gone out a few weekends ago to scout it out and found several fired bullets, four to be exact and all I did was walk in a straight line, for one hour.

Ok so back to yesterday, we got to the field around 7:45 am, and got busy.

About any hour into the hunt we all had a few relics, but nothing to right home about. So I head to the top of a ridge, that looked trashy and it was, but nothing to bad, just a lot of digging.

So my Fisher screams at me with a 78 solid signal but it was a high Iron reading, And it was 14+ inches so I figure it has to be something old. And it was right under a large root. After about 30 minutes of digging, probing and digging and probing I start to see the base of the shell. Now I was not sure what it was, as I have dug axles before, so out of the ground this bad boy popped.

I have to say I was a bit intimidated holding an unexploded shell in my hands, so I ran down the hill figuring if I was going to go it was going to be a skip in my step and amile on my face.

So this is my best for the year.
 

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Upvote 14
I'd walk backward barefoot on broken glass to my truck just to find one of those puppies...... Congrats
 

Don't let anybody in the government know about it, they could pay a visit! They take themselves way too seriously. 40 years ago, my friends and I found some relics from a crashed WWII bomber in Maryland. From memory, I think they were the innards of old batteries, but the police of that day came and disposed of them. I don't know how they did it, was too young.
 

Well Smokey even if the Govt new, they would be hard pressed to get it from me. I don't roll over that easy LOL But seriously.



John
 

Well Smokey even if the Govt new, they would be hard pressed to get it from me. I don't roll over that easy LOL But seriously.



John

genlee.... Amen!!!!! Your not the only one who feels that way. And I got a good feeling @ 90% + that were not alone either. I'd go stiff instantly if Govt. showed up and wanted anything from me that I wanted, found, bought or inherited. No "rolling over" here either.... Brad
 

I agree I am sure there are more out there who feel the same. I however feel that if I found it in the ground, it is mine that is of course with the permission of the land owner as I like to share with them.


John
 

I really doubt anybody in the gov't has any interest in us "little people". You always have to watch out for a do-gooder, though. The only cannon balls I have found have been Rev War solid shots. Nothing Civil War.
 

I really doubt anybody in the gov't has any interest in us "little people". You always have to watch out for a do-gooder, though. The only cannon balls I have found have been Rev War solid shots. Nothing Civil War.
Not unless your large diameter peashooter has a rifled barrel.
Smoothbore originals or repros are ignored. Dixie gun works repros VS
Little John's originals


Depending on your piece,
Some "G men" take notice.
 

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