I keep finding 50 cal bullets. Are these things everywhere?

[onemanwolfpack]

Went to St Augustine last week for a camping vacation and had time to do some metal detecting, I didn't find a whole lot but I did find my third 50 cal bullet in the last three months. So far I have found one at a farmers market, one under a park bench over looking a nearby river, and now this one on the beach. Does anyone else find this size bullet in odd places or am I just having a strange run on these things? I can only assume people are carrying them around and they are falling out of their pockets but I'm not sure.

HH

OMWP

 

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[aa battery]

only place i found um is at an old WW2 airbase

 

[baywalker]

Some of the beaches in F.L. are full of them ,there were a lot of basses here in ww2 and they used the barrier islands for strafing practice .

Jonnie

 

[NOLA_Ken]

I see them turn up on posts here pretty often actually. I haven't dug any here, but I did once dig a live 37mm round in a back yard in Ohio. I'm still wondering how that got there.

 

[Kieth-Tx]

Couple places I dig at down here were WWII bombing/strafe ranges and they are loaded with 50 & 30 cal bullets. The 30 cals are both regular and tracer rounds and buy do they throw a good signal!

 

[misplacedrednek]

Found a ton of those while I was stationed in Germany. I put a few good projectiles into a few good casings with a touch of glue and they look good on the mantle.

Matt

 

[aa battery]

Couple places I dig at down here were WWII bombing/strafe ranges and they are loaded with 50 & 30 cal bullets. The 30 cals are both regular and tracer rounds and buy do they throw a good signal!

yup!!

 

[therick]

There were a lot of "deserted" beaches in Florida during WWII that were used for target practice. Either they had war planes strafing target near the beaches or they were having mock invasions as our service men stormed these beaches getting ready for their day in Europe. As Florida has grown, many of these once "deserted " beaches are now the sites of motels and condos so it's not surprising to those of us that hunt the beaches here year round that you are finding them. It's a part of our history here in the Sunshine State.

therick

 

[Marvin Lee]

I live here in Boise Idaho. I keep finding them here as well. I keep finding them in weird places. found two on an old house site, couple here and there. I assumed these were brought home from WW2 as keep sakes. No shells ever, just the tips? Thats all I got for now. It's 24 degrees now, so its time for research during winter, and checking out stuff ive found. Love the Etrac!

 

[adventureswithjim]

I find them scattered all over the city and county...in 1942 we had training airbase...these weren't dropping out of pockets, more likely dropping out of the sky. I too have a couple put back together with good casings....also an occasional item dropped from the sky...they look amazing on the shelf.

 

[onemanwolfpack]

I think you guys are right. Page field in Fort Myers was a WWII base that both my grandfathers were stationed for training, they both ended up moving here because they liked it so much after the war. Also the beach on Anastasia island has a big dune that would be perfect for strafing practice. Thanks for all the great info.

 

[Westfront]

Found a ton of those while I was stationed in Germany. I put a few good projectiles into a few good casings with a touch of glue and they look good on the mantle.

Matt

But You left too much of them here..... Still tons of them everywhere! I have a 2 gallon bucket almost full this Year. I save the better ones as well, but cannot buy the parts to make a chain of them. They sell good on a fleamarket to WWII collectors.

 

[Lanny in AB]

Interesting finds!

All the best,

Lanny

 

[debrown122]

We found a whole bag of them on the Delaware beach. During 1942/43 they set up towers to protect against the German U-boats. They practiced firing into old boats and such. During the beach replenishment projects they pumped several onto the beach.

 

[texjim]

I know the military does and has done a lot of training on the beaches in Florida.

 

[tarpon192]

I AM ABOUT 3 HOURS SOUTH, AND I FIND BOTH CASINGS, AND BULLETS ON THE BEACH. NEVER FOUND ANY INLAND THOUGH.
STILL A PIECE OF HISTORY.

 

[treasure513]

Hello...
I recently went to Fort Myers beach and found these bullets. I don't know what cal. they are but wanted to reply to your post. Can you tell me what cal. they are by the picture? From what I gather, they are from WWII? Just before I went to Fort Myers, they had dredged the beach and pumped sand from the ocean about a mile out to replace it. I was told they replaced the sand a foot deep. I found the majority of these about 4" down. Other hunters on the beach were finding them too.
Also while walking the beach I had found some type of rock that had washed up. I'm wondering if anyone could tell me what it is by the picture. It looks almost like black onyx.
Thanks and happy hunting !!

 

[RFrady]

The .50 cal were definitely fired since you can see the rifling on the rounds and as everyone else has already stated, the beaches of FL were the location of numerous bases and training ranges during WWII. I have not found any with my MD, but thousands in my career as eyeball finds.

 

[RFrady]

Hello...
I recently went to Fort Myers beach and found these bullets. I don't know what cal. they are but wanted to reply to your post. Can you tell me what cal. they are by the picture? From what I gather, they are from WWII? Just before I went to Fort Myers, they had dredged the beach and pumped sand from the ocean about a mile out to replace it. I was told they replaced the sand a foot deep. I found the majority of these about 4" down. Other hunters on the beach were finding them too.
Also while walking the beach I had found some type of rock that had washed up. I'm wondering if anyone could tell me what it is by the picture. It looks almost like black onyx.
Thanks and happy hunting !!

Treasure,

Not sure if anyone else replied to you, but it is nearly impossible to tell the caliber of a bullet without having a reference marker or measurements. Just as a matter of observation, they appear to be .30-06, but that is purely speculation.

 

[4seasons]

I could have filled up several buckets fulls once on the beach in N.C. just after a beach replenishing project there were 50 cal. and 30 cal. bullets, casings and unfired rounds. I actually pulled a couple apart that had green and black sludge in it that I guess was once powder. You could tell they were old but I'm not sure they were WWII vintage? It was near camp lejune so maybe it could have been dropped in the ocean from ship or copter? But it does make for an interesting find and conversation piece. Those 50 cals are a big chunk of lead. Couldn't imagine being hit with one.