🏆 HONORABLE MENTION Found a stolen loaded handgun.....

sgtwilks

Jr. Member
Mar 18, 2013
36
33
Berlin NJ
Detector(s) used
MXT Pro-Minelab X-terra 705-Fisher f4
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Loaded Handgun Recovered

metal-detecting-finds-loaded-handgun.jpg

I got the call on Thursday the 14th about an hour before I was to leave to go down to Kentucky to hunt with two friends and get out of the frozen north. It was Al, my local metal detector dealer. He shared that he had got a call from a Kalamazoo County detective. ( Yes there really is a Kalamazoo! ) They needed a team to look for a stolen loaded handgun. I am the president of the SW MI Seek & Search Club So Al called me to put together a team. I called the detective and got some information. I told him I could put together a few guys quickly but I couldn't come because I was going out of town. He said if I could put together a team on Monday that would be great.
So off to Kentucky to find Civil War relics and old coins I went. And old coins and relics is what we found. Fast forward to Monday morning. Five club members and myself met with a detective at 10 am. A couple hours before we started it started snowing and it was a little below freezing outside.
A short one mile drive later we were at the very trashy wooded lot where the gun was said to be thrown into. Turns out two teens had broken into some cars and stole the gun from one of them. About 45 minutes later the cops were hot on their heels so they threw the gun into this wooded lot.
The police went there the next day and with details of where the kid was when he threw it. They started their search with several law enforcement officers, one K9, and one metal detector and in five hours they could not come up with it. Our group of six club members started searching the lightly snow covered lot and quickly found there was targets all over the place. Twice I went back to the spot where it was said to be thrown from to get a visual of where it might be. We even looked into the trees to see if it had got hung up in some limbs. About 30 minutes into the hunt I heard a beep and seen the outline of the gun on the ground. I called out to the detectives up at the road and said "I got it " It was maybe 70 feet from the place it was thrown from.
metal-detecting-finds-loaded-handgun2.jpg
It was a fully loaded Ruger 380. All the guys came over and everyone wanted to hear what it sounded like under their coils. Three of them could hardly pick it up. The gun was mostly plastic except the barrel and slide that were made of steel.


The group looked around and there were several houses less than 50 yards from where the gun was found and some had kids swing sets in the yards. It sure felt good getting that out of those woods as there were also some toys found in there where the kids had been playing. No telling what might have happened if a kid had found it first.
I want to thank the Kalamazoo Law Enforcement team for calling on us to help find it. I also want to thank Tom, Keith, Charlie, Mark, and John for showing up to help in the search, and Minelab for making some awesome machines that help me to make many great finds!

You guys did a great service. Getting that gun off the street is about as important as things get. Really well done.
 

materdigger1

Sr. Member
Jun 7, 2012
369
143
Natchez, Mississippi
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Minelab CTX-3030, Teknetics T2SE , Bounty Hunter Pioneer 202, Garrett Pro Pointer, Predator Raven 25 digging tool
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Awsome recovery - So nice to know that you guys where able not only to assist law enforcement but help keep the neighbotrhood safe as well -great job and HH
 

Adjove

Jr. Member
Feb 15, 2013
95
33
This has almost enspired me to offer my time to help in this type of thing. Never know when we MDerists can help with solving a crime. My 2500 is a brass magnet and I could use that to find casings for sure! Great jobs gents. They need to get some CLP and a brush to the pretty little Ruger!

I feel the same. "CLP"?? I am guessing your military Poorman? That would explain your username, lol.
 

cahil_2

Full Member
Apr 27, 2012
140
148
West. Michigan
Detector(s) used
Minelab CTX 3030, Minelab e-trac,
Garrett Pro pointer, Lesche digger, Lesche Sampson, Predator 31 Digger, Minelab pro pointer
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Dittos on the good job gentlemen! That should be included as a banner find.
 

Critical Recovery

Hero Member
Oct 31, 2012
712
405
Michigan
Detector(s) used
White's MXT pro, MXT and DFX, Fisher F5
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Good save sir, and job well done.

That's a Ruger LCP, I carry one in a "wallet holster"
 

Davers

Gold Member
Jan 8, 2013
8,127
7,147
N.of , I-285...GA
Detector(s) used
Whites Spc xlt & Tesoro Tejon- Now back ...Fisher 1266-X. TRX Pointer. New .Teknetics G2 + . New AT Pro .
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Way to go ; see MIists love to help the police . I wish they would give me a call sometime .
 

H

Holly_squirrel

Guest
Good job! Those parents of tbe kids that live near by can rest easy now.... Well sorta ... Considering they had gun stealing theives in the neighborhood .
 

OP
OP
Mike from MI

Mike from MI

Silver Member
Oct 13, 2007
3,253
2,371
Vicksburg Michigan
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
14
Detector(s) used
Etrac, Minelab Explorer II, Exterra 30, Fisher CZ-21, and CZ-20
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
They caught both of the thieves Holly. :icon_thumleft:

Good job! Those parents of tbe kids that live near by can rest easy now.... Well sorta ... Considering they had gun stealing theives in the neighborhood .
 

Breezie

Gold Member
Oct 3, 2009
6,269
2,119
North Carolina
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
White's DFX & Spectrum~Garrett's Pro-Pointer~VibraProbe
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Mike, major KUDOS to you for finding that loaded handgun! This find is well worth an Honorable Mention Banner because it is truly HONORABLE, and I am casting my vote. Although none of us can predict the future, but the possibility of that gun being found by some neighborhood kids playing in the woods is pretty high. Thank you and your club members for taking your time to stop a potential deadly situation. :thumbsup: Breezie
 

hamiddetecting

Gold Member
Feb 22, 2012
6,398
2,510
North Pole
Detector(s) used
Sovereign GT and Excalibur II, Whites, Garrett, Fisher, Alert, MD,Cscope,Tesoro, Compas, XP, Long Rs
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Top