Wargames in the mountains of Idaho? I'm thinking so.

[DiamondDan]

Took a hike with the dog WAY up into the mountains to check out an area in which I have suspicions of a mining camp. Spent a good five hours following the creek up a draw and detecting as I went. Very thick trees and brambles around the water made detecting kind of a pain in the butt, but I was fairly certain I was on the right track for some older items.

Didn't find much in the way of vintage artifacts, mostly semi-modern clad that had been burned up in long-gone fire pits and a bunch of blank cartridges.


Most of my hunting was done in these trees. They are super overgrown and stretch for probably three miles up the draw.



Wendy the dog had a good time, but she's nearing eleven years old and was pretty bushed by the end of it. I wanted to keep hunting, but I could tell she was ready to go home!


Found what I believe is a modern bullet. Looks .45 cal to me.


Here's the haul. Corroded 38-40 case and a paper shotshell were the only "older" finds of the day.

All the 5.56 blanks are unfired and stamped "LC 89."
The casings on the left are .308 I believe, and must shoot some sort of training round? (Marked LC 67 and 68)

One on the top left is 30-06 and marked LC 43.

Any input on the function of these rounds would be news to me. Haven't done any research on them yet. Just thought I'd share my finds. I had a good time! Thanks for looking!

 

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[A2coins]

Beautiful scenery I would love to hunt there, Lots of snakes and critters I imagine though? Awesome post I cant help with the ammo ID but thanks for sharing that!!!!! HH Tommy

 

[DiamondDan]

I'll see a rattler once in a while, but they let you know way before you get close to them. I just leave 'em alone. Thought the dog got skunked when she was running ahead, but the smell just turned out to be some bits and pieces of one that I suspect was eaten by a great horned owl.

 

[ScubaDetector]

Circled in black are M-60 machine gun blanks used in war games. Circled in red are 223 M-16 rifle blanks also used in war games. We shot a lot of them when I was USAF military police.

 

[Kurios1]

Nice therapy for you & your companion. Cool to find anything I reckon off the beaten path as you were. BTW, I really dig your peacemaker. Very nice.

 

[DiamondDan]

Circled in black are M-60 machine gun blanks used in war games. Circled in red are 223 M-16 rifle blanks also used in war games. We shot a lot of them when I was USAF military police.

Thanks. I suspected as much as far as the caliber goes. Thought maybe some sort of paint round came out of the 308's, but I guess the lengthened case is just to help the weapon cycle properly? I was wondering how any sort of potential projectile that small would even engage the rifling in a 30 caliber bore.

 

[ScubaDetector]

No projectile. They were shaped that way to feed properly. The end had a small piece of red cardboard in it.

https://www.google.com/search?q=m60...m6YMKHf7aAX8QsAQIKg&biw=1408&bih=737&dpr=1.36

 

[Ogre1190]

I believe the LC indicates Lake City manufacture and the # indicates the year made. Cool finds.

 

[Jim in Idaho]

Good day, Dan! I'm amazed at the amount of ordinance.
Jim

 

[Old Pueblo]

Lake City arsenal, or whatever, from the 1960s and the 1980s. The two digit number is the date. The one that says LC 43 is "1943", from ww2.

 

[trapperart]

Congrats on a good day

 

[Trezurehunter]

Very nice. Looks like a beautiful place to hunt ( for treasures and critters !)