First Hunt Of 2024, First Firearm!

[Geologyhound]

Reading about the success of so many forum members on their first 2024 hunt made me itch to get out myself.  So, I took an afternoon before the storm front moved in to go hunt the site where I found three 100+ year old coins and a token during my last couple outings.  With my 11x13, I moved further along the crest of the hill from where I had been before.  After about 30 minutes I hit a fairly solid 81.  About 6 inches down I turned up a solid green IHP (1889).  This is the one with the obvious scar around the 11 o’clock position.  About one foot away I got a questionable signal with an ascending/descending tone mixed with iron tones, and an occasional 79 thrown in for good measure.  If I swung one way, the  tone ascended (my tone bins have progressively higher pitches with higher TID’s).  Swinging back the other way the tone descended.  Turning on the target made it dissolve into iron grunts.  

I am using a fast-based program based off of Rattlehead’s Silver Slayer program, and bottle caps are set at five.  Typically, with this ascending/descending broken tone, I find bottle caps.  But, 1 foot away from an IHP, I dug it anyway. Around 7 inches down up popped another green disc.  I thought I had another IHP, but after I got it home I found out it is a 1918 wheat.  Oddly, all I recovered from that hole was the penny. After recovering the penny, I swung the coil over the hole again and no iron.  But, there was a 42 a few inches away.

With two old coins, I slowed down and started gridding the area.  About 20 feet away I got another questionable signal that was mostly iron tones, but I did get an occasional good tone and a 77 from one direction only and one angle.  The backswing and changing angles resulted in iron tones.  I have probably passed on many signals like this before.  But with the number of 100+ year old coins I found here, and an old coin from the last questionable target, I was game. About 8 inches down, I found the unscarred IHP (another 1889).  The pinpointer indicated no other targets in the hole.  Just like the wheat, when I swung over the hole again, no signal whatsoever.  

This has got me wondering how many other IHPs or old wheats I may have missed.  My soil is fairly mild - usually no bars to a couple bars.  Does anybody know why I would be getting a preponderance of iron tones when there is no iron?  My recovery speed was at one.  I had varied it up to about 2.5 in iron patches but kept backing it down when the iron thinned out.  I can understand a good target on the edge of detection may return sporadic good signals, but not why iffy signals from a lone good target would be largely interpreted as iron.

In the same area, I found an old brass ring (83). There is an obvious join on one side. I cannot see any inscription inside or out.  A 93 had me hoping for another quarter, but I am happier with the little silver locket.  I dug too deep for that and had to break apart the plug to find it (the pinpointer missed it initially).  The brass hinge has seen better days.  When it opened, the hinge came apart.  There is nothing inside anymore.

Late in the day I got a solid 61.  Thinking nickel, I again dug too deep. I was rewarded with the earring.  This was about 3 inches down and is completely free of corrosion.  It is also relatively heavy.  I don’t have any metal or stone test kits/instruments.  I was figuring glass or CZ, but I took it by a local jewelry shop.  The guy took a look at it and said he figures it’s glass, but he did not test it.  He said it is faceted wrong for diamond or CZ.  ☹️  There appears to be a slight lightening of shade on the tip of the prongs. This makes me wonder if they are plated. There is no mark that I can see.

The manufacture date on the Winchester Blue Rival No 12 dates from 1894 to 1904.  The manufacture date on the Peters Target No 12 dates from 1902 to 1911.

So, this is the second time I have found three 100+ year old coins in one day at this site.  It is also the first time I’ve ever found two IHPs in one day.  Combined with the jewelry, I was very pleased with my first day out for 2024!  However, the oddest find of the day was the little palm pistol.  It is 4.25x3x1 inches, and is too heavy to be a cap pistol.  It is hard to tell with the rust, but the muzzle opening appears to be about 3/16 inch.  The whole thing is pretty well caked in rust including the grip.  Does anybody have any idea either how to clean it, or what it could be?

I don’t know about anyone else but I am looking forward to many more good finds in 2024.  Happy hunting everyone!

[F350Platinum]

Nice hunt Ghound!

First of all, what version are you on?

As to the coins, on V2 I've been noticing that a bit, I've heard a low tone with a great coin now and again, but if I get over 50% positive signals, I'll dig it anyway.

Your pistol appears to have some markings on it, at best it's a toy, and at worst it may still have ammunition in it, so don't go banging it around. 😬 🤣

You got a brass ring, silver, and old coins, a great bit of detecting by any standard. 👍 I'd like to see some better photos of the pistol, mostly likely it's in the 22-25 caliber range.

[Jeff McClendon]

Judging from the opening on the slide and the relatively flat, thin, pivoting trigger I am going with a Kilgore cap gun or something similar. I am not an expert on "Saturday Night Special" pocket pistol automatics, but most of the ones I am familiar with have a totally different kind of trigger similar to a 1911 and they don't have slide shell casing ejection openings near the rear sights.

[Geologyhound]

33 minutes ago, F350Platinum said:

Nice hunt Ghound!

First of all, what version are you on?

As to the coins, on V2 I've been noticing that a bit, I've heard a low tone with a great coin now and again, but if I get over 50% positive signals, I'll dig it anyway.

Your pistol appears to have some markings on it, at best it's a toy, and at worst it may still have ammunition in it, so don't go banging it around. 😬 🤣

You got a brass ring, silver, and old coins, a great bit of detecting by any standard. 👍 I'd like to see some better photos of the pistol, mostly likely it's in the 22-25 caliber range.

I am running V2.  Especially on the last IHP, I probably wasn’t even getting 20% positive signals.

Total weight on the gun appears to be slightly over 8 ounces.  At this point in time I would hope nothing could actually fire or ignite, but I’m being careful not to flag myself anyway.  I don’t really want to try and clean it if there could be anything live in it.

[Geologyhound]

13 minutes ago, Jeff McClendon said:

Judging from the opening on the slide and the relatively flat, thin, pivoting trigger I am going with a Kilgore cap gun or something similar. I am not an expert on "Saturday Night Special" pocket pistol automatics, but most of the ones I am familiar with have a totally different kind of trigger similar to a 1911 and they don't have slide shell casing ejection openings near the rear sights.

Thanks! At 8 ounces it has a completely different heft than any of the cap pistols I have found or owned.  Do you happen to know the primary metal used in the Kilgore line? The other cap pistols I have found basically peeled chrome back and the aluminum or tin or whatever underneath rotted away into white powder which left the cap pistols in multiple pieces.  This is weakly magnetic all over and is definitely rusting.

[Jeff McClendon]

They were die cast metal whatever that is.