An interesting piece of wood

[Jean-Loup]

I was messing around in the forest with my metal detector yesterday, when I got a nice loud sound. I kicked the leaves and surface junk to the side with my shoe, then tried to find the target, but it had already moved... It took me a few seconds to figure out it was this piece of wood that was ringing.
When I saw it was wood, I immediatly understood there must be a projectile caught in the wood; a phenomonon I find quite fascinating! The entrance hole of the projectile is visible. The question was, was it something from the war, or something fired recently by a hunter??

[Jean-Loup]

Back at home I put a knife in a crack in the wood, and quickly split it open. As can be seen, I found a piece of copper driving band from a shell caught in the wood. As far as I can see, it is a piece of a US 75mm driving band.

This discovery has no monetary value, but it is the type of gadget I really like to find! Who would guess this piece of rotting wood is over 65 years old, and has fragment of copper made in America in it?

Jean-Loup

[Jean-Loup]

A final view

[Thorsten B.]

I think these are great moments: one searches and - unexpectedly although searching - finds something which wakes up the hunter, researcher and somehow pathfinder within us.

If some collectors might think that it is just wood and odd and boring they collect for others - and not for themselves.

I really like your find - reminds me about the fascinating times in forests in the eighties with my grandfather - that was fun!

[Alan Smith]

Yes, Jean-Loup: very interesting find. Thanks for posting.

Alan

[Norman Hamilton]

Nice find. The small things are very interesting ones. I've found Indian artifacts and Civil War bits. Love the small stuff....

[U534]

I know here in the Netherlands and Germany relic hunters who have a lot of kind of like this piece found in the woods.
Trees impact with shards etc!

Nice find

[Jean-Loup]

"I know here in the Netherlands and Germany relic hunters who have a lot of kind of like this piece found in the woods.
Trees impact with shards etc!"

This is the first one I find. I think there are two reasons:
-In southern France in most of the places, the forests have burned down several times since the war, so old trees are rare.
-I usualy detect with the option so that my detecotr ignores iron targets. It is very lucky that this fragment I found is copper.

I did find a bullet in a branch a while ago, but it was modern, and not from the war.

JL

[Gran Sasso]

I heard of some stoves wich exploded because wood containing live ammo...

[rick1]

I also enjoy these types of finds, thanks for showing.

[slayer]

Interesting find.

[Jeremy92]

Thats a very cool find!

[Johnny Peppers]

Along the same lines, this is a .58 caliber "3 Ring" Minie bullet that impacted a tree on April 18, 1864 at the Battle of Poison Spring near Camden, Arkansas. The tree was either cut or died, and the knot formed by the bullet was all that was left. I found it several years back metal detecting the area.

[IchHattEinenKameraden]

Metal detecting is fun, you never know what object you will find, a coin, a bullet(75mm M5A1) or a case for ammo for example!

A few items i recently found:

[Johnny Peppers]

Or even an old Confederate belt buckle.