Goofy Stuff You Find In The Berm

[SlippShodd]

Where I shoot is a mix of public lands in and around the local military training grounds, so I'm never quite sure where some of the stuff that I mine out of the berms originated. We stay off the tank and A-10 ranges for obvious reasons, but occasionally stumble on abandonded bandoliers and stripper clips out where the ground troops play. My latest favorite is the jacketed .45 firmly attached to the washer-head screw in the middle of the pic. The thing on the left has me baffled; it seems to be solid copper and I can't really tell if it was a projectile or just a target. The one piece is a copper .50 BMG jacket shed that was laying in a rock bluff, but I didn't find the core. The top right piece is all steel, .432" diameter, 1.870" long and thoroughly pitted... maybe a .50 AP core?
More stuff for the shelf above the presses.

mike

[stubshaft]

Interesting collection you've started.

[Shiloh]

I've found AP projos. .30 and .50 cal. There must be AP rounds to be purchased somewhere. Various LEA use our range. It could be from them.

Shiloh

[Rocky Raab]

There is a chance that the pure copper object is the "slug" from a shaped charge round. Such anti-armor rounds form a molten copper slug at hypervelocity. It goes through armor like the proverbial hot knife - 'cause it IS one.

[Iron Mike Golf]

There is a chance that the pure copper object is the "slug" from a shaped charge round. Such anti-armor rounds form a molten copper slug at hypervelocity. It goes through armor like the proverbial hot knife - 'cause it IS one.

I was thinking of the stand-off for some sort of tank HEAT training round. Any kind of service HEAT round would vaporize the nose probe/standoff. The plasma jet is formed by a copper liner cup in the shaped cavity.

[zuke]

What else ya got's?

[725]

While SCUBA diving off the shore from an old (WW1) Army hospital in Sacketts Harbor, NY, I've found dozens of .45 ACP bullets and other stuff. Lots of history there in Sacketts. Ship building, British attack, et al. Wish I had kept some of that stuff.

[buyobuyo]

+1 for the bit on the left being from an anti-tank/armor round. If you're finding that in the berms you're mining, I would think twice about continuing to mine there. From my experience, remnants like that don't travel too far from where they were detonated. And if they're shooting HE in the same area as small arms, who knows what you might find and if it is live or not.

The upper right piece is a .50 cal AP core as you thought.

[beagle]

Also, be on the watch for a (mostly) lead coated projectile about the size of a 20 gage shotgun shell. Has a rounded nose and a square base. These are subcaliber projectiles for a 81mm mortar. They have a black powder bursting charge and a high rate of duds. They're really fun in a pot as is an unignited .50 tracer round./beagle

[357maximum]

I am pretty sure that thing on the left came from a coyote that just migh happen to like the taste of copper.:holysheep

[bbs70]

Many years ago, while I was at Fort Sill ,we would occasionally find unexploaded artillery rounds.
They would use an impact area for a while, close it, then some years later open it back up.
Not many just a few old French 75s mostly and an occasional 105 round.

Maybe thats where I decided I liked blowing things up.:mrgreen:

[SlippShodd]

Beagle and Buyo, I appreciate your concern. The areas where the public can shoot are little used by the Guard these days, except for ground maneuvers and the only things they shoot in that part are their M4s. The areas where they play with the big toys are well marked with Unsploded Ordnance warning signs and those literate few of us believe them and stay clear. If any of this is military , it's been in the dirt for a very long time... which is exactly what it looks like. I agree, 10 or 20 pounds of free lead is not worth uncovering any booby prizes. On the other hand, last week I picked up over 100 rounds of live 22 ammo off the ground in these areas, along with some .223, .30 Carbine, .45 ACP... I will clean up all the unexploded civilian ordnance and scrap it out.

mike

[Eric H]

There is a chance that the pure copper object is the "slug" from a shaped charge round. Such anti-armor rounds form a molten copper slug at hypervelocity. It goes through armor like the proverbial hot knife - 'cause it IS one.

thats what i was thinking.