Bullets, horse shoes, and a bomb!

[Desert Don]

Was out for a while today. Again on the old trail. Did I mention that the old trail runs through the middle of an old bombing and strafing range. And for all of you who are worried about my safety...I thank you in advance. Having said that, I'll show you what I found today.

It was mostly just trash, but very old trash at that. Those are .50 Caliber shell casing on the right, all dating to 1943. The shotgun shell is a Nitro-club 12 ga. from the 1930s. There are also some .22 Caliber slugs in there. The broken horseshoe is unique. I found them about 50 feet apart, and about 8 inches down. The unique thing is that they are the left and right side of one broken shoe. The break in one fits perfectly in the break of the other. They could be from one of the mules on the old 20 mule team. The nails are still in some of the holes. So it definitely came off some animal.

Now for the bomb. It is a Mark 23 Marker bomb from World War II. They are detonated by a sudden hard impact to the nose. When that happens, a shotgun shell inside slides forward and strikes the fixed firing pin. That sets off the "stuff" inside, (whatever that is), and a lot of smoke is generated for marking a target. I have found many of these. Some were live. I am trained on how to disarm them. Click on an image for a larger view. They are big, so it might take while for it to load.

 

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[detectahead]

Looks like the kind of place I would like to hunt at. Neat finds! Any ghost towns in that area? Also, is there any wagon ruts related to the trail that your searching? Curious, thought about doing that type of hunting when I retire.

 

[1637]

there alot of history around there,i spend alot of time out there.it would be cool if the shoes where from the 20 muleteam,you should check it out.
great finds brad

 

[1637]

ps,be careful there is live rockets and 20mm rounds out there from when they were testing for vietnam.have fun.
brad

 

[Desert Don]

Looks like the kind of place I would like to hunt at. Neat finds! Any ghost towns in that area? Also, is there any wagon ruts related to the trail that your searching? Curious, thought about doing that type of hunting when I retire.

Yes, there are the remnants of the old trail still visible. But a lot of it is now a dirt road used by RVs and dune buggies. Fortunately one section of the original trail is not too far from my location. It runs along side of a dirt road, and is about 1/2 mile long. I have been searching that section for nearly 9 years, and am still finding things I missed. Today is a good example. Not much in the way of ghost towns around here. But there are areas in the desert where there was a town at one time. Fremont is a good example ( about 1880-1935). Nothing left there but sand and rusted cans. Little Lake is another. I have a video on YouTube showing what I've found in Fremont if you are interested.

 

[Desert Don]

ps,be careful there is live rockets and 20mm rounds out there from when they were testing for vietnam.have fun.
brad

Yes, I know about the rockets...have found many. And I have buckets of 20mm shell casings, as well as buckets of 1943 .50 Caliber brass.

DD

 

[Westfront]

Like that marker bomb. I would use two of them to make some bookends. Unfortunately the ones we dig here from time to time are the real thing....

 

[Billinoregon]

Love the marker bomb, Don. Agree a pair of them would make great bookends.

 

[Desert Don]

Love the marker bomb, Don. Agree a pair of them would make great bookends.

I have found about 20 of these out there. I have been working with the Police department here to identify the live bombs for proper disposal. When I accidentally uncover one, I notify them and they send out the EOD team. They say that the EOD people don't get much practice anymore on destroying a live one. They love coming out and doing the C4 thing.

If anybody is interested in what the big bomb crater hole looks like, here is a link to my YouTube video about the crater. It is 7 minutes long and is mostly about my grandson metal detecting. But if you skip to location 4:35 you can skip all the grandson things. https://youtu.be/rDPL_Wkxz8c

DD

 

[Trezurehunter]

Very cool. I'll bet not many people find those.

 

[Garrett424]

Cool finds.
I dug a mule shoe identical to yours last year. Back in the day mules were the equivalent of modern day, heavy earth moving equipment; among other things.

 

[Desert Don]

Cool finds.
I dug a mule shoe identical to yours last year. Back in the day mules were the equivalent of modern day, heavy earth moving equipment; among other things.

Do Mules have different shoes? That would really be something if this was a shoe from a mule on the 20 Mule team. If I could prove it, I'd give it to the Borax 20 Mules Team visitors center for display.

 

[1637]

take the shoe to the twenty mule team museum in boron,26962 twenty mule team rd,cool place,ck out the air and space museum next door.
brad

Do Mules have different shoes? That would really be something if this was a shoe from a mule on the 20 Mule team. If I could prove it, I'd give it to the Borax 20 Mules Team visitors center for display.

 

[1637]

i was out that way one day and my freind yelled look what i found then a big boom,it was just a a well (or not)timed sonic boom,i think i still have a little pea in one of my boots.
brad

 

[Desert Don]

take the shoe to the twenty mule team museum in boron,26962 twenty mule team rd,cool place,ck out the air and space museum next door.
brad

It's funny you should mention the 20 Mule Team museum. I have a service call at the Borax plant this morning. I service all of their printers and copiers out there. My largest account.

 

[Desert Don]

i was out that way one day and my freind yelled look what i found then a big boom,it was just a a well (or not)timed sonic boom,i think i still have a little pea in one of my boots.
brad

Boy I know about those sonic booms. I hear them all the time. Sometimes they really rattle the windows...and my nerves!

 

[Limitool]

Do Mules have different shoes?

Hey D.D..... Yes I believe mules have different shoes than horses. Not I admit I'm not an expert at all... Darn just had a brain fart. I'm thinking oxen not mule. I was gonna say mules have split hooves but I don't think they do. But oxen do and I know their shoes appear to look like a half horseshoe's because of the split hooves. So back to your original question again.... sorry.

 

[Billinoregon]

Mule shoes are typically longer and narrower. Two-piece shoes are used for oxen, thanks to a cow's cloven hoof.

 

[thrifty76now]

That hunt produced a number of unusual finds.

 

[Cletus]

very cool!!