foxbasher Posted September 4, 2013 Report Share Posted September 4, 2013 Just been out for an hour with the metal detector and dug up a handful of the useual rubbish. In there was a rifle bullet thats pretty old looking but on cleaning it up there looks to be a slot head screw in the base. Looks like the screws made of brass, any ideas??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TIGHTCHOKE Posted September 4, 2013 Report Share Posted September 4, 2013 Brenekke used to fix the wad on with a small screw. What calibre is the bullet? Any photographs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harnser Posted September 4, 2013 Report Share Posted September 4, 2013 if a rifle bullet could be where a gas check was screwed on . Harnser . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbasher Posted September 4, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2013 The screw is fractionally smaller than the bullet buy about 1-2 mm all the way round. Ill go and try get a few pics on the camera Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbasher Posted September 4, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2013 if it works, heres a few pics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy H Posted September 4, 2013 Report Share Posted September 4, 2013 That look's like a strange one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daveo26 Posted September 4, 2013 Report Share Posted September 4, 2013 I would say its not a bullet, no deformation on the tip and no rifling marks? I don't know what it is though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amazed Posted September 4, 2013 Report Share Posted September 4, 2013 Plumb bob weight ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1066 Posted September 5, 2013 Report Share Posted September 5, 2013 That's interesting - Looks like it's not been fired but I would be a bit wary of unscrewing the screw before I'd done a little more research - Could it be some sort of incendiary or explosive round. Can you clean it up a bit and measure the calibre? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbasher Posted September 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2013 Ill try get a more accurate measurement when I get back later Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1066 Posted September 5, 2013 Report Share Posted September 5, 2013 Yep, found it - don't unscrew it. Look half way down this page. .303 B Mk VI incendiary (Dixon/De Wilde) http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk/RAF%20guns.htm http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?um=1&safe=off&sa=N&biw=1280&bih=855&hl=en&tbm=isch&tbnid=FYT_va8W9zezGM:&imgrefurl=http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php%3Ft%3D484383%26page%3D2&docid=33U3sQ139I8QPM&imgurl=http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/8466/incendiary.gif&w=644&h=370&ei=pjsoUqqCLIWk0QXF5IDgCA&zoom=1&ved=1t:3588,r:71,s:0,i:304&iact=rc&page=3&tbnh=170&tbnw=296&start=52&ndsp=27&tx=94&ty=46 Here's the gen. http://cartridgecollectors.org/cmo/cmo07feb.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dadioles Posted September 5, 2013 Report Share Posted September 5, 2013 When I read this thread I also concluded that it was not a bullet and when I read the comment by 1066 about incendiary devices I thought "here we go again". Now am am feeling rather silly for being so arrogant and will take a large slice of humble pie with my morning coffee. There is always so much to learn..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amazed Posted September 5, 2013 Report Share Posted September 5, 2013 Well I never lol Any reports of downed planes in the area ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1066 Posted September 5, 2013 Report Share Posted September 5, 2013 When I read this thread I also concluded that it was not a bullet and when I read the comment by 1066 about incendiary devices I thought "here we go again". Now am am feeling rather silly for being so arrogant and will take a large slice of humble pie with my morning coffee. There is always so much to learn..... No humble pie required. The depth and history of our sport/hobby is vast, whether from the sporting, military or historical perspective. Nobody can begin to know it all, we can all continue to learn if interested in the subject. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1066 Posted September 5, 2013 Report Share Posted September 5, 2013 Well I never lol Any reports of downed planes in the area ? This is another interesting point - where did it come from. It's obviously not been fired, it's not loaded in it's case, the case would be brass so not disintegrated, the rounds would have come from an ordinance factory so were not "homeloaded" at some Army/Raf base. It's definitely military and really quite unusual I would think - certainly something a collector of these things would be interested in. Maybe more clues on the sight or a bit of local history digging required. Could there be some Home-guard connection? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wymberley Posted September 5, 2013 Report Share Posted September 5, 2013 If we were to accept that any rifling marks have disappeared with erosion/corrosion and that the bullet missed its target and consequently did not ignite on impact, it would have then fallen to earth **** about face and still did not ignite on landing. There it lay for some 70 odd years until someone found it and posted on Pigeon Watch. When you consider that 1 in 8,000,000 projectiles dropped or fired in WW11 actually killed someone, there's probably a few more dotted around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shakari Posted September 5, 2013 Report Share Posted September 5, 2013 Bearing in mind it appears to be an incendiary round you might like to handle it carefully & dispose of it correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbasher Posted September 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2013 1066 the prize goes to you any ideas on what i should be doing with it bearing in mind we now know what it is?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amazed Posted September 5, 2013 Report Share Posted September 5, 2013 I was watching a program on Zeppelins the other day and there was a massive effort from engeneering works all over looking at ways to bring them down. Maybe this is from that era ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbasher Posted September 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2013 (edited) ok, caution got the better of me and its now sat at the bottom of a rarther large, deep pond round the corner from my place to finish corroding in peace. may have been worth a few quid to a collector and perfectly safe but id rarther keep my hands in tact Edited September 5, 2013 by foxbasher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amazed Posted September 5, 2013 Report Share Posted September 5, 2013 ok, caution got the better of me and its now sat at the bottom of a rarther large, deep pond round the corner from my place to finish corroding in peace. may have been worth a few quid to a collector and perfectly safe but id rarther keep my hands in tact To be honest if it was nitro cellulose it would be quite stable. Wasn't film made from it at some point ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbasher Posted September 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2013 didnt want to take any chances. in the pics i turned the bullet and photographed its best side, the side you cant see was quite pitted and a funny black/green colour at the base. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonathanL Posted September 5, 2013 Report Share Posted September 5, 2013 1066 the prize goes to you any ideas on what i should be doing with it bearing in mind we now know what it is?? Give it to the cops, a sec 5 dealer or to someone who has the relevant authority on his FAc to collect section 5 ammo. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonathanL Posted September 5, 2013 Report Share Posted September 5, 2013 (edited) To be honest if it was nitro cellulose it would be quite stable. Wasn't film made from it at some point ? It probably wouldn't have been nitro-cellulose based. More likely phosphorous or some similarly nasty form of incendiary filling, possibly with a high-explosive initiator in the tip or something. J. Edit: Barium Nitrate, apparently. http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk/BoB.htm Edited September 5, 2013 by JonathanL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbasher Posted September 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2013 Did think of taking it to the cop shop but knowing what their like they would have probably arrested me and sealed off half mile radius of the police station untill bomb squad arrived Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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