WW2 gunnery range - Two visits in one weekend - June 2012

[RRPG]

Hi all

Well, just come back from a lovely weekend over at my mother's holiday place in Norfolk. During our break there I got in two visits to the gunnery range permission I have been searching for the past few years, (whenever I am over that way !).

DAY 1

Up at 6am, on site for 4 hours. I spent the first 3 hours detecting around the small arms practice area then switched to an area where I have previously found some nice 50cal and 20mm cartridges, (this range was used by ground forces and the USAAF/RAF). Had a great haul on this first foray.......



A great mix of finds. Mainly 303 but also 30cal, 45cal, 9mm, 380cal, 50cal and 20mm. Seven different cartridge types in all, all WW2 dated. Four of the 50s came out of a very tight area and almost certainly came from the same aircraft, being found in a very neat line. The 20mm was under a fallen tree trunk.......the detector just managed to pick it up.

Lots of rabbits too, but no close encounters




Day 2

Up at 5am, on site for 2 hours.

The evening before this visit I went for a walk with my good lady wife and she let me have a quick detect in an area I've never searched before, well away from all other locations, (but within my permission area), I'd had finds from. I was very dubious there was going to be anything there but within 15 minutes I had 5 303s and 5 45cals. So, after a bit of friendly persuasion towards the wife, I arranged to get to this site early the next morning before we left for home.

I was in an area no more than 50 feet square......and WHAT an area !!!!



In amongst the 100+ 303s are some strange bits I'll post later after cleaning.

However, I am sure the eagle eye'd amongst you will have spotted one of my best finds ever from this site.

Not only did I get a great 3inch mortar fin, but also the back end of a PIAT ROUND !!!! A quick clean and it'll be GREAT !!!



I'll post more pics once I've cleaned stuff

Laters

Steve T

[Dave8472]

Been busy there Steve, never seen so much ordnance found in one go, I'm still looking for a 20mm cartridge

Dave

[RRPG]

Thanks Dave......it's a great site and not at all well known, hence the volume of finds.

You'll find a 20mm one day. There's thousands out there, it's just finding the right spot

[RRPG]

I've been doing some cleaning

The two rusty objects have been gone over with a wire brush attachment on an electric drill, then put in the oven at 200 degrees for 2 hours to drive out all the water. Then I knocked the loose rust off with a small hammer, gave them a going over with a manual wire brush, washed them in soapy water with a small nylon brush, dried them and put them back in the oven for 30minutes. I am pleased with the results and will now leave them as they are.......don't want to risk any more damage.

Cheers

RRPG





Here is a complete 3 inch mortar for reference.....



And now the PIAT tail.....





And a complete PIAT round for reference.....

[fishy]

Thats some great finds mate

[RRPG]

Thanks fishy

[JD666]

Another great loads of finds there matey

[RRPG]

Thanks JD. I am well chuffed with the PIAT tail

[william holmes]

very nice Piat fins well done

[egon999]

Nice finds. I once read a book by george macdonald fraser (quartered safe out here) which was an autobiographical account of his time in Burma during WW2, where he describes being sent on a PIAT course and being allowed to shoot only a couple of bombs after which hw had to carry it for miles before taking part in an ambush of a jappanese river convoy. He later heard that official records showed that the PIAT was never used in the far east and got annoyed by the mistake they'd made

[RRPG]

Read that myself. On that same ambush they all nearly got blown to crap by some idiot nearly dropping a mortar upside into the tube

Good thing about that account was how accurate it was. Even laying flat on the floor with your feet splayed and dug in, the PIAT STILL pushed him back about 3 feet !

[former member]

I can remember reading a very vivid account of the fighting in amongst the houses of Arnhem and how they managed to hold up an advancing Tiger tank by firing a Piat through a small hole in the roof of a house...think it threw them across the room every time they fired it