Bonding with F-75

[bocash3]

After purchasing 4 new metal detectors this summer for various purposes, I'm finding the Fisher F-75 is a coin-hunting master!!

New detectors paying off. Haha. They have a learning curve. One of the new ones is finding coins where I hunted with an older one last last year. From 4 hunts along forest service roads this past week.

Coin to the lower left by itself is a Canadian penny. Top center is a square nail, probably hand-wrought in a blacksmith shop.

I could have dug a lot of iron objects but was focused on coins. Bullets and shell casings show up as coins on the meter. MOST were
tossed.

Enough money here to buy me a crown like the Queen's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One new tool that really helped is a Fisher Fiberglass handle Gold Pick. It helps me get through gravel that my old Garrett digging spade can't penetrate. ***HOWEVER, the triangular
part of the Fisher Pick broke off after only 5 total afternoons of hunting. Looking at the metal, it appears crystallized at the break. As much as these things cost, they should Last!
TWO of my new detectors are a Gold Bug Pro and the F-75. Surely, Fisher will help me out on the Gold Pick that is less than 2 months old??

Sore back, but impressed with the F-75. Bo in western NC

 

[jim tn]

Nice pile of coins. The F 75 truly does love coins. Give First Texas/Fisher a call. They are very good at taking care of their customers. HH jim tn

 

[Confetrit]

While I've never owned an F75, I've heard an awful lot about them. Relic Hunters always seemed to do well with them. I owned a Fisher 1265 years ago. I was never able to use it enough to really feel comfortable with it, but I did find some relics with it. I use a Minelab Safari now and really like the multi-frequency, but I always think that if I were to ever go back to another single frequency detector, it would most likely be the F75. Continued Success to you.

 

[bocash3]

Update: This afternoon, I hunted a small area at top of mountain where a June 1864 skirmish took place between a Home Guard militia (CSA) and Gen George Kirk (Union, operating out of Knoxville, TN). Kirk had just burned a Confederate training camp and took 200 young conscripts prisoner, and was marching them up and over the Blue Ridge to Tennessee.

Wm Waightstill Avery and another guy led the Home Guard up the mountain to catch up with Kirk.
Union Gen Kirk heard them coming at daylight from down below his camp
on a small high plateau.. So Kirk stood up a number of his prisoners as human shields.
So when the Home Guard started shooting, they were hitting their own men. Kirk was a terrible man.
I have a book about Kirk and his cruelty, every where he went.

So I ran the detector around the footprint of where an 1800's tavern used to be. Lots of nails according to the meter.
Then I spotted remnants of the old wagon road and got down
in one part of it. That's when the metal detector sounded off a solid 57-58 on the meter, a number that "could be"
an aluminum can lid or a musket ball. So I decided to dig........... and that Minie popped out at only 4 inches deep.

Then it sounded off again in 57-58 range. I dug a bit and found the remains of a small rotting stump. Something is in that stump!! So I was
able to drag it out of the ground and put in Jeep. Am going to pin-point that embedded metal tomorrow and may end
up taking the dirty thing home and cut it apart very carefully.

Third spot: Same signal. Started digging. Then I got stung in right forearm.............yellow jacket crushed between arm
and detector arm rest. So kept at it, then one landed on right eye and I quickly knocked it off before it stung...........then
backed up quickly. I saw a few bees in ground right where I had been digging. Decided to call it a day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wm. Avery of the home guard was killed in that fight, shot by Kirk's men and died 3 days later. A drummer boy was killed, I think Yankee. Not
sure how many others died.

Gen Kirk was wounded in the arm.

I found the bullet on high ground. I think it's Confederate and if you noticed, you can see
remnants of rifle grooves. So it was fired!! The Confederates were way down below that high ground on steep hillside. I think that bullet
was fired from down below and came to rest after running out of juice and not hitting anything. Another bit of evidence is
that is not a typical Union Minnie ball. I have a couple. Most of them were obviously pointed. Many of Kirk's men used
repeating Spencer rifles. Those bullets are shorter, lighter, and pointed. The bullet I found is
almost a round nose flat point............wonder if might have been cast in NC for the cause ?? It has more lead in it than other minie balls I've handled.
** Bear in mind that Civil War bullets are somewhat rare in this part of the mountains.

 

[rick in mi]

Cool bit of history!!! Nice digs. Unfortunately for me in michigan I've never found civil war bullets. But I have a bucket full of bullets and cases. I've had my f75 for 13 years. And it's still running strong!!! hhrickinmi

 

[Ronstar]

Thing I like about mine is easy to adjust settings and read the screen. Silver rings come up dime to quarters and hits on them just like coins. Mens Gold rings so far hit in nickel range and womens in foil (make sure Mama not there when that happens….).

 

[Confetrit]

While I've never owned an F75, I've heard an awful lot about them. Relic Hunters always seemed to do well with them. I owned a Fisher 1265 years ago. I was never able to use it enough to really feel comfortable with it, but I did find some relics with it. I use a Minelab Safari now and really like the multi-frequency, but I always think that if I were to ever go back to another single frequency detector, it would most likely be the F75. Continued Success to you

Update: This afternoon, I hunted a small area at top of mountain where a June 1864 skirmish took place between a Home Guard militia (CSA) and Gen George Kirk (Union, operating out of Knoxville, TN). Kirk had just burned a Confederate training camp and took 200 young conscripts prisoner, and was marching them up and over the Blue Ridge to Tennessee.

Wm Waightstill Avery and another guy led the Home Guard up the mountain to catch up with Kirk.
Union Gen Kirk heard them coming at daylight from down below his camp
on a small high plateau.. So Kirk stood up a number of his prisoners as human shields.
So when the Home Guard started shooting, they were hitting their own men. Kirk was a terrible man.
I have a book about Kirk and his cruelty, every where he went.

So I ran the detector around the footprint of where an 1800's tavern used to be. Lots of nails according to the meter.
Then I spotted remnants of the old wagon road and got down
in one part of it. That's when the metal detector sounded off a solid 57-58 on the meter, a number that "could be"
an aluminum can lid or a musket ball. So I decided to dig........... and that Minie popped out at only 4 inches deep.

Then it sounded off again in 57-58 range. I dug a bit and found the remains of a small rotting stump. Something is in that stump!! So I was
able to drag it out of the ground and put in Jeep. Am going to pin-point that embedded metal tomorrow and may end
up taking the dirty thing home and cut it apart very carefully.

Third spot: Same signal. Started digging. Then I got stung in right forearm.............yellow jacket crushed between arm
and detector arm rest. So kept at it, then one landed on right eye and I quickly knocked it off before it stung...........then
backed up quickly. I saw a few bees in ground right where I had been digging. Decided to call it a day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wm. Avery of the home guard was killed in that fight, shot by Kirk's men and died 3 days later. A drummer boy was killed, I think Yankee. Not
sure how many others died.

Gen Kirk was wounded in the arm.

I found the bullet on high ground. I think it's Confederate and if you noticed, you can see
remnants of rifle grooves. So it was fired!! The Confederates were way down below that high ground on steep hillside. I think that bullet
was fired from down below and came to rest after running out of juice and not hitting anything. Another bit of evidence is
that is not a typical Union Minnie ball. I have a couple. Most of them were obviously pointed. Many of Kirk's men used
repeating Spencer rifles. Those bullets are shorter, lighter, and pointed. The bullet I found is
almost a round nose flat point............wonder if might have been cast in NC for the cause ?? It has more lead in it than other minie balls I've handled.
** Bear in mind that Civil War bullets are somewhat rare in this part of the mountains.

Nice Saves. Great Historical story to go at with the bullet. It always makes relics more meaningful to me when you know the area in which they were found and know a little about the History to accompany them. Congrat's. Gen. Kirk seems to be one of the deciding factor of the difference between a Yankee and a D _ _ _ed Yankee. Congrat's, and keep at this area.

 

[bocash3]

Kirk was a nasty man. A distant cousin of mine turned Unionist actually guided Kirk to the Confederate training camp in Morganton where Kirk ordered all the buildings burned and RR track torn up, plus burned a train engine before taking 200 conscripts prisoner. They had not even been issued rifles yet. I've read this book twice............. in my library collection of many such local Civil War characters and happenings. https://www.amazon.com/Kirks-Raiders-Matt-Bumgarner/dp/1931058008/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1KMQYZVRMU4FH&keywords=scoundrels+and+thieves+kirk&qid=1663427635&s=books&sprefix=scounrels+and+thieves+,stripbooks,1169&sr=1-1

I will return to the area in winter after the #$%^#$ Yellow Jackets are quiet.

 

[jim tn]

Nice tale and finds. My buddy a few years ago dug into a yellow jacket nest and got nailed 7 times. He would never go back to that part of the woods with me again. You might have a spot that hasn't seen a lot of hunting. One can hope. HH jim tn

 

[bocash3]

After sighting-in a scoped .22 at my cabin today, I started messing with the rotten stump retrieved yesterday from the skirmish sight. The F75 said there was at least one, maybe two more Minie balls in that stump. I always carry a sharp hatchet and hammer in the back of the Jeep. Using both, plus keeping tract of the hidden targets with a Garrett Pin-Pointer, I CAREFULLY split off wood a little at a time. So had to change underwear again for 2nd time in two days!!!! TWO MORE Minies located in the old wood about 8 inches apart. The LAST photo shows the 2nd one, more mangled than the first one. And am 95% certain I left another one in that bank where the yellow jackets started their own Civil War with me. My right forearm has now swelled to almost double normal size next to the elbow. Am falling in love with the new F-75. It found these three slugs in a matter of just 15 minutes (and the yellow jackets)............ha ha. Probably going to leave these two in the wood as found just for kicks. Can't wait for winter to go back. And I thank y'all for your help and sharing large lead slug numbers. Y'all were right on...............and it paid off.

 

[jim tn]

Neat! HH jim tn

 

[Ronstar]

Looks like two eyeballs looking back at ya, creepy. But, a prize is a prize!!!!

 

[Confetrit]

Great Saves and pic.'s. You did well to take the stump home with you. I have one small piece of wood with a ball in it I dug some years ago. These look so cool still being lodged in the wood from the day they were fired back during the war. They look great and will display well, plus the story you have to go along with them. A Hewge' Congrat's to you.

 

[rick in mi]

That is really cool!!!!! You deserve that kind of find after all you have gone through lol. hhrickinmi