Metal detecting

Many of you have already been bored to death with my new hobby! I recently bought an Garret Ace 250 metal detector. It is a fabulous machine, I am finding loads, easy to use and light to carry. (although after an hour I do get a sore arm!) Anyway, I found this bullet casing in the wood. It says '1943, K2, 20mm' on it.

I have been informed that:

"It's a British 20mm cannon shell casing. These type of 'bullets' had a large explosive tip which, when they struck an object, made a VERY large hole. Any plane hit by two or three of these things was usually enough to cause major damage. The punch mark on the centre of the base shows it has been fired and it has most likely been fired by a plane flying overhead. However, you may have stumbled across an old firing range or even old barracks in your wood and the case has been dropped by an airman/soldier for some reason.

These type of shell were not used by the Americans in their aircraft so it is almost certainly from an RAF plane."

Thanks to the folks at the War Relics forum for this! I am very pleased with the find!

Tracy