Sizing a target.....pointless

Very cool! Rare to still find the wood.......

Multiple rusty targets could act like big cans if they are slightly spread out even if small.
Other things could too, one rusty old pop top in moist ground might, but most of the time it seems to work.

One time I dug a target that was a classic full can flat shallow signal just to get it out of the way.
This was a site I have hunted over and over and got this signal many times but never dug it.
This time I decided to dig it to see if it was masking something better.
What happened next was one of the biggest surprises of my career that resulted in one of the greatest finds I have ever dug...Still.
About 4" deep was no can but something way better.
A rolled gold thick and heavy pocket watch.
Now every time I get a can signal and pass it by I have some nagging, lingering thoughts so I don't do that as much as I used to.

When I first started detecting, I was hitting the backyard real heavy. My house was built in 1946, and right in the 'historical' part of town, so I'm thinking silver every were... Anyway, the QuickdrawII fit hard, and was reading silver dollar at 8 inches. Of course, it wasn't. It was a hunk of steel, about 6 inches down. Dug it out enough to get my hand around it, wouldn't budge. So kept digging, turned out to just be really long. Eventually found an end, and was able to wiggle the rest free. 8 foot steel fence post, bent and useless. I started checking for size, after digging the third 'silver dollar' in my yard, one of them is relatively straight.

I'll pretty much dig most anything, it's all about having fun. Sure we can get really good at finding the small stuff, but wouldn't be cool to find a can or jar full? Would we know what it would sound like? I don't think there is any detector that actually tests the metal content of a target, or any equipment anywhere that can do that test, while it's in the ground. You'll never really know, until you actually dig it up. My only only silver dime, rang up as a penny. My gold ring sounded and came up as a pull tab.

I don't always did everything, some places it's just not a good idea, or not practical. Sometimes I'm in a hurry, or just feeling lazy. Can always go back and hunt another day. I just don't focus on specific targets, or avoiding all trash. I've got a job, that pays a decent wage, it's hot and sweaty work. I could just pickup some extra hours, if I wanted a bigger paycheck...