Metal Detector

[Gliden07]

This has nothing to do with casting or reloading. Didn't know where to put this, in the past I've gotten GREAT advice from the members on here!!

Was thinking about buying a Metal Detector have done some research on the net but as always some of the info is very convoluted! Can anyone here make a recommendation or point me in the right direction? It will be the first one I've ever had and I plan on using it to go to old abandoned building sites to see what I might find.

Thanks!! Gliden

P.S. Mods if this is in wrong section please move!

[RobsTV]

For a decent test unit that might last you many years without upgrading, but still little investment in case you do upgrade or don't care for the hobby, I suggest this unit at hobby lobby. They have 40% off coupons frequently floating around the net, which brings it down to less than $70.

http://shop.hobbylobby.com/products/tracker-iv-metal-detector-847012/

[starmac]

I have not bought one yet, but for looking around old buildings and such, I would want one that discriminates very well, or you will be doing a lot of digging for junk.

[popper]

Garrett or White used to be the best models. BH and others were copys. Been out of that business for a long time but you want a proper search coil and good discrimination. Gold is hard to find with the normal units. Charles Garrett & Mel Fisher used to have some pretty good books that would give you requirements and techniques. Not sure I'd get one from the big box stores, quality is about like the guitars they sell.

[sparky45]

I've had both Garrett and White detectors. Both work equally well but personally I have settled on the White detector and enjoy it very much.

[jsheyn]

I have an ace250 and it works pretty good. it's a little finicky but on the used market they are very very reasonable.

[Del-Ray]

Had a whites spectrum. And a gold unit as well.

If you're just starting out the whites will spoil you. They are easy to use, set it and forget it machines. You've just got to remember that to REALLY get everything you have to dig every hit. I've got rings that showed up as foil that other machines ignored or disced out.

Coil types are critical as well. The spectrum is good all around, but if the place is full of junk you'll never find anything as the coil is to large. Do not go cheap, yes the bomber shack units will detect metal. Just not as well

[DxieLandMan]

I would recommend a White's MXT to anyone. I've had several over the years and some good, some not so good and I would recommend the MXT to anyone. Very easy to learn, just turn on and go. I've been MDing since the 1970's and regularly for the last 10 years. I've used different machines and would recommend White's to anyone.

[ShooterAZ]

Bart's Big Boy Hobbies http://www.bigboyshobbies.net/ has great deals on metal detectors. I have been doing it for over 25 years now and have found some fantastic finds in my area. For a beginner, I would recommend looking at the Tesoro line of detectors. I have had a Garret AT Pro for a couple of years now and I love it. While not a beginner's machine, if you take the time to learn it, it will serve you quite well. Whites makes fine detectors also. All modern detectors have very good discrimination, but using too much will result in losing depth and missing your gold items like rings. Feel free to PM me with any specific questions, and I'll do my best to help.

[aspangler]

I have a BH 1100 with the 8 and 4 inch coils. Works well for me. I found a Chevy copper emblem 14 inches deep that my buddies Ace 250 missed.

[dagger dog]

Check out the major dealers for used, demo's scratch and dent, Kellyco is one that come to mind.

I started out with an old,old Garret a non discrimination machine, and I dug some of my best stuff, because I dug every target. The discriminating machines keep you from digging a lot of junk but as mentioned by Del-Ray you will miss a lot of desirables by setting the discrimination to high.

Most higher end machines have preset programs that are turn on and go, for coins, jewlery, non ferrous metals, and usually slots for custom programs once you learn the machine. Headphones are a must if you want to hear deep small targets.

I'm partial to Whites and have a Spectrum XLT, but want to move up to a multi-frequency machine.

Fisher, Garret, Whites, MineLab, among other all have specific and multi use machines.

There are many on Ebay but there is always the chance of getting burnt.

If you stay with a reputable dealer, their policies are up front on used or demo units, and they will have the knowledge to suggest a unit to fit your needs, and warranties to back them up.

You won't regret shooting high, especially with detectors !

[Digger]

Would highly recommend looking up somebody close by and possibly get an invite to try out different machines....
try this site .. http://www.treasurenet.com/
Metal detectors ... like us horse people , computer people and gun people ....lot's of different opinions on the same subject ...
Have had detectors since high school , every one else was partying down , I was out waving a detector ..chasing history.
convinced my father in law in England and sent him a Minelab from kelleyco and he was finding roman coins ..
I still have a Fisher goldbug sitting in the closet along with that same Minelab ,just don't have the time these days.
Have a nugget or two from using the goldbug along with some coins in my collection ...and the usual "stories" of different finds but the chasing history and being out there I enjoyed just as much.
Come to think of it .... the best hobbies around ! casting, shooting and metal detecting ... oh and prospecting .

[gmsharps]

The whites really work well as do the Garretts. If you go to cheap you will get frustrated and quit.

gmsharps

[Gliden07]

Can I buy a detector in the 3-500 dollar range that is a decent detector?? I was looking at a Fisher F4 ($400) and the Garret Ace 250 ($215) they have gotten great reviews on the web but like I said the reports are convoluted? But since I don't know to much about these things I want to ask I don't want to buy junk and replace it 3 moths from now? Or as gmsharps said "get discouraged and quit".

[DxieLandMan]

You may be able to get an MXT for that price if you can find a great deal. The Garrett AT Pro is in that price range and it is waterproof. I got rid of mine because I could not tell the difference in the tones. Those machines that you have listed are good ones that should serve you with good results. I can't say anything about the F4 but a buddy of mine has the 250 and swears by it.

[popper]

Dagger Dog - must have been the BFO model. Gliden - get one of Charles's books and learn the limitations and capabilities, then base your purchase on what you learned. I will suggest you get one with interchangeable coils if you are wanting to be serious about the hobby. Hint - larger coil for depth, smaller for discrimination, nugget probe for gold.

[dagger dog]

Gliden07,

You ought to be able to get a good serviceable unit for that kind of $$, I'd look into used from a dealer, you can get some great features for that kind of $$.

The newer discrimination machines use sound and visual displays to help you gather info, then you can make the decision to dig or not. Some have an analog meter they tend to be a little older, others with digital displays are newer. Either of the 2 you mentioned are great coin machines and have good capabilities with jewelry, they will work for gold nugget but are not specific for that, more of an all around type. Do as much research as you can and talk to some dealers or try the treasure.net site as mentioned by Digger.



Popper you hit the nail right on the head ! It was a BFO, I traded it to my neighbors son for some pet setting, he used to find aluminum arrows that bury themselves under the turf, he still has it !

[Ohio Rusty]

I have been a Garrett user since 1971. I still have a couple of Garrets and my Dad has a Garrett. My wife has a Whites and I prefer the Garrett. Just my personal preference ...... I have found about everything with a Garrett. Most often I use my little sniper coil. The wife uses her regular sized coil, then I pinpoint with the sniper coil and dig. I keep all the 'plunder' so i can show folks and the money, rings and things we have found. My best find this summer was a decent gold ring with 3 diamonds that the wife wanted to wear instead of going into the plunder box.
Ohio Rusty ><>

[Gliden07]

Well I ended up buying a Garrett Ace 350 from Cabelas. I had a $30 coupon and I had $11.54 so a total of $41.54 off of the $299.99. So I bought it new for $258.45 less than a lot of people selling them used on FleaBay!!

[popper]

Don't look much different than when I was working on them. A good unit you will enjoy.

[dagger dog]

Well I ended up buying a Garrett Ace 350 from Cabelas. I had a $30 coupon and I had $11.54 so a total of $41.54 off of the $299.99. So I bought it new for $258.45 less than a lot of people selling them used on FleaBay!!

Did it come with earphones ? Get out there and start swinging !

[Spruce]

I read somewhere on a web diggers site that a $100 an inch of depth is a good guide. Do you Pro's find this to be good advice or just a market gimmic??

[dagger dog]

I read somewhere on a web diggers site that a $100 an inch of depth is a good guide. Do you Pro's find this to be good advice or just a market gimmic??

That's not a bad analogy, but it isn't 100%. 10" on an all silver half dollar in good soil no trash , could be done with my machine a late 90's Whites Spectrum XLT with a 9.5" coil.

There are so many variables when it comes to depth , size of coil , size of the target, what metal the target is made of, how long it has been in the ground, what type soil, how much trash metal is in the ground near the target, how much experience the man running the machine has, and on and on.

I'll try this in a nutshell.



The transmit receive detectors send a signal with the transmit coil that signal is reflected off the target and picked up by the receive part of the coil, the microprocessor in the unit then uses that info and gives the best possible choice as to what, and how deep the target is, multiple passes of the coil over the target helps this process.

Different makes, and models have, audio and visual, displays that are shown on a LCD screen, to assist in make the decision on the target. Some give a number on a scale from -90 to +90 or iron on the minus side to precious metals on the plus side, some also show a graph reading out with vertical bars in that same layout ferrous to non ferrous, then your audio will have a good tone for precious metals and a broken sputtering tone for ferrous. Some also show icons, coins for coins, nails, bottle caps, pull tabs, rings, etc, etc.


If you could access virtual owner operation manual some are out there for free, it can explain it farther, I'm not an electronics person by any means.

[Spruce]

Thanks dagger dog, I don't own one and have been put off by the price of $100 an inch. I have talked to some diggers who have bought expensive machines and they tell me they are going over old patches and finding nice stuff deeper.

[Gliden07]

Yeah it came with the earphones. I picked it up today and actually got $57 off I read the coupon wrong! so Tax, Title and Registration cost me $261.00!! Good deal, brought it home put it together and spent about 40 min or so playing with it in my yard! Found 8 bottle caps, 2 pull tabs, TV matching transformer and a token from 1974 issued by the Charms Candy company made out of aluminium and had a little quip about Grover Cleveland on it LOL!! I had fun though. And I did learn a little on how it works, still need to practice with it learn the tones etc...



Did it come with earphones ? Get out there and start swinging !

[gmsharps]

Before you hit the trail plant stuff in your yard and find it. Look at the displays and get very familiar. Get the accessories like a garden spade and a dandelion digger, maybe even a scope with hols in it if you are in a sandy area. But most of all fill in your holes when you finish and put the grass back in place. Nothing to get an owner or public official more rialed up than a bunch of holes left in the area. Good hunting and let us know how you do.

gmsharps

[Gliden07]

Need a couple more things to really get going (like anything) but I have a digging trowel with the teeth, a Harbor Freight Pinpointer (until I can get the Garrett), a 2 pouch nail pouch (for now) and I plan on bringing a couple plastic bags 1 for trash and 1 to put dirt on when I dig so I can replace it after finding the Booty!! A lot of guys use a towel I guess but I figured the bags are free and if I need the bag for more Treasure or junk I'd have it.


Before you hit the trail plant stuff in your yard and find it. Look at the displays and get very familiar. Get the accessories like a garden spade and a dandelion digger, maybe even a scope with hols in it if you are in a sandy area. But most of all fill in your holes when you finish and put the grass back in place. Nothing to get an owner or public official more rialed up than a bunch of holes left in the area. Good hunting and let us know how you do.

gmsharps

[gmsharps]

Don't forget the camera to document the treasures. Doesn't have to be fancy. Don't get discouraged. You will find more trash than treasure but when you find something nice even your first silver coin it will mean a lot to you. I've used mine (a White Spectrum) mostly for amature archeology stuff you can look at my avatar and see what is believed and pretty much proven to be one of Sgt. Yorks 45 cases used when he earned his medal of honor. You can look at the SYDE site to get the story. Best of luck on your hunts.

gmsharps

[contender1]

I'm a bit late to this thread,,, but I'll offer a bit more info.
I was the president of a treasure hunting club for 10 years. Still a member. Hunted with detectors for a couple of decades.
That said,, here's a few tips.
Read the manual first, before using the machine. Then, read it again.
THEN take the machine out for a test run.
As noted, a "test bed" of known targets at known depths can help you with a learning curve.
Start in areas where it's easy to dig & learn what your machine is telling you.
Always fill your holes.
Always carry out any trash dug, plus a few extra pieces you can see & pick up. (It helps the non detectorist appreciate those of us who enjoy the hobby.)

Find a club & visit, join, and ask for help!

Be aware of hidden dangers when hunting. Bee nests, snakes, poison ivy, broken glass etc.
Always get permission to hunt any property you do not own.

Go slow & keep the coil level to the ground, in motion & overlap your swings.
Carry spare batteries.
Use knee pads if your knees are old or sensitive.


Metal detecting can be a great hobby, that can pay for itself. I've used accumulated modern coins to pay for an elk hunting trip, newer & better machines, etc. And by being in a club,,, you can learn a lot. At our monthly meeting (just this past Monday,) a guy gave a talk about detecting in the UK. Over there,, you are not allowed to own a knife in the size or type we'd use for digging. They modify a small shovel to use as a digging tool.

Only a very lucky few truly "strike it rich" with a detector. But,,, as one of our club members related the other night, the rewards are immense. He found a diamond engagement ring for a young couple a few weeks ago. They rewarded him with a $100 bill. He returned it and said it was a pleasure to help them.

[alrighty]

Before you hit the trail plant stuff in your yard and find it. Look at the displays and get very familiar.

gmsharps
Good advice , some call this a test garden.You plant everything from trash to coins and find out exactly how to read your detector and how to fine tune to discriminate pop tops and nails from coins and gold rings.
I jumped off the deep end and bought a MineLab Explorer XS as my first detector , Not having anyone to show me the tips and tricks was a hurdle for me.I did get discouraged early due to the huge learning curve.One good thing though I haven't outgrown it yet.
Good luck and have fun.

[dagger dog]

Glidden,

Lot's of good info in those previous posts.

My house was built in 1929 and when I got my first old BFO Garrett all it had was a target signal strength analog meter, and of course the ground balance and volume controls, I dug buffalo nickels, silver dimes and quarters handfuls of wheat pennies, bank tokens, military badges from WWI, all in my yard, along with plenty of clad coinage and tons and tons of bottle caps pull tabs roofing nails, bailing wire !

My first discrimination machine was a Bounty Hunter Big Bud it was analog also but had circuits to notch out pull tabs and bottle caps, plus I ordered a smaller coil for better separation of targets in trashier areas, hunted the yard of my house again and dug deeper coins and trash!

So if you have an older house and yard you're in like Flynn, ask buddies to search their yards, then by that time you should have a good handle on your machine and you can start modifying your programs to suit your style.

I have an old butcher knife, stainless trowel, an actual stick probe with a ball handle, knee pads and a large piece 24X24" of sheet, when I locate the target and pinpoint with my search coil I push my stick probe into the ground where I should dig.

If it's a lawn, I use the butcher knife to cut a hinged flap of sod and flip it back, then the trowel to dig to the depth, the dirt removed is placed on the sheet of material, once the desired depth is reached I look in the hole and pass the search coil over the hole, if it still reads I dig deeper or wider, if it doesn't I pass the coil over the dirt on the sheet.

Once the target is located, I use the sheet to return the dirt to the hole tamp it down with my foot and flip the sod flap back over the dirt and tamp again. Hopefully I also put a coin, ring or relic in my bootie pouch!


Make sure to take out all trash and dispose of it properly, disturb the ground as minimally as possible, and hey I like to watch the Diggers on TV but try not to run around bellowing BOOOOOM BABY ! like that Savage dude, or the 2 other loonies yelling ROUNDNESS IN THE HOLE !

At least the 2 loonies are ethical, and do appreciate the history they uncover, unlike Savage that wants a big payday. Thing is try to be as low key and thank anyone that lets you search their property and offer to split, or give them a choice of any nice finds.

It's a great hobby but recently has been brought to the publics attention in the wrong way, and everyone that swings a detector should do their best to change the publics perception.

Dig every target, never stop searching!

[Gliden07]

Thanks Guys!! Lots of good info!! Read the book thru 1 time and watched the video too. Can't wait to try it out again! I have a friend with a house from back in the late 1800's it has an old outhouse looking forward to trying it out up his place!

[Digger]

Yes they are very much fun ( warning , a bit of typing here).... will relate a story or two here if every one does not mind ...
Have patience with your self as you will be digging up more trash then not , but you will definitely learn the machine .
Had a good partner few years back and we did every thing together ,,prospecting , dredging , metal detecting.
Don't know why but for the most part here and there as the old story goes , I would find the "junk" or pennies and he would find the "gold" !
He was very good with his Fisher CZ-6 quicksilver in those days , knew the game.
Here in Northern Nevada , Reno , Carson City area . history is abundant and we would take advantage of the occasional site here and there around Carson ....
I noticed a certain area to hunt and got with Ron and we went at it , he took one side of the property and I the other as there had been some soil disturbance recently on site.
After a few minutes I was finding the occasional Penney , dime or so , fairly new , not so old and he was doing the same when he stopped and yelled for me to come over and check out what he just found....
We carefully brushed the dirt off of a ..... CC mint (Carson City) 1874 seated liberty dime ! .
Wow! , we thought neat an old one , but little did we realize until later what it was truly ...

Turns out there had been only 10,800 minted at that point in time , matter of fact we happened to be just a few blocks from the original Mint building there in Carson City.
Apparently a low mintage and is the second rarest coin struck there in those years ..
He went down to the coin shop and they offered him $ 4,000 on the spot but he refused ...
Later , word got out and he received a phone call from a individual that offered him $ 19,000 for it .
He hung on to it any way and later that year wound up in an article in Western & Eastern Treasures mag ,March 1993 telling the story.
Don't know it if it is still published or not these days but it was full of good story's from around the country in those days.
All the time he was going on about "finding a gold double eagle " as his goal in using the machine but I always came back with "why ! ... you found a dime worth a quite a few gold coins instead !"
But that is what he always wanted , a double eagle.
He passed a way a couple years later .....
Ironically , years later , I was on a project installing a new gas main down one of the outlying streets there in Carson and was giving a little coaching to my crew and I glanced down an saw the edge of a coin , stopped the conversation and picked it up ... right in front of my guys .. I brushed the dirt off of a 1874 ten dollar gold piece !
You should have seen the look on their faces when they realized what it was ... one said "hey I saw that but thought it was just the edge of a penny and ignored it !"
Later on , by the crew truck , by my self , I held it out and said " well here you go Ron , it's not a double eagle but it is gold !

All this time I have been out with the detector and I just happened to see and pick up off the ground , a gold coin. ....[smilie=b:
Turns out the road we were on happens to be the original Virginia & Truckee railroad bed right of way going into the southern end of town after I did some research.
Thanks guys , hope I didn't bore every one ....
digger

[Gliden07]

Yes they are very much fun ( warning , a bit of typing here).... will relate a story or two here if every one does not mind ...
Have patience with your self as you will be digging up more trash then not , but you will definitely learn the machine .
Had a good partner few years back and we did every thing together ,,prospecting , dredging , metal detecting.
Don't know why but for the most part here and there as the old story goes , I would find the "junk" or pennies and he would find the "gold" !
He was very good with his Fisher CZ-6 quicksilver in those days , knew the game.
Here in Northern Nevada , Reno , Carson City area . history is abundant and we would take advantage of the occasional site here and there around Carson ....
I noticed a certain area to hunt and got with Ron and we went at it , he took one side of the property and I the other as there had been some soil disturbance recently on site.
After a few minutes I was finding the occasional Penney , dime or so , fairly new , not so old and he was doing the same when he stopped and yelled for me to come over and check out what he just found....
We carefully brushed the dirt off of a ..... CC mint (Carson City) 1874 seated liberty dime ! .
Wow! , we thought neat an old one , but little did we realize until later what it was truly ...

Turns out there had been only 10,800 minted at that point in time , matter of fact we happened to be just a few blocks from the original Mint building there in Carson City.
Apparently a low mintage and is the second rarest coin struck there in those years ..
He went down to the coin shop and they offered him $ 4,000 on the spot but he refused ...
Later , word got out and he received a phone call from a individual that offered him $ 19,000 for it .
He hung on to it any way and later that year wound up in an article in Western & Eastern Treasures mag ,March 1993 telling the story.
Don't know it if it is still published or not these days but it was full of good story's from around the county in those days.
All the time he was going on about "finding a gold double eagle " as his goal in using the machine but I always came back with "why ! ... you found a dime worth a quite a few gold coins instead !"
But that is what he always wanted , a double eagle.
He passed a way a couple years later .....
Ironically , years later , I was on a project installing a new gas main down one of the outlying streets there in Carson and was giving a little coaching to my crew and I glanced down an saw the edge of a coin , stopped the conversation and picked it up ... right in front of my guys .. I brushed the dirt off of a 1874 ten dollar gold piece !
You should have seen the look on their faces when they realized what it was ... one said "hey I saw that but thought it was just the edge of a penny and ignored it !"
Later on , by the crew truck , by my self , I held it out and said " well here you go Ron , it's not a double eagle but it is gold !

All this time I have been out with the detector and I just happened to see and pick up off the ground a gold coin. ....[smilie=b:
Turns out the road we were on happens to be the original Virginia & Truckee railroad bed right of way going into the southern end of town after I did some research.
Thanks guys , hope I didn't bore every one ....
digger

Cool story!! Your Friend must have been with you that day!!

[Digger]

Maybe I should apologize as I didn't mean to kill the thread here .... was enjoying every one's input.

[shaper]

OK, now you've don it. I've got the bug again. Went down to the barn and pulled out the White's coin master I bought in 1975. All of the knobs were frozen. Put some penitrent on everything. Put in new batteries. It could not find the hammer laying on the concrete floor. Now I've got to find a new one. Anyone want to trade one for some linotype or something?

[Garyshome]

I used the kid's from across the street to find all that unfound brass!

[savagetactical]

I had a Whites for a long time and it was great fun. I wish I had another one, I keep looking at the mine lab detectors. Who knows I might break down and buy one.

[Ohio Rusty]

One highly recommended item as a must have is a small electronic pinpointer. I have a couple of the Whites Bullseye pinpointers and I wouldn;'t ever be without it. I don't know how many times I have had a lump of dirt and found the coin in that lump. Many times I know the coin is in the hole yet, but I can't see it. A quick sweep inside the hole and the tip 'vibrates' when I find the coin is in the edge of the wall unseen. I love my pinpointer. This is the greatest invention second only to toilet paper !!
Ohio Rusty ><>

[Digger]

Haven't heard any more lately from the op on his thread here .... Hope your having a lot of fun there Gliden07, and to busy digging.

[popper]

For old homes, look at the front porch area, crannies around stairs, fence posts near the porch, etc. Sometimes root or tornado cellars have good finds. Had a gal bring a big old mason jar of coins & cash in one day, from the early 1800s. For you hard rock hunters, if you find some quartz with veins, use acid to dissolve the quartz and you end up with a wonderful gold filigree. Shaper, try some brake cleaner on the pots. They aren't sealed and oil probably got in them. If it's a plug in coil, clean the plug contacts. If it's the LCD model, get a new detector.