A52 vs Bazooka Gold Trap

[Skiddum]

if the river is slow build a dam. if the rivers fast, build a dam lol. that's what youd think is the bazooka modo from everything you read on bazooka. build a dam and run it fast and steep, classify less shovel more and get it so it clears the rocks off the top. I have the 24 inch sniper and the mini. ill never go back to a regular Mat and riffle sluice. I can't wait to get the prospector. the mini and super mini are great for low flow and sampling. but the super mini I figure might as well spend the extra 30 bucks and get the 24 inch sniper and have a bigger trap. it works well in low flow areas to. but it needs more water than the minis. I live in Utah and we have tons of small gold here that ranges from 20 to 300 mesh. and I can say that the bazooka dominants a standard sluice. the fine gold recovery is amazing I've caught almost more in the couple times I've got to use my bazookas this year than I did last year using a keene

 

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[Skiddum]

Watch "Looking for Gold - Episode 6 - Bazooka Gold Trap Sluice - Part 1" on YouTube
Looking for Gold - Episode 6 - Bazooka Gold Trap Sluice - Part 1: https://youtu.be/IlKmPslbKe4

this video does an excellent job of explaining how the Bazooka works. ten minutes into the video he shows how the material is suspended in his home made little demonstration model. it's a great video if you want to understand the bazooka. the bazooka forces everything down into the trap. the material in the trap already acts like a catchers mit and catches all the fnecessary stuff really well but also protects the gold thats already in the trap from being washed out. this is 1 of my favorite videos to show to people when I show the bazooka to them or I'm trying to explain how it works

 

[matt_unique]

Interesting though I hoped he would run the plexi bazooka to show the fluid bed in action.

The video referenced in the other video link above is this one:

It shows a good head to head between the two.

 

[Skiddum]

Actually this video isn't a good head to head test. it looks he doesn't have enough water running in the bazooka for 1. and 2 you can NOT determine how well 1 sluice is compared to another unless you test them each with the exact same material. same amount say 1 gram of 20 mesh all the way up to 1 gram of 150 mesh. then determine witch 1 caught more of each mesh in weight and witch1 loss more in weight. for this reason and this reason alone. no matter if you dig from the same hole or not that's no where near a good test or not. cause you never know what shovel full has how much gold. one shovel load could have got a ton of gold where the next only a few specs.

it's like two people digging a hole and when there done. 1 guy says well I got 20 rocks in my pile and you only have 15 so my shovel is better for getting rocks out.

just for that simple fact alone. you can't run a test like this and say witch is better. you find a spot where every shovel full has the exact same amount of gold in every scoop then please let us know we'd all love to play in that hole

Buts people have tried and tested the bazooka in the snake river in Colorado. that place is known for its small mesh gold. and the bazooka catches that stuff extremely well. most the people who've used the bazooka in that river won't use anything else for that reason

 

[TheHunterGT]

Bazooka is a fine machine....the price is the only drawback for me. $350 for a 48 miner. That is getting to the point I would rather just spend on a highbanker or drywasher.

It is nice though....for $250 I might be game. A52 was $110 out the door...that's 1/3 the price and should be mentioned. Perhaps comparing the two is pointless noticing the price and feature differences.

I have never used either of them....but my A52 sits ready to go for my very first trip into Colorado wilderness. Just couldn't bring myself to buy the Bazooka.

 

[CA Gold Hunter]

The prospector is only $170 shipped. I don't think it's to bad of a price considering my a52 cost $150 from Keene a couple years ago and I have already gotten more gold with my bazooka in the few times I've used it. Not having to classify is huge for me because I have a bad back. Id rather get real sore moving a yard of material through my sluice than 2-3 classified 5 gal buckets.

 

[Skiddum]

my 24 inch sniper is 135 bucks. and it eats more dirt than the a52 all day every day. the super mini 100 bucks will do the same thing. nice and steady feed rate either right from the street with a jobe scoop or poor out a bucket. just feed me nice and easy and they'll take it. that's the nice thing about bazooka. yeah you can't dump a bucket load all at once onto the smaller 1 that'll plug email up. the bigger they are the faster the feed. my 24 inch sniper eats a full 5 gallon bucket in about 2 minutes flat.
IF you want Something that can take a full shovel Ata time the 30 inch or bigger Bazooka prospectors.

 

[Skiddum]

Bazooka is a fine machine....the price is the only drawback for me. $350 for a 48 miner. That is getting to the point I would rather just spend on a highbanker or drywasher.

It is nice though....for $250 I might be game. A52 was $110 out the door...that's 1/3 the price and should be mentioned. Perhaps comparing the two is pointless noticing the price and feature differences.

I have never used either of them....but my A52 sits ready to go for my very first trip into Colorado wilderness. Just couldn't bring myself to buy the Bazooka.

you could get a sniper or a prospector for around130 to 180. and youll run far more material. with the bazooka it's not how long it is its how big the trap is. the 48 miner you can dump a full 5 gallon bucket in, in about 10 seconds flat. that's full production sluice. you need at team of people to keep that thing fed. for a 1 person a 30 to a 36 prospector if you want to shovel straight into it. for backpacking the snipers are great. you can feed with a bucket or straight from the river with a shovel if you feed it slow from the shovel. what I do is use a jobe scoop and fed it straight from the river handles it just fine. or them little backpack folding shovels they work great 2

 

[matt_unique]

Actually this video isn't a good head to head test. it looks he doesn't have enough water running in the bazooka for 1. and 2 you can NOT determine how well 1 sluice is compared to another unless you test them each with the exact same material. same amount say 1 gram of 20 mesh all the way up to 1 gram of 150 mesh. then determine witch 1 caught more of each mesh in weight and witch1 loss more in weight. for this reason and this reason alone. no matter if you dig from the same hole or not that's no where near a good test or not. cause you never know what shovel full has how much gold. one shovel load could have got a ton of gold where the next only a few specs.

it's like two people digging a hole and when there done. 1 guy says well I got 20 rocks in my pile and you only have 15 so my shovel is better for getting rocks out.

just for that simple fact alone. you can't run a test like this and say witch is better. you find a spot where every shovel full has the exact same amount of gold in every scoop then please let us know we'd all love to play in that hole

Buts people have tried and tested the bazooka in the snake river in Colorado. that place is known for its small mesh gold. and the bazooka catches that stuff extremely well. most the people who've used the bazooka in that river won't use anything else for that reason

The video is a good demonstration of the practical differences, number of shovels of material per day, ease of use, etc. but it's not a scientific test of whether both can recover the same amount of known gold in the same material. Similarly, the video you posted above has little to do with the Bazooka vs. Keene but it's an interesting reference to the concept of a fluid bed.

I think a clear Bazooka would be a great way to visually inspect whether the fluid bed was clogged.

 

[Elfy]

I just did my first cleanout form my bazooka 36 inch sniper. I sieved the cons and was getting decent specks in the -100 dirt. I am VERY happy about it. It is such a back saver! As a hint, an easy way to clean up the bazooka is to lay a bucket down at the end of the sluice....lift up sluice and slide bucket under...then tip up sluice and bucket together. A 36 inch sluice gets very heavy full of water.

 

[TheHunterGT]

So even one half the size will run more material? That seems pretty nice. I have to be honest....I did a full month of online videos and reading forums and have never even heard of the bleeping Bazooka. Everything was Keene, Royal, Jobe or Proline. These guys need to work on their marketing. Your guys word of mouth seems pretty legit however....so I guess that is the best marketing of all.

So now I am asking myself if I should be regretting my A52. It's brand spanking new and makes me smile when I look at it. Some times I go in the garage just to make sure it is ok and give it a quick fondle. My wife doesn't know.

This whole prospecting business is just going to be fun hobby time for me and her. Not really even sure how much material I can move with just the two of us. She talks a bit. Perhaps a few buddies now and then...those days perhaps a line would form at the Keene. I guess all I can do it try it since I already have it. But I gotta be honest...I might not caress her as long tonight knowing there is a Bazooka out there.

Thank you fellas....lots of info and insight here.

 

[Skiddum]

The video is a good demonstration of the practical differences, number of shovels of material per day, ease of use, etc. but it's not a scientific test of whether both can recover the same amount of known gold in the same material. Similarly, the video you posted above has little to do with the Bazooka vs. Keene but it's an interesting reference to the concept of a fluid bed.

I think a clear Bazooka would be a great way to visually inspect whether the fluid bed was clogged.

yeah that's true it does show the difference between a riffle sluice and gravity trap.

the hardest part about a clear bazooka is finding materials that are stable enough to withstand what the bazooka takes. there more durable than most believe. because there made from industrial grade stuff. not the stuff you go by from home Depot

 

[Skiddum]

The prospector is only $170 shipped. I don't think it's to bad of a price considering my a52 cost $150 from Keene a couple years ago and I have already gotten more gold with my bazooka in the few times I've used it. Not having to classify is huge for me because I have a bad back. Id rather get real sore moving a yard of material through my sluice than 2-3 classified 5 gal buckets.

The prospector is only $170 shipped. I don't think it's to bad of a price considering my a52 cost $150 from Keene a couple years ago and I have already gotten more gold with my bazooka in the few times I've used it. Not having to classify is huge for me because I have a bad back. Id rather get real sore moving a yard of material through my sluice than 2-3 classified 5 gal buckets.

yes a 24 inch sniper 130 bucks will easily eat more material than a keene a52. because you have toclassify if you really want to catch fines with it. yeah you can shovel straight into it. but chances are you'll loose a ton doing so. but a prospector 30 inch you'll increase productivity buy a grip. you go a miner you'll be killing yourself trying to keep the trap full with 1 person. and it's all industrial grade material that the bazooka is made from. so the prospector you can shovel from and not worry about breaking it. now you pick up a 50 pound boulder and slam it on it yeah you'll mess it up. but normal use you wont. that's how Todd and Criss stay in business. they warranty everything the make. if they had towarranty every box they made they'd go broke. the big thing with them is people get scared of running it steep and fast. the idea is get it steep enough and fast enough that it clears the rock off..

give it a try I garrenty you won't regret it
and if you have any questions ask. these guys are great and will do there best to help you run it so your more than happy with it. I've got the mini and the sniper and can't wait to get my prospector