Bazooka Or Gold Hog Sluice - Which Is Best For My Area?

[flinthunter]

I'm in Central Illinois where all of our occasional pieces of color are brought down here from Canada and were ground to mostly very fine flat flour gold during the long trip here. The size we have found ranges from a 1/8 inch wide x 1/8 inch tall thin flake to specks that I can only see with a 30x loupe.

I'm saving up for either the Bazooka 36 inch sluice to use in some of the larger creeks plus the Bazooka Mini sluice for the little feeder creeks or the new Gold Hog stream sluice with the fast water and slower water mats. Both options seem to be fairly close in price. I'm not in this to make money, it's just for the fun of finding that occasional piece of color. My wife and I have both been panning for a couple years and love to spend the day at the creek.

The reviews I am seeing for the Bazooka sound good except that they seen to let the fine gold pass on through. I'm not finding much of anything for reviews on the Gold Hog stream sluice. I've watched the video of Doc showing how to use the Gold Hog and only two other videos of it being used, both with good results. I'll say right now that I am leaning toward the Gold Hog but would like to hear the pros and cons for either type sluice from anyone who has used either one.

Thanks

 

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[arizau]

Just a couple of thoughts....Really fine gold capture seems to be a black art and, by reading, Goldhog seems to be one of the best at this. Goldhog is at it's best in highbanker configuration due to being able to infinitely adjust flow, angle and mat configuration, etc. In offering a stream sluice, Doc has to be pretty confident it kind of parallels the high banker. On the flip side, pre-charging the trap of a bazooka with some larger sized stones is said to aid in fine gold capture so that may be satisfying to you.

Here is Doc's latest on stream sluice mats. Gold Prospecting Forum ? View topic - What mats to use in a stream sluice. OFFICIAL THREAD

What ever you choose, good luck.

 

[Goldwasher]

Pre charging the trap has very little affect on recovery. Believe what you want fact is the trap "charges" itself.

I run both they have about the same efficiency. You will run more material through a bazooka I comparable conditions

 

[arizau]

Pre charging the trap has very little affect on recovery. Believe what you want fact is the trap "charges" itself.

I run both they have about the same efficiency. You will run more material through a bazooka I comparable conditions

I don't own one and I meant to say, "some say to pre load the trap" and in retrospect that was when feeding sand not bank run. Sorry for the mis-info.

 

[triple d]

Its an easy choice for me. Run 10 - 5 gallon buckets Or run three. And I get a lot of real fine gold.

 

[Goldwasher]

I don't own one and I meant to say, "some say to pre load the trap" and in retrospect that was when feeding sand not bank run. Sorry for the mis-info.

All good. I just want to make sure people don't get confused

 

[vaquero44]

Well I've learned its nice to have a sluice for all occasions but if your going with one look at it like this the bazooka is great if you have good water situations the gold hog 2 matts for fast or slow and adjustable legs to me fills the situations for more or all stream flows it will take you a little bit longer on clean ups that's all the trick is with gold hog matts thin water over the matts and ripping best situation and run steep to the point of blowing out then back off some if you find that you are the matts will last forever too total length is 54" long by 10" wide and would not be hard either to turn into a future high banker either but in extreme low flow water situations I think the angus mackirk and letrapp are best this is just my humble opinion

 

[motohed]

I have both , if I could only afford one it would be the Gold Hog it will work in many water conditions , You will have to buy a small Bazooka to run in low water conditions . I have several Gold hog products and they seem to be the cats meow .