Beginner needs advice!

[DeputyProspector]

Hey everybody! I need some advice. So I'm pretty well aquainted with gold prospecting, and that is my primary interest when t comes to treasure hunting. I just recently decided that I wanted to pick up metal detecting. I went to my local harbor freight and bought a 50 dollar detector. Fired it up, tried to learn the disc/tone functions, and started hunting. I found 5 iron nails (I know I could've ignored them, but I wanted to dig SOMETHING up haha), a pull tab, and an aluminum pipe cap. I got sucked in, I love it! I have an issue though, I told my fiancée I wanted a detector for Christmas, but she is on a budget of about 100-150 dollars. Can anybody recommend a good beginner detector for the price? I'm looking at a garret 150, or one of the bounty hunter models. My primary interests are gold/silver nuggets and items, old coins (silver gold) and pretty much anything neat and or valuable. I wanted a detector with an LCD screen with the numbers to identify your targets before you dig, but I'm not sure if anything in my budget will have that option. Any help would be appreciated, and I can also answer any questions if it will help you advise me further. Looking forward to hearing from everyone!

 

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[J-dude]

Welcome!! I would say the Garrett Ace 150 is best in that price range.

 

[jrc79inNC]

I would also recommend a Garret Ace 150 or Ace 250. I currently use an ACE 250 and I love it. I will admit after my KellyCo special pinpointer broke, I ended up buying a "pinpointer" from Harbor Freight Tools. Not the best of items but it works. I also would suggest as a beginner to dig everything, as you I have seen my metal detector give "false" readings. In closing again welcome and happy hunting.

 

[DeputyProspector]

Thanks guys! I know my way around panning and slucing for gold, but I haven't the faintest idea about anything metal detecting related. I know my grandpa has a mine lab and a garret I think, I've used one of them a few times, and once found a chunk of iron, but that's it. I can't figure out how to use the discrimination or tone functions on my detector. Isn't it supposed to make a different noise with different metals? The other thing is, the needle on my current detector will move when I hit a target, but it goes all the way to the right. I thought it was supposed to go to different areas of the gauge when you hit different metals? Maybe that's what you get when you use a 50 dollar detector haha