Best MD for nugget shooting and beach ?

[H-2 CHARLIE]

THOUGHT I WOULD ASK .

 

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[Tom_in_CA]

Do you mean two separate machines? Or one machine that can do both venues? Because if you meant one machine that can switch back and forth between those two stated goals, then just be aware: it will excel in neither arena. Yes there are machines made to be able to switch back and forth between a) nuggets, and b) coins/jewelry, with the flips of some controls. But when you think of it, the goals of each type hunting are almost diametrically opposed. A nugget guy wants a machine that can hear every single staple, birdshot, paperclip, etc... to insane depths. But the coin/jewelry guy DOESN'T want to hear every "staple, birdshot, etc...." And since the machines nowadays are built from the ground up, to do their intended purpose (coils, etc...), it's no easy feat to make a machine that go back and forth, and do both. Yes there are some that are made to do it, but trust me: there are MUCH better coin/jewelry/beach machines, and there are much better nugget machines.

Also, the type of beach comes into question. Did you mean freshwater or salt water? Wet sand or dry sand or both? And how picky are you wanting to be? Because, for example, the MXT is a machine that can do both. But as an example, it will suffer badly on the wet salt beach (you'll get your b*tt kicked if you're around other dedicated beach machines), and ...... there are nugget machines (for the super hardcore) that likewise will outpace that as well for nuggets.

 

[H-2 CHARLIE]

ya tom , im learning this . maybe a gold bug pro or the tesro super trac is what im liking .

 

[gleaner1]

I thought you wanted the best? The best nugget hunter is the Minelab, about five grand. Buy that one if you want the best. It would be hella deep at the freshwater beach to boot.

 

[Terry Soloman]

ya tom , im learning this . maybe a gold bug pro or the tesro super trac is what im liking .

Two great nuggetshooters, but they are awful on wet saltwater sand. Good Luck!

 

[Ca70]

I'm new to posting here but it was for my own personal reasons .
I started MD'ing backwards as far as the hobby goes.
I began metal detecting as a miner and prospector, looking to add a new tool to our cache 20 years ago. 35 years of dredging and Bench mining .
Most guys get into coin / relic and then go gold detecting. So my experience with gold detectors goes back a ways. I only took up coin/ relic and beach hunting serious about 10 years ago.

A Gold detector is just that ,. "All metal" . A "VLF" will give you discrimination to weed out iron trash. A good thing. The cons : depending where you are .. mountains and the minerals that built them are hard for a "VLF" detector to work in.

Next.. A "PI" or pulse detector. As mentioned , very expensive. But negate this mineral influence much better than the "VLF" detector. This unit does a poor job of iron discrimination though.

You want one that does it all. As mentioned The Whites MXT does fill all the niches. But to a point. I own one , and love it. It is my go to Coin / relic detector. but where I detect for gold, the minerals are too great and the detector cant do its job sometimes. There are "VLF" detectors that are made for this though (GMT) Also by Whites ,Tesoro Lobo Super Trac, and Fisher Gold Bug II . Much cheaper than the Pulse detectors.

This detector (MXT) is a good all around detector but it does have it's limitations. Wet salt will also affect this detector once you get into this kind of ground.
This is where the hobby gets fun. If you get into it you'll find that you actually really need dedicated kinds of detectors. If a company could make one that really "does it all" they would bury the competition. thats just not the case.

In a nut shell. The VLF detector is more sensitive on small gold nuggets shallow .... And the pulse detector (Minelab GP) is better on big gold nuggets deep. When I get into salt water beaches and in the water I use a completely different unit , built for those rigors.. Waterproof , and able to handle the salt influence on the signals. Thats a Tesoro Sand Shark.
The MXT is a great compromise . it does suffer when the sand is wet ocean salt though. The box isn't water proof either. One good wave it's toast.
This subject has been hammered over and over in different forums . I cant be brand loyal . They all make great units. When it comes to Gold units about 4 brands do hold the market for good reason. Fisher, Minelab,Tesoro and Whites. Some may contests this but those are the main players for nugget detectors.

H-2 Charlie 'mentioned the Lobo Super trac and the GB2 . I've owned both . As a gold detector they are tops as far as VLF's go. Terry mentioned they would not be ideal for the beach . He's very correct .They'll work sure ,find metal yes... But you'll be pulling out your hair in a wet beach setting an hour into it.

 

[Frankn]

The simple answer is a PI detector. I use my Whites Surfmaster PI for both and it has been successful at both. Frank

 

[dbsmokey]

THOUGHT I WOULD ASK .

White's TDI SL, if you can tolerate decreased discrimination versus a VLF detector and a bit of a steep learning curve.