Detector recommendation for a very specific hunting ground.

[Cybertech]

Hello.

I'm 48 years old, and the last time I used a metal detector was about 30 years ago. At the time, my "go to" detector was the Fisher 1266X. I was impressed by it's simplicity, excellent depth, and the index finger trigger for all metal and pinpoint mode.

I am currently in the market for an entry level detector to scout very specific grounds. These grounds were used from about 1850 to 1900, but have not been used since. As such, the grounds will have little to no modern trash, and I'm only trying to find coins and rings. I also suspect that some of the targets will be deep due to flooding in the area every few years. I will not be using the detector in areas that contain pull tabs, bottle caps, or any other modern trash. My budget will be the $200 to $300 range, but I will opt for a deeper seeking detector depending on the finds.


Here are my questions that I hope can be answered:

1) The areas to be hunted will be around Northern Montana. For that area will auto ground balancing suffice, or should I get a detector with manual ground balance?

2) My main concern is depth. I will only be discriminating out iron, and digging every other target. What size coil do you recommend?

3) What exactly determines the depth capability of a detector? The coil, the power output of the detector, or both?

4) On the assumption that a metal detector's power output is government regulated, then do the power outputs of detectors vary? If so, why?


Thank you for reading this. I'm looking forward to the replies and to metal detector suggestions for my criteria

EDIT: I've been doing some more research, and it seems the Tesoro brand is what I'm after. No display, manual controls, and excellent depth.

 

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[Tom_in_CA]

.... At the time, my "go to" detector was the Fisher 1266X. ....

Believe it or not, the 1266 is still amongst the deepest machines out there, even after 30 yrs. Depending on the types soil. However: The devil is in the details: They started to suffer in mineralized soil and wet-salt. Ie.: everything beyond 4" deep tended to start to sound the same. In other words, the discrimination on that was very fishy . Lots of things tended to sound the same. Very chattery. And even in GOOD soil, the TID started to wain after 6 " or so. Thus things like deeper bent nails would fool you, etc... And it was a very "noisy" machine in locations with lots of targets (you tended to spend a LOT of time trying to interpret the clicks and clacks).

But some guys certainly loved theirs. For relicky type situations , or dry sand @ beaches, etc... But as long as someone was in the right soil, and didn't need accurate TIDs, it was a good machine. With the 10" coil, a guy could get almost 1.5 ft. on a coin it seemed. But ... to attain depths like that, it would be places like dry sand, where you didn't need impressive discrimination. Thus while it was wickedly deep, yet ... for places where you need a little more TID, then a machine like the various Explorer incarnations are my go-to choice. Kind of depends on how much iron is at your site.

 

[Cybertech]

Hi Tom.

I tried many other detectors at the time. Most were around the same price, and some more expensive. Of those I tried, none compared to the 1266 for depth. Also, unlike the others, the shaft on the 1266 was very rigid and it felt like an extension of my arm. The others I tried, felt like I was swinging a wet noodle.

Also, my main concern is depth. I will only be discriminating out iron, and digging every other target. As such, TID isn't needed.