Gettin the fever again....Which to Buy is the Question...

[JR in Hohenwald TN.]

Gettin' the fever again....Which to Buy is the Question...

Hi I'm James, I'm new to the forum but not detecting. I posted in another forum and maybe I can get some more input here.

First off, I've been relic hunting since 85'. Last year I sold my last detector which was a Delion. I've used many a brand and made many fantastic finds around Vicksburg and Central MS. I've had the Spectrum XLT,Garrett Master Hunter's, Silver & Gold Sabers,Bandito Umax,MineLab XT,Compass,Fisher 1270. Geez, just all kinds of them. All were great machines and made good finds.

I had to backoff hunting due to job, moving and divorce. now I'm settling in around the Hohenwald Tn area and have a bit more time. So I've got the bug again, can't stand to be without a detector.

First off I'd like to know what machines in todays time in the universal category are hot, good relic hunting but could be used for some house site coin hunting. I'm kinda budgeted around the $400 range. Bells and whistles with high prices don't always mean a hot detector, I found that out along time ago. I personally like to ground balance and would prefer the ability to switch to true AllMetal. But also like the Auto Ground with Disc. for campsite hunting. During the years it seemed you had to have 2 types of machines, one for relics(brass/iron) one for coins. Theres got to be a good general machine today that fits the bill.

Is there such a beast out there?Any Input Thanks

 

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[swampfox]

Re: Gettin' the fever again....Which to Buy is the Question...

hi swampfox here , i have a ace 250 garrett . it sell for around 250 or less depending on the dealer. it is good for just about anything . i thinkit would also be good in all metal. i usually coin hunt ad it really is good for that . but dont take my word for it . get some other people to give u some info on it. hope u find a good machine . but i think for the money u cant beat it. hh and good luck . swampfox. i live in orangeburg, sc

 

[JR in Hohenwald TN.]

Re: Gettin' the fever again....Which to Buy is the Question...

Garretts are fine machines. My 1st was a master Hunter7, I picked up the 14" coil for hunting artillery. Dug MANYy an shell with it, seemed to me the Garretts liked iron. After that I had a Whites 5900, actually 3 of them I wore them out, it was hotter to me than the Garrett on iron but lacked in the coin category. The Garrett never was a good coin or brass machine though at least back then. Have they came that far? JR

 

[TXDIRTFISHER]

Re: Gettin' the fever again....Which to Buy is the Question...

Fisher 1266-X was the best relic machine I ever used. I wish I still had mine. If you hunt for relics try to find a good used one. That's my 2 cents.

 

[JR in Hohenwald TN.]

Re: Gettin' the fever again....Which to Buy is the Question...

Yep.Fisher's are hot machines too. I had one when they first came out. Dug a CS oval and a 20lb Grand Gulf Read with it. Really good machines. Used a 1270 too,it was impressive, I liked the ability to gb it manually. I'm considering the Fisher 1270 again. Tesoro's have been real good to me too. Maybe a Vaquero,Cortez, or Tejon. i seen a CZ7a on ebay but not familiar with the CZ. Its just tough to choose. JR

 

[George (MN)]

Re: Gettin' the fever again....Which to Buy is the Question...

You've owned a wide variety of detectors & called them all great. This would suggest that you are a good adapter, a quick learner. You could probably do good with most detectors.

Different frequencies for different items: high frequency for low conductors (relics), & low frequencies for high conductors (silver coins) is what we are told is best. The Minelab X-Terra 70 has multiple coils for 3 frequencies. not sure which coils you had. The 18.75 coils for relics or the 3 kHz for silver coins. The stock 7.5 KHz would be a compromise for both.

I have the X-Terra 70 & Fisher F70. The F70 depth readout goes to 16". They were both under $500 because I bought them used. The Fisher F5 is $499 if you prefer new, but has less depth (10" max in really good soil). The 1266X is still considered very good by many. A Teknetics T2 should also be available used for $500 or less ("coins to 15").

Some people say the Gold Century GC-1023 does pretty good 8" on quarter, $59.95 shipped from www.gold-century.com It has a non-motion pinpoint, high tone for items above disc setting & low tone for items below disc setting.

The Tesoros do good at lower disc settings, but the Bandido II u/max I had lost half it's depth at pulltab disc. The Silver u/max has good depth in it's price range. Most Tesoros don't offer non-motion pinpoint, which I prefer, but it doesn't bother some people.

Don't know if this has helped you narrow down the possibilities. MP/MPX detectors from Kellyco not good here & don't get Seben Extreme. HH, George (MN)

 

[birdman]

Re: Gettin' the fever again....Which to Buy is the Question...

The cibola and vaquero are great relic machines and not to spendy. Go to metaldetector reviews .com and check em out.I hunted Napolenic battle fields with a CZ5 and then a cibola and did better with my cibola because I was not chopping roots to find out it was a deep nail. The CZ was a deep machine but it loved deep nails. I left Germany with three cannon balls and about 1000 musket balls and lots of other stuff. I think the CZ5 and the cibola have about the same depth but the cibola only weighs 2.2 pounds so you can hunt all day with it no problem. I have been impressed with my Vaquero but have not been able to try it out on a battle field yet. It is pretty much the same as the cibola but it has a manual ground balance. I have dug some really deep pocket knifes ,horse shoes and what not . It is also a great coin shooter.

 

[VaRelics]

Re: Gettin' the fever again....Which to Buy is the Question...

For relics take a very close look at the Tejon.

 

[l.cutler]

Re: Gettin' the fever again....Which to Buy is the Question...

It sounds like you are describing a Vaquero. If you can exceed your budget, go for the Tejon.

 

[EddieR]

Re: Gettin' the fever again....Which to Buy is the Question...

It sounds like you are describing a Vaquero. If you can exceed your budget, go for the Tejon.

This says it all!! The Tejon is awesome for relics from what I've read. I've got a Vaquero and love it. It's light, a little over 2 pounds, and it's a DEEP seeker! With the lifetime warranty thrown in, it's a sweet package.

Eddie

 

[joelt]

Re: Gettin' the fever again....Which to Buy is the Question...

It doesn't sound like you particularly want a TID machine, but the F5 among other detectors allows you to change from a simple beep to get coins, to a more informative beep for relic hunting. When you say you want a detector that does both, that to me is about the most important feature.

 

[mikep829]

Re: Gettin' the fever again....Which to Buy is the Question...

I think with your experience you'd do real well with the Tejon. Light, deeeeep, and go for about $400 used. I have it, and don't ever plan to get rid of it.

 

[sqwaby]

Re: Gettin' the fever again....Which to Buy is the Question...

Tesoro Vaquero

 

[DD-777]

Re: Gettin' the fever again....Which to Buy is the Question...

Tesoro Vaquero

 

[John (Ma)]

Re: Gettin' the fever again....Which to Buy is the Question...

For the relics AND coin shooting, I would go with the Vaquero. $420 new with the lifetime warranty and mine does well at coin shooting. Good luck

 

[Tico14]

Re: Gettin' the fever again....Which to Buy is the Question...

I would get a good used 1236X-2 with 8" & 5" coil and spend the other 150.00 on something else.

 

[Yellowhouse]

Re: Gettin' the fever again....Which to Buy is the Question...

Circuit overload! Yep, I went through it too. Back thirty years ago there just weren't that many choices but now it boggles the mind. I did reams of reading pros and cons and had a short list of about 10 detectors that I'd love to try but still couldn't come to a decision. Finally, I just bought an MXT and only time will tell. I know one thing though is that an ACE 250 will be added shortly as a backup and companion.

And my Prizm IV is going bye!

 

[Willee]

Re: Gettin' the fever again....Which to Buy is the Question...

Have you talked with any of your old hunting buddies in that area?

What are others there using?

Offhand I say you should strongly consider the Tesoro Tejon or Vaquero but check with others in your area.

Willee