Recommendations for a beginner

[cstout1134]

Hello All,

I'm basically new to metal detecting. I do have an old Whites metal detector my dad gave me a while back. They used to use it at the saw mill where he works to spot check for nails and such in logs. We've played around with it some but not a whole lot. We're wanting to get into it again this spring and summer, and I was drafted to do the research for a couple detectors. Does anyone have any suggestions for brands/models? They will be used mostly in central west virginia, along train tracks, old farms/homesteads, old logging/mining camps, few battle grounds, fields...stuff like that. Probably take them to the beach in the summer also. It looks like you can spend anywhere from a hundred bucks to thousands. I can't do that, but I'd also like the best bang for the buck. Any and all suggestions appreciated.

Thanks!

 

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[steve1357]

I believe every company has a good detector you'd like. Some people believe they must have a display, others want waterproof, others want the deepest for the bucks. Keep in mind displays only work so deep, it also won't tell you if you have a pull tab or a class ring.

I think the best advice is to set a budget which includes a decent pinpointer which by itself will run a 100 bucks or so.

Beach hunting becomes an issue for the lower cost detectors. The wet sand messes up the depth, but if you stay on the dry beach, you'll have fun.

And not to scare you off, but your question will quickly become the Ford vs Chevy, no Dodge! discussion. ...

What's your total budget and we'll all give you our opinion...

And there are several dealers reading the threads, I'm sure they will add to the discussion.

 

[Oddjob]

Well there you have it; Steve pretty much summed it all up perfectly.

What sorts of Whites are you using?

 

[adamBomb]

The whites is probably going to work fine for you depending on what kind it is.

Per the others advice they are correct. On the lower end, there is bounty hunter tracker IV, fisher f2, garret ace 250/350, and a few others. Each brand tends to have an entry line. All of them will pretty much detect the same. I would not go for gimmicks and features at all. Learn to listen to the tones. At the mid level you have machines like the Garrett AT Pro which is water proof and a really great all around machine. Its what they use on that metal detecting reality TV show. If I were in your place I would get a low end machine like I have mentioned above or save up for the AT Pro. I dont think any of the machines in between are going to give you any more depth than the low end models. I have a harbour freight pinpointer that I picked up for pretty cheap but I dont use it as I hunt only on the beach.

As far as the beach, yea those machines wont work on the wet sand but they will work on the dry sand.

 

[digger27]

All metal detectors find metal, all vehicles have at least 4 wheels and will usually get you where you want to go but in different comfort levels.
On a cross country trip I would love the comfort level of a caddy, Lincoln or other top level car but if I cannot afford those there are decisions to be made.
A cheap car will do it also but I would much rather spend a little more and aim for a little higher, mid range if possible, to have at least a few features that would make the ride more enjoyable.
Then there is function...any good car no matter what kind even with the nicest trailer on the market will not perform anywhere near as well as a specialty vehicle, if at all, if you have special tasks to do like hauling huge amounts of dirt, logs, boulders or even several other cars at one time for instance.

Your situation and sites you describe throw up several red flags to me so you need to consider this...
Some WV. soil is known to be pretty tough...heavily mineralized is the term we use or "hot" dirt.
I would say some sort of manual or automatic ground balance is probably going to be needed.
Your site types just scream "iron galore" to me and there are some detectors and accessories that work better in those environments.
DD coils vs. concentric types to battle that mineralization and to snake in and around heavy iron should be considered, a small sniper coil compared to the larger standard types might do better in those types of sites also.
Something with at least a few useable features and advanced settings would be advantageous compared to entry level units with less settings possible.
I hunt in some very difficult soil with lots of iron, my low end detectors did ok but my upper mid range F70 does way better in those same sites, goes deeper and can deal with all my problems like masking to a much higher degree.
No detectors seem to be able to do it all so both a land and a saltwater beach detector that would excel at both is a rare thing indeed so I would pick the type best suited for your most visited areas which sounds to me like dirt.

New is one thing with warranties and service taken into account but there are some great deals on used units that can get you higher up the feature rich ladder at a lower price.
My F70 was brand new in the box from someone that won it at a club seeded hunt that didn't want it for $400 for instance.

What exactly to recommend to you I don't know as some hunters click with certain brands over others and we...or you, don't know exactly what kind of hunter you are or will be at this point.

I would say aim for the middle to have the best shot at success and less frustration and there are many out there.
Not an easy choice as our first, ever, eventually we all learn what will work the best in our specific sites to match our hunting style and most of us usually upgrade or move to other units as we learn the ins and outs of this hobby.
Consider all opinions you will see here, read real world reviews, watch some vids on some in the running and take into account your predominate hunting site conditions and good luck.

 

[cstout1134]

Thanks for the replies! If i had to set a budget i guess, after reading a few replies, I would say $0-300 (free is good). I'm not counting pinpointers in that budget because i feel like thats something I can go cheap on, love harbor freight.
The white's i have is a ULC-950 (reading on the coil) and reading up on the "box" it reads "Industrial UL-3".
The garret 250 seems to be the one i always come across and contemplate when i start looking. Glad to hear that its a decent entry level. The Pro is a bit out of my price range at the moment.
And yes, there is a ton of iron around....found lots of antique nails. I will research the hot dirt features you mentioned.

Thanks a ton, everyone

 

[Terry Soloman]

Hope this helps!

 

[steve1357]

Thanks for the replies! If i had to set a budget i guess, after reading a few replies, I would say $0-300 (free is good). I'm not counting pinpointers in that budget because i feel like thats something I can go cheap on, love harbor freight.
The white's i have is a ULC-950 (reading on the coil) and reading up on the "box" it reads "Industrial UL-3".
The garret 250 seems to be the one i always come across and contemplate when i start looking. Glad to hear that its a decent entry level. The Pro is a bit out of my price range at the moment.
And yes, there is a ton of iron around....found lots of antique nails. I will research the hot dirt features you mentioned.

Thanks a ton, everyone

If you're set on the 250, get the new 300. The new 200/300/400 Aces are the new series from Garrett.

http://garrett.com/hobbysite/hbby_ace_300_main_en.aspx

Unless you find a deal on a used 250 of course.

 

[Phantasman]

The Bounty Hunter Land Ranger Pro is the only detector you can buy brand new for just under $300 that has auto and manual ground balance, a numeric digital display, with a 11" DD coil. It's recovery speed and depth match most detectors twice it's price. It's 3 preprogrammed modes and custom modes will help you learn the hobby.

 

[cstout1134]

Well dad's well pump is acting up and he's needing to figure out where it is, so he's guinea pigging it with the Ace 300. I'll see how he likes it before i invest. Thanks again for all the advice!

 

[cstout1134]

Hey,
So i got the Ace 300 and have been playing around with it but I'm not sure if it's something I'm doing wrong or the machine. But it will signal then when i go back over it it won't signal again. Occasionally if I use the pinpoint feature it will signal again, but not every time. Any ideas?

 

[steve1357]

Hey,
So i got the Ace 300 and have been playing around with it but I'm not sure if it's something I'm doing wrong or the machine. But it will signal then when i go back over it it won't signal again. Occasionally if I use the pinpoint feature it will signal again, but not every time. Any ideas?

Please elaborate.

A known target in the ground or air test? Settings?

 

[cstout1134]

Unknown targets. Ive not actually went as far as burying anything, but i have done the 'bench test' and tossed coins on the ground and it works like i'd expect: immediate beeps consistently....
but when out in the woods/yard it started acting like i was talking about, random beeps then nothing.
I flipped back and forth on different settings, but for the most part it was on coin mode

 

[steve1357]

Unknown targets. Ive not actually went as far as burying anything, but i have done the 'bench test' and tossed coins on the ground and it works like i'd expect: immediate beeps consistently....
but when out in the woods/yard it started acting like i was talking about, random beeps then nothing.
I flipped back and forth on different settings, but for the most part it was on coin mode

I've seen stuff that took a while to figure out.

My F75 knows if I'm carrying a Garrett pinpointer that is turned off. The field of the detector is seeing the pinpointer 4-6 feet away. Keep in mind the field extends just as far above the coil as it does below it.

I've seen one way beeps when swinging with large metal item nearby, a fence, a trailer, building. The detector will only go off either sweeping towards it or away from it. Our soil here is so bad, you can find places where the changes in the soil will set off the detector just by swinging across it. You can dig as far as you want, and it's still there.

Are you swinging the coil on a level plane parallel to the ground? Coming up one the ends of a swing can set detectors off, you're changing what the coil is seeing.

Try leaving your cellphone a long distance away. Turning it off and keeping it in your pocket probably won't help. Power lines, invisible dog fences, wireless networking, etc.

I don't have any of the newer Garretts, what you're seeing may be unrelated to anything I'm posting.

If your sensitivity is too high, the detector may just be getting overwhelmed by a lot of crap. Try other frequencies?

I'm sure others will help you also....

 

[cstout1134]

Good advice. Ill try again tomorrow without cellphone etc. I'll also play with the frequencies and sensitivities. Thanks for the input, i appreciate it

 

[steve1357]

Good advice. Ill try again tomorrow without cellphone etc. I'll also play with the frequencies and sensitivities. Thanks for the input, i appreciate it

I didn't notice where we were. There is a Garrett forum, I bet you get some more eyeballs on it there too.

Garrett

 

[Phantasman]

Unknown targets. Ive not actually went as far as burying anything, but i have done the 'bench test' and tossed coins on the ground and it works like i'd expect: immediate beeps consistently....
but when out in the woods/yard it started acting like i was talking about, random beeps then nothing.
I flipped back and forth on different settings, but for the most part it was on coin mode

Always circle around the target in sweeping if you only get a beep in one direction. An angled coin may pick up sweeping toward the face but not back towards the edge. Check how deep it's saying. If it's 5 or more inches, it's common sometimes for full sweeps to not be the same side to side. At that time, keep your sweeps short.