Should I be hunting Iron?

[TokkTokk]

Hi guys,

Sorry I'm knew to this but lately I've been excluding Iron on my detector. I have a bounty hunter discovery. What are your thoughts on this?

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

How to Research for Treasure Hunting and Metal Detecting From Lead Generation to Vetting - Grab it through Amazon!

[Dwight S]

It depends on where and what you are hunting. If you are relic hunting on a battlefield or skirmish site, then I'd hunt & dig it all. You may find shell fragments or grape shot.

If you are out in the woods and you are looking for a specific site to hunt. An iron signal may indicate nails, which possibly means a good site to explore.

Unless its a really iron laden & trashy site, I'd probably not descriminate out iron too much, doing so may mean you miss a coin being masked.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

There are few times ever where you'd want to dig the iron. It's just too danged easy to discriminate out, so why would you want to dig it? The exceptions would be, as Dwight says, if you're in a type of relicky environment, where some iron objects are actually desirable (gun barrels, projectiles, etc...). But even then, you might pass up smaller individual nails

Another possible location for being willing to dig all the iron, is if you're in a good area, with more potential for oldies that might be masked by iron. Like, I've been in old-town sidewalk tearouts where .... if I'm hearing a lot of iron that might mask old coins underneath them, I'll go ahead and work out the bigger concentrations of iron, until I'm confident that nothing is hiding. But no, I'm not that much of a "hero" in other locations. There are some machines, afterall, that already do a good job of seeing through a nail or two as it is, so I would only strip-mine, to alleviate masking, if it was some sort of special location, and time allows, etc...

A final possible reason why some people dig iron, is they simply don't have a choice. Like some nugget hunters, in order to get their insane sensitivity and depth, have to forgo disc. (at least any disc. beyond the first few inches), in order not to loose depth. Same for beach pulse guys: In order to get the great depth and sensitivity to tinsel thin chains, they put up with digging some nails, for-going disc, etc...

 

[gadigger81]

It all depends where you are hunting. Personally, I like digging iron. You can find alot of neat pieces. All the unwanted iron I scrap. Why not make a little money on your unwanted iron?? Thats just me though! Best the luck to you and welcome to T-Net!

 

[Swartzie]

If you're looking for relics then yes dig iron. But if you're looking for coins and stuff like that then discriminate iron out. If I discriminate I will dig everything above just above iron if the site is old.

-Swartzie

 

[lumbercamp]

Digging coins is rather boring. Coins have no personality. The iron I dig was used personally for years by a person in their work or at home, whether it be logging, mining, homesteading or a childs iron toy. I can show you a tool and tell you the occupation of that person. A coin is passed from person to person and you can not tell anything about the person who dropped it. Some of my tools are marked with the persons initials.
Several years ago I was digging at a mining town and uncovered the rear wheel from a baby stroller. I had to sit back and reflect on the young mother struggling to push the stroller over the dirt as there were no streets or sidewalks at this town. A year and half later, I found the other wheel. I have them both on display now. Anyone else would have tossed them as being junk.

 

[ModernMiner]

Lots of iron in my diet. Well worth digging in my opinion.
-MM-

 

[TokkTokk]

Thanks guys

 

[relichunters]

I love finding iron, there is a lot of awesome iron objects like old 1800's key locks, axe heads, gate latches, hammers and picks, etc.