WILL MY METAL DETECTOR WORK FOR NUGGET HUNTING????

[deepsix47]

I have a question? I've used pan's, dredges and sluice's in the past when I lived out West. I have never used a metal detector for nugget hunting. I'm in Florida now and do mostly beach hunting. I'll be going out to Colorado and Wyoming soon for a visit and was wondering if my beach machine would work.

I have a Fisher Impulse. Will it work for nugget hunting?? Also, will it work in both wet and dry environments AND what can I expect the size of the smallest nuggets to be that it will pick up??

Thanx in advance for any help anyone can give me.
Deepsix

 

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[Jim McCulloch]

Yes, like all modern detectors, your Impulse WILL find nuggets, if they are large enough, and shallow enough. PI machines are not very sensitive to really small nuggets, but, as a general rule, PI machines will handle highly mineralized ground better than VLF machines. Go ahead and use it, taking great care to listen for those very slight REPEATABLE indications of targets, and dig them. HH jim

 

[Hoser John]

Use them headphones, use a small nugget on a poker chip to be sure your machine is working at it's VERY BEST as it's not a nugget shooter. Slow and easy sweeps, your going to hardrock country mostly so don't be bummed out by finding rocks. I would immediately call the mfgr. and find out if you can tune that machine to distinguish between ferrous and non ferrous metals like a TR unit??Tons a au 2 u 2-John

 

[deepsix47]

I appreciate the replies. I never thought about the Ferrous/Non Ferrous aspect....duh....lol.

Ok, then how about this. What is the BEST nugget shooter on the market today?? I know that it is not necessarily the most expensive one. I want the best one!!!!

I would also like it to be able to work in both wet and dry environments if necessary. Also, is there one that is fully submersable??

The reason for the questions is this. In my younger days, after getting out of the Marine Corps, I decided I needed to get my head back into the world and ended up working for a hunting/fishing guide in Wyoming. In the three years I worked for him and his wife I got to know some really interesting country.

On a shelf at the ranch he had a quart mason jar full of nuggets. He claimed that they had just been picked up from a stream back in the mountains and one day he might show me if I worked out.

The second year we had some hunters up at one of his spike camps that he hadn't used in a couple of years. There was a stream that ran about 30 yards from camp and several more close by. As I had been hired as a Wrangler, my days were usually spent around camp or packing hunters in and out to the ranch. One day I decided to take a swim in one of the streams that had some nice deep pools (sponge baths get old after awhile). When the boss got back in with the hunters that evening I took him aside and showed him what I had found. He said: "Good eye boy but that's best kept a secret between you, me and the mountains." I agreed but each day I found a little time for another swim.

That and what I found the following year gave me a nice stake when I went back home. He and his wife have both passed on now and the ranch is up for sale. On my visit to Colorado I've decided to take a week and pack in to that camp in Wyoming. I don't want to dredge or sluice because these streams are full of trout also and I don't want to damage the stream beds. A detector though seems like it would be the way to go.
Deepsix

 

[shepcal]

Boy are you opening a can of worms! Best detector? My vote would be the Minelab 4000, but it's also the one of the most expensive. Where we hunt it's very mineralized and a vlf just won't hack it.
As for PI's won't find little ones. Pic below is of a .4 dwt'r found 4-5" deep. Found w/ the 4000, using a Coiltec 14" round mono coil. Partner a couple of weeks ago found a piece the size of a rice grain. Don't want to dig for anything smaller!

 

[warsawdaddy]

A Goldbug 2(VLF) will find small gold in mineralized ground.So will a GMT.If in doubt,ask on the site below.However,it appears you have the wrong impression of dredging.Dredging actually helps the fish by stirring the nutrients up and lifting the silt away.Just don't dredge during the spawn.Go on the forum at this site;

http://www.nuggetshooter.com/

 

[deepsix47]

Thanx, I really appreciate all of the input. The area is remote and I'm looking forward to going back again. Thanx to all.
Deepsix

 

[shepcal]

Tomtowns, Gotta disagree with you friend. "All GP's are the same"; NOT!
Had a 3000, before I got the 4000. I hunt with my partner and his uncle (they had 2200's); my 3000 was noisey (mineralized ground and planes and towers all around) where we hunt. I know it's bad and probably much worse than alot of places you'all hunt, but the 4000 can be adjusted to a smooth threshold and still find a piece here and there. Bad area? Having that smooth threshold and work a bank of a shallow ditch (coil at an angle) and it gets irratic from the towers(couple of miles away); that's sensitive!
HAVE TO REMEMBER THIS! Next time out, detune it a bit more! which you can! and check those banks!
This area where we hunt has produced large nuggets (I, a 3.6oz'r; a friend 5+ oz'r) and small pieces (yesterday, I found a little .4 dwt'r, w/ a 14" round mono coil).
Bottomline is, you want to go out in the 100 degree+ weather, play w/ the rattlesnakes, scorpions, centipides, killer bees, bad knees and hips, climbing hills (where God has forgotten to check in awhile); go with the best detector you can afford and enjoy your surroundings and company (if you can find someone to go with you), and know, if you don't find any gold, at least you tried your hardest.
No one can knock you for that!

 

[Hoser John]

Lets see-minelab $4k + $400 coil + coilcovers+ hired help to haul the ungodly heavy thing and totally impossible to dig with the bloody thing strapped to your chest to swing it!!! No bloody way-good ol' Tesoro Lobo Supertraq or GB2 and your rocking with NO hassles at about $650 + freebies from MANY dealers. PLUS your batteries are from the $1 store and not MANY hundreds as minelab!!No brainer. Tons a au 2 u 2-John

 

[BobbyS]

JUST my advice, buy a multi purpose unit, unless your just after nuggets.

Good units that are strong on gold :

XT70 by minelab.
MXT by Whites.
F-75 by Fisher.

The one thats best is , ****************** Lets ask ?

Bobby

 

[shepcal]

HoserJohn, darn guy, settle down, my friend! Personally, I have several detectors. I found a nice piece on the Feather River dredging (that I still wear, 1979). I've been back twice with 2 vlf's (not a Tesoro) couldn't ground balance out the serpentine. That's when I bought the 3000. Don't know if that would of worked. Believe the 4000 will, just got to find the time to get back up there and try it. No one detector will work everywhere. There's pourous (sp?) gold that no upper end Minelab will detect (so I'm told and believe) and a vlf will. Little gold, less than a 1/3 gram'r not worth diggin les it keeps the skunk away!
My partner used to have a Tesoro and hasn't said anything much bad about it, but is running a 4000 now. Love to check your area out sometime, maybe we could invite each other to each others area and have a go at it (would have to clear that with Grubstake).
I tend to hunt nasty areas, my opinion is like a-- holes, everyones, got one.
Bobby brought up a good point in a multi purpose detector, I have an MXT, but always go back to the 4000. AND it ain't all that bloody heavy, unless you have to pack those multi oz'r out also

 

[Functional]

I've heard good things about the Nautilus BMCIIb. At least I've heard fewer people swearing "at" them, than "by" them. Check out the posts here: http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,26141.0.html

The rare, (older but still good), Compass 100 and 200 models have been used for nugget hunting for years. Even my Compass Magnum 420 has a history as a nugget finder, although I just got mine and still have to change the coil cable, (blistered by heat in a fire). I think mine would be more comparable to the Nautilus LF.

Anyway, I know the Nautilus is a little pricey, but if I had the spare cash to put towards a newer detector, the Nautilus is what I would be comparing everything else to.

F.

 

[sillytree]

The only thing heavy about my Minelab 4000 is all the gold I have found with it.

 

[paratrooper]

I don't want to dredge or sluice because these streams are full of trout also and I don't want to damage the stream beds. A detector though seems like it would be the way to go.
Deepsix

Dredging will not harm the fish . As a matter of fact you will churn up more food for them . As far as a completely underwater detector there are several . White's , Minelab and Garrett among others sell one or more . Considering the ease of which you found gold back then all you should need is a detector and maybe a small (2 1/2 inch) dredge . If you remember what the spring snow melt looked like in the rivers your efforts will be dwarfed by even the smallest disturbance Mother Nature cooks up .