What detectors would you recommend?

775Gold

Tenderfoot
Mar 10, 2018
7
1
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
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Terry Soloman

Gold Member
May 28, 2010
19,419
30,081
White Plains, New York
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Nokta Makro Legend// Pulsedive// Minelab GPZ 7000// Vanquish 540// Minelab Pro Find 35// Dune Kraken Sandscoop// Grave Digger Tools Tombstone shovel & Sidekick digger// Bunk's Hermit Pick
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting

CoinHunterAZ

Hero Member
Feb 18, 2013
858
1,498
Flagstaff, AZ
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Sidewinder Umax, Garrett ATPro, Minelab Equinox 800, Garrett Pro Pointer
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I'll also add that if you want to mix in a little coin-shooting and relic hunting with your prospecting, the Minelab Equinox 800 will do double duty. It has a dedicated gold mode, and it works pretty darn well. I found a really nice nugget here in AZ just a couple of weeks ago with my EQ800.

https://www.minelab.com/metal-detectors/equinox-800
 

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775Gold

Tenderfoot
Mar 10, 2018
7
1
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I'm only looking into using it for gold prospecting. The gold monster is my first choice, I just wanted to get some recommendations before I made the purchase. Thank you guy's.
 

angelito1

Bronze Member
Jun 3, 2016
1,786
1,744
FLA
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
welcome to tnet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . :hello2:
 

markmcknight

Tenderfoot
Jan 20, 2020
6
3
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I've been doing some research for buying my own metal detector and a lot of the sites I've looked at recommend the Fisher Gold Bug 2 for Gold nuggets. Have you looked at it yet or are you looking for a more advanced detector?
 

Pocketman

Newbie
Jan 19, 2020
4
4
Carson City, Nevada
Detector(s) used
Whites, Fisher, MineLab
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
It's been a while for me, but I have done a lot of nugget shooting in Plumas and Sierra counties. I don't know what your budget is, but for the average guy, good gold machines take a pretty hefty bite outta their savings when they're first starting out (did me). That said, you definitely want a quality machine. If money is a limiting factor, don't buy a cheap, low-quality new one–with the same money, buy a good-quality used one. They are aren't hard to find, and they're a whole lot more efficient, dependable, and cheaper. When I got into nugget shooting, I had success with an old Whites CoinMaster (1985), then upgraded to the Fisher Gold Bug, then the Minelab Eureka Gold, and Minelab GPX-4000. Of course, the CoinMaster is a real dinosaur and not recommended for nugget shooting. But the others are all excellent gold getters. I don't think you can go wrong with any of them. The Gold Bug really served me well, used the hell outta it, and though I didn't treat it gently, it always was ready for duty, fully operational, and never complained. There are others too that are just as well-liked by gold prospectors, however, the ones I mentioned are the machines I've used and that I can recommend highly from personal experience.

You've picked some good gold country to hunt--great scenery, excellent camping, good gold throughout the area. Good luck!
 

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EQ8

Sr. Member
Feb 1, 2020
284
352
Sw Wisconsin
Detector(s) used
Equinox 800
Garrett Carrot
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I'll also add that if you want to mix in a little coin-shooting and relic hunting with your prospecting, the Minelab Equinox 800 will do double duty. It has a dedicated gold mode, and it works pretty darn well. I found a really nice nugget here in AZ just a couple of weeks ago with my EQ800.

https://www.minelab.com/metal-detectors/equinox-800

Good to know the stock coil will work good for gold.
Can't wait til the snow is gone and the ground thaws out!
 

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