The Sniper

[JCgold]

So of we went yesterday, with my new purchase, yes the sniper 30", and what a little beaut of a black trap this is. After testing all over the show, we hit a small spot which delivered 9 colours in a pan from 2 buckets. It was hard going, digging and digging to find even a little bit, but the sniper did catch what I could only call microscopic gold. I mean the stuff is so small, you almost need to have sunlight just to see it, as it reflects its beautiful colour back to you. So more prospecting is need to find good spots in the river which should happen real soon. Here are some pics. Thanks again for all the awesome information generously offered by the folks on the forum.

 

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[KevinInColorado]

Congrats!

Next time leave that hand trowel at home and just paw the material into the sluice from a tipped bucket...the Sniper can eat dirt a LOT faster than you might think!

 

[JCgold]

Thanks Kevin

Yeah was the first time I have ever run any sorta sluice, so I was being more cautious than I needed to be, but also wanted to learn more as I become more familiar with the zooka !! The material was a good 30 feet away too, and for some reason, I just have this horrible feeling the fluidization was not there and not right. The flow was good, and the trap did not clog up, but when I put my finger in to test the fluid feeling, it really did not feel very fluid and could not get my finger to go down far, and felt very compact just a couple mm down. I ran is steep and mean like a machine and gentle more flat and seemed to be the same. So gonna do some more testing/learning soon.

 

[KevinInColorado]

Thanks Kevin Yeah was the first time I have ever run any sorta sluice, so I was being more cautious than I needed to be, but also wanted to learn more as I become more familiar with the zooka !! The material was a good 30 feet away too, and for some reason, I just have this horrible feeling the fluidization was not there and not right. The flow was good, and the trap did not clog up, but when I put my finger in to test the fluid feeling, it really did not feel very fluid and could not get my finger to go down far, and felt very compact just a couple mm down. I ran is steep and mean like a machine and gentle more flat and seemed to be the same. So gonna do some more testing/learning soon.

Sounds good, experiment and learn. The bazookas are pretty flexible

 

[JCgold]

So after last times trip, the material I was putting through the zooka was mostly larger gravel, giving me issues with the fluidisation, and so decided to put a finer mesh over the grizzlies this time. All I could find, after a lot of searching for metal mesh was the plastic garden mesh you can get. I put it on, and it did not work very well due to it being plastic. Too many small roots would get stuck and felt I was loosing material over the top. So I took it off and the little sniper started to perform wonders for me, and the material I was running this time was much better. There was more black sand and finer sand particles, which really helped me out and the fluid bed starting working like a charm. Man this little snipe can eat dirt for sure, but that was also due to the fact that I have now learnt to setup the sniper really well.

So after about 2 buckets I managed to get so good yellow, all very very very fine. 25 pieces in total after about 3 hours.


I am having problems getting the material, as it is very rocky. Larger pebbles all over the place with the good stuff being very sparse. Think I need a better spade with a point to it so that I can dig faster, I did classify the material. Anyway It was a blast and for this river this is a great find for the time put in.

 

[KevinInColorado]

Rather than putting a finer mesh on the grizzly....next time you are in that situation, add more slope to the bazooka setup. That will increase pressure in the tubes a bit and keep your fluidization where it needs to be.

 

[Prospector70]

Also, you are probably feeling fluidization and not realizing it.
Run it for a while, just before cleanout finger the box (Not too rough, don't blow out gold lol)
then pick it up out of the water and set it somewhere safe.
Finger the box again, I bet you will notice the difference.

You need those pebbles and small rocks in the trap to Increase the trap PSI.
Kevin is dead on with the tip and flow. find a golf ball sized stone to test your setup. If it doesn't go up and over the grizzlies add more water by building your wing dam higher, or add more angle (Drop) to your sluice. Or a mixture of both, which it usually is. Also keep in mind these babies work completely underwater too..

When you have the flow and the angle set up correctly there will be virtually nothing getting hung up on the grizzlies. Furthermore, it is my experience that every now and then when there is a stone that sits on the grizzlies, the next shovel full of dirt and stones generally knocks it up and over like a pool ball lol.

Are you classifying too? Stop that! <3 heheh

 

[KevinInColorado]

Also, you are probably feeling fluidization and not realizing it.
Run it for a while, just before cleanout finger the box (Not too rough, don't blow out gold lol)
then pick it up out of the water and set it somewhere safe.
Finger the box again, I bet you will notice the difference.

You need those pebbles and small rocks in the trap to Increase the trap PSI.
Kevin is dead on with the tip and flow. find a golf ball sized stone to test your setup. If it doesn't go up and over the grizzlies add more water by building your wing dam higher, or add more angle (Drop) to your sluice. Or a mixture of both, which it usually is. Also keep in mind these babies work completely underwater too..

When you have the flow and the angle set up correctly there will be virtually nothing getting hung up on the grizzlies. Furthermore, it is my experience that every now and then when there is a stone that sits on the grizzlies, the next shovel full of dirt and stones generally knocks it up and over like a pool ball lol.

Are you classifying too? Stop that! <3 heheh

Great advice P70....

 

[Elfy]

Just went out for the first time with my 36inch sniper. I classified at first but then just shoveled right onto it. That was a lot more fun and easier on the back. I tried setting up a couple canopy stakes to hold it in place but it is a lot easier to just use rocks. Is it normal to see little bits churning out the back? I hope so because I saw them. I used a 4 mesh screen on the grizzlies but it kept holding things up. I doubt I will use it next time.

 

[KevinInColorado]

Yes it's normal to see the light sands and even some lower density black sands churning out the back. Sound like you're on the right track

 

[Prospector70]

Yeah I wasn't a fan of the 4 mesh either, just more water and tilt and you'll hardly ever touch the grizzlies!
PS, nice pic, you can actually see the ejecta coming out of the fluid bed if you look close enough. sweet!

 

[Duckwalk]

Wait so the grizzlies are interchangeable?? I know nothing of BGTs

 

[TheGoldProspector]

Not interchangeable, the grizzlies however are now being offered in different sizes upon purchase from BGT in Placerville (contingent on certain models only at the moment)

 

[vaquero44]

I'm going with a 36" sniper this time! hopefully it will increase my water velocity a little to kick up those rocks!

 

[TheGoldProspector]

I'm going with a 36" sniper this time! hopefully it will increase my water velocity a little to kick up those rocks!

Move some awesome dirt

 

[KevinInColorado]

I'm going with a 36" sniper this time! hopefully it will increase my water velocity a little to kick up those rocks!

Add a little more tilt to your setup too, don't be scared!

 

[vaquero44]

will do that thanks Kevin!

 

[JCgold]

Hey Folks

So I have been very busy with bazooka, and have a great time. Although it has really been tough going, and we don't get nuggets around my side of the world, I have been able to find some really cool stuff. I am still struggling to trust the bazooka without mesh over the grizzlies and without the mesh it seems to not be fluid in the trap, so still experimenting. My spot just seems to have really heavy smaller stones/rocks which seem to clog the trap up a lot. Anyway take a look at my finds

 

[TheGoldProspector]

Congrats on the Au! Keep up the heavy diggins

 

[KevinInColorado]

Hey Folks

So I have been very busy with bazooka, and have a great time. Although it has really been tough going, and we don't get nuggets around my side of the world, I have been able to find some really cool stuff. I am still struggling to trust the bazooka without mesh over the grizzlies and without the mesh it seems to not be fluid in the trap, so still experimenting. My spot just seems to have really heavy smaller stones/rocks which seem to clog the trap up a lot. Anyway take a look at my finds
View attachment 1102692 View attachment 1102693 View attachment 1102694 View attachment 1102695

If your trap is actually clogging (you can tell because the paydirt backs up onto the area directly under the grizzly and doesn't clear quickly) then run it steeper.

What makes you say it's clogging? Very unlikely your rocks are more dense than mine... lol!