What are the odds the SE gets it right?

[chopper]

If the SE says there's silver in the ground 100 times, how many times will you pull out silver? Could the SE tell the difference between an iron nail and a civil war bullet? I'm on a location with history, relics, and LOTS of old iron crap and need a machine that can pick through it. I'll dig up every sound eventually.... unless some machine can tell me that it's absolutely trash. Those of you that own other machines, what are their odds of getting it right?

 

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[Sandman]

The odds on "getting it right" are about the same for any detector you use. Due to targets orientation to the coil and other variables the screen only can give an idea of what it could be. Silver being the conductive metal it is will show higher than rusty iron, but a large iron object could read the same. Nails and civil war bullets are also two different metals but nails are not as conductive as lead bullets which would read higher than a nail. Depends on where you are detecting too. The woods may have bullets and few nails. The screen is there as a guide for you is all. It isn't a cure all the same as a Honda stuck in the snow. Gas milage don't mean crap if the wheels don't get traction.

I thought I knew what I wanted to say..................

 

[chopper]

Sandman- thanks for the response. I've only been detecting for a short while. For the past week I've been detecting in the day and reading about it at night, so in short I know very little. Maybe you'll be kind enough to make some suggestions if I give you more info. I live in an old civil war town, 9-10 acres have been unaccessible for the past 100 years and a few acres had businesses of various kinds until the 40's or 50's. I have found several types of CW bullets, a button, ax, etc.(see post on relic hunting section of this forum) I'm using a BH 505 and maybe I should just keep using it until I get some skills. I'm just tired of hearing the exact same sound for nails and bullets and I know there are coins here but every time my signal indicates silver I pull up junk. Would someone with lots of experience be able to use my machine to effectively find silver? What machine would you use for a place like mine? What would you suggest for the guy as green as I? I read that some machines will give numerical readings for each specific target and some have implied that after checking various data they dig what they thought they'd dig 9 out of 10 times-is this an exaggeration? The soil is mostly sandy with some clay, some of is nice dark topsoil, it all drains well...let me know if there are any other factors needed for consideration. I will be working my butt off to save for the high end detector and it will probably take me 6-12 months before I make the purchase... I really what to buy the best machine for my situation.

 

[Ridley]

I use my DFX to find shallow targets 1-5 inches deep. The DFX gets tripped up pretty bad with deeper iron. It reads it as silver. From 1-5 inches it's very accurate and almost always gets it right.
I use the Minelab EXPII for deeper targets. The Minelab sings very high tones on deep silver and copper. The Minelab machine is very heavy though. It's not as easy to swing as the DFX.

Both machines get fooled by aluminum cans (or large pieces of aluminum).

If you're looking for coins in deep sandy soil, I'd suggest the Minelab. If you're looking for shallower relics or coins in clay, I'd suggest the DFX.

It's funny how people will try to say one machine is better than the other. It's been my experience that both machines are better at different things.

Hope that helps.


Ridley

 

[gregd573]

When we were at JD's hunt in Otterville, MO. I found a few lead bullets from civil war era (as did everybody else, I think) but they rang in on my explorerII as pennys, almost the same ferrous and conduct readings. Go figure.......can't tell you why, they just did. HH all..........gregd573

 

[mastereagle22]

Well to stir the pot, when I want a quick hunt for clad I use my Deleon. When I am serious about hunting and finding good deep stuff it is the EX II all the way. The sucker is heavy though.

 

[Iron Patch]

If the SE says there's silver in the ground 100 times, how many times will you pull out silver? Could the SE tell the difference between an iron nail and a civil war bullet? I'm on a location with history, relics, and LOTS of old iron crap and need a machine that can pick through it. I'll dig up every sound eventually.... unless some machine can tell me that it's absolutely trash. Those of you that own other machines, what are their odds of getting it right?

I think the age and type of site & settings does make a difference. What I can tell you from my experience is a CW period bullet and silver coin are very different sounding. Nails are a little closer but usually they're only strong one way and have at least slight indication of null the other. Large iron can ring pretty solid in each direct and for that the difference is it changes tone as you "X" and the strongest point in the signal wants to move on you. Experience is the key of which I probably have more than most on here so i can relate well to starting out vs being around a while.

 

[mastereagle22]

Do you wear headphones all the time? Do you think that wearing them helps you find more good targets?

 

[Iron Patch]

Do you wear headphones all the time? Do you think that wearing them helps you find more good targets?

I do, and good ones too. You only have to pay for them one time so worth the money.