Anyone use metal detectors as a hobby.

[ClayW]

Does anyone use/have a good metal detector. Im looking at getting in to hunting for stuff with metal detectors. I live in GA near a lot of Civil war battle sites and plan on seeing what I can find. I have been looking at all the brands, trying to determine which is the best brand and best detector for the money. From what I have read, it appears that the Whites brand is the best. I have my eye on a Whites XLT model. Sells for about $899 new. I can get a good used one for half that or less. Any input would be appreciated.

ClayW

[Billy Golightly]

I use to mess around a lot with that stuff. HAven't done much of anything recently though. For a dectector, I've got an el cheapo $100 radio shack model. It works, but it could work better. I've found some pretty neat stuff. Old coins, mens gold wedding band off of the dock at a local swimming hole when the lake had dried up, Old axe heads out of logging camps, piece of a wood burning stove, ect. Cool stuff. I'm also into old bottles and stuf also.

[ClayW]

Cool. Yeah my wifes grandparents are from Odessa TX. Out there they have a huge meteor crater. People hunt for meteor rocks in and around the crater. Her grandpa had a detector and found a load of them. The meteor was some type of metal ore. VERY heavy. Like gold. He actually found one that weighed close to 200 lbs once. He sold it to some lab in New Mexico and was payed a couple Grand for it. My grandpa found all kind of musket balls and cannon balls down in Louisiana on a civil war battle field. Im excited about it. Its going to be my Christmas present. We go down to various beachs yearly in FL. I think that would be a blast. No telling what you may find on the beach.

Speaking of finding stuff buried. On a local construction site here in Atlanta they found a 1956 Buick under 32 feet of fill dirt. A old hotel was recently demolished there and all kind of stuff has been found beneath it. On a 40 story high rise we built 2 years ago we ran into something interesting. 40 feet down they dug thru the Burn line from the north burning Atlanta in the Civil War.

[Mobular]

I have an upper end Bounty Hunter detector. It's my first detector. One thing that I have learned since buying it is that if you are new to the hobby, start with an entry level model. There are far fewer things to try and master, while trying to get a handle on the whole concept. Trust me! I used to think that all of those bells and whistles would make it go a whole lot easier, but in reality, it just complicates the whole works. They are not simply turn on and go machines. Something like a Garret Ace, White's Classic 4, or a Fisher 1225-X would work quite well. That way, if you end up not liking the hobby, you will not have wasted a lot of money. One more thing. Most Civil War sites are Federally protected. Do your homework and ALWAYS gain permission before you dig. Rogue hunters spoil potential sites and cast a bad light on other hunters. Check out this magazine: http://www.treasurenet.com/westeast/ . It's available most everywhere.
Good discount sales can be found here. http://www.kellycodetectors.com/allbyprice/29-299-allpurpose.htm
Have fun and happy hunting!

[mymint87]

I carry one in my Toy Box for the dunes....never know when you drop something and lose it in the sand ....

or a sand storm whips up and tie-downs or such get burried

basically I have it around just in case I lose something

[jeswinehart]

I do alot of scuba diving and use fishers 1280x. I have had this detector for about 12 years and it has paid for its self at least 20 times over. I get sevral calls a summer from reference from the 2 area dive shops about leads on folks who have lost what ever. I am very selective on the jobs I take on cuz I don't want to just take somebodys money knowing they ain't got a stinking clue as to where they was in the water when they lost what ever.
I charge alot for my service and have a 75 - 80% success rate.
Anyways ,,, knowing you are on the water alot now Clay ,,, those sandbars are AWESOME places to hunt.
The fishers 1280x is a outstnding machine imo - land or water (I don't do land ) and simple, rugged as can be. No meters or fancy stuff ,,, just a very good disciminate detecter that once you have your ear tuned to what you want to find will give you much pleasure.
Here are some pics of some of the goods I have found. The turn of the century reels are my prized items.
I gotta admit if I find a ring that I can trace back to the owner (done that about 10 times) I don't charge for returning something I find while out for my own pleasure underwater metal detecting.
I'd hafta say buy the best detector that you feel is right for you so you ain't buying it later.
Also ,,, try the mail order house places like C+C detectors out of Janeseville , Wis. ( where 454X is from )

john

[ClayW]

Cool John. I thought you did a little of that. Yeah I want to get a good detector. I dont want to have to buy one then sell it and then buy another. If I get one, I want to get a good one that I will be happy with for a extended period of time. I realize that they can be a little more complicated, but that doesnt scare me. I didnt realize that Civil War battle fields were protected, but there are so many places around here that civil war troops marched thru. It shouldnt be hard to find stuff.

[Rm250RF900R]

I was also thinking about a metal detector. I have a dump on my property that used to be a bar. It burnt down in the 1920-1940s I think. There are so many old bottles up there. I'm going to clean all these bottles and make them looks real nice. I also found some old Coke bottles that I cleaned up. Those could be worth a few dollars. I'm going to take our tractor with the front end loader and I'm going to start to dig the place up. I'm wondering if theres a old cash register buried 4 feet below this stuff. Could of gold coins because the place is old. Maybe I'll put this stuff on ebay someday.

[ATC crazy]

I would definately go with a White's. I did some research on metal detectors a few years ago, because I was hell-bent on getting one and seeing what I could find (Im also around a whole bunch of Civil-War battlefields and such). The Appomattox Court House is only about an hour or so away from me. For some reason I suddenly lost interest in it.

Oh yea....because I got my first trike just after that... :D

[AZ250R]

Cool John. I thought you did a little of that. Yeah I want to get a good detector. I dont want to have to buy one then sell it and then buy another. .
Definately take your own advice there, I bought a $25 Harbor Freight one and can't to this day make it work right. I can make it so it puts outa tone constantly until I go over metal, then it stops!?!? Kinda bassackwards IMO! :mad:

[jeswinehart]

I have always wondered if any good stuff got thrown down old wells
( besides being poluted with animal or human carcus for anti-support warfare) during the civil war ???.

john

[Billy Golightly]

Not uncommon for coins to be hiddin in tabacco tins, jars, and similar things from what I'm told.