Military Camp

Metal detector help. Who does it?

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  • FireInTheWire

    Caprock Crusader
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    Favorite time of the year is just right around the corner.... love me some fall. The family and I spend lots of time walking the property that time of the year. My youngest boy recently found 2 arrow heads. I've been here for 11years and never found anything and this dude has found 2 in the past month. Lol

    Then the wife told me a story yesterday about how the land neighbor found an old cowboy rifle that pre-dated Winchester and valued at $20,000. He found it in the crack of the caprock in a buffalo sheath and was in mint condition. Very cool!

    This got me thinking maybe it would be worth a little metal detecting while roaming around the property. I know this part of the caprock had a fair amount of cowboy and Indian activity. Just thought.... hey you never know.


    Did a little reading on them last night. Looks like I can get crazy at $1,200 to $200. I don't need any water/weather proof. Just want something that sees pretty deep... silver, gold, guns or anything metal. Is $500 a good middle of the road for a beginner?

    What say you, TGT community??
    Guns International
     

    skfullgun

    Dances With Snakes
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    Oct 14, 2017
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    In the woods...
    I’ve had the same thought, but I know very little about them.
    I live on property that was once the largest community in Angelina County, larger than Lufkin, until the local sawmill burned down in the 1930s. It is now a certified Ghost town. So, I’m sure there are a lot of artifacts. In fact I’ve got one abandoned building from that era still standing on the property. I’ll be interested in keeping watch on this thread to see what you learn.
     

    FireInTheWire

    Caprock Crusader
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    I’ve had the same thought, but I know very little about them.
    I live on property that was once the largest community in Angelina County, larger than Lufkin, until the local sawmill burned down in the 1930s. It is now a certified Ghost town. So, I’m sure there are a lot of artifacts. In fact I’ve got one abandoned building from that era still standing on the property. I’ll be interested in keeping watch on this thread to see what you learn.
    Cool we'll learn together....
     

    striker55

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    Jan 6, 2021
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    Katy
    Living in Katy the only thing I found in a lot was old beer can flip tops. I use it to find dropped nails and screws in the grass. Found a lost earring for my wife in the backyard.
     

    ZX9RCAM

    Over the Rainbow bridge...
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    The Woodlands, Tx.
    Then the wife told me a story yesterday about how the land neighbor found an old cowboy rifle that pre-dated Winchester and valued at $20,000. He found it in the crack of the caprock in a buffalo sheath and was in mint condition. Very cool!
    Seems strange to me that a gun outside, exposed to the elements for over 150 years, could be in mint condition.

    I'm guessing it's possible though.
    Maybe the sheath protected it.
     

    V-Tach

    Watching While the Sheep Graze
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    Texas
    Mine has been useful for finding property stakes and stuff like that...never found anything of value.....

    Land Ranger Pro by Bounty Hunter....mid priced...it works...

    Not allowed on the State beaches and private property is a no go without permission and the few times I've ever asked, the property owners said no......
     

    crystalphoto

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    Bethune, South Carolina
    I do metal detecting, though haven't had the chance much in the last year or so. All the detectors today that I am aware of have waterproof coils. Just the control boxes and connections aren't. Don't buy the cheapest, as ground penetration will suffer, and there is really no point going to the very high dollar machines, until you decide this is something you are going to pursue... some folks are just not cut out to walk the fields hour after hour, squatting and digging pulling out a pop top, then covering your hole (Always cover your holes, leave no trace of your passage, and take the trash, ie pop tops and cigarette wrappers with you). You will find more crap that good stuff. You won't get rich, though in your state there is a world of history to discover... I have an older Fisher (made in Texas) and a Garrett (also built in US as I recall). Even in some areas of dry in Texas, finding a "mint condition" Winchester is doubtful, though not out of the realm of possibilities. There is also a metal detector forum that is not controlled by Libs, and if you want the address, just drop me a PM... Research, and do not go over your budget, and figure in a handheld pointer (a good one). Let me know if I can help, though I haven't kept up on the latest technology, maybe I can point in the right direction... You will not believe there were that many can pop tops in this world!
     

    RoadRunner

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    Jan 30, 2018
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    Here
    A few years back I was really into metal detecting and I found some pretty good stuff. But I put in a lot of time doing it. There were many times that I went detecting and didn't find anything of value. If you can't be happy by just being outside getting some exercise don't waste the money on a detector.

    I bought 2 different detectors. The first was a cheapy Garrett and I 'outgrew' it pretty quick. My second machine was a Minelab xterra 705. The Minelab cost $729 when I bought it, the price now has come down to $500. It is a machine that is easy enough for a beginner and also has features that a more experienced user can take advantage of. If I were buying a new machine now I would probably buy a Minelab Equinox 600, they cost $649.

    If you buy a machine you can usually save some money by telling the dealer that you are shopping around for the best price and asking them for a quote.
     

    Vaquero

    Moving stuff to the gas prices thread.....
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    11   0   0
    Apr 4, 2011
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    Dixie Land
    Favorite time of the year is just right around the corner.... love me some fall. The family and I spend lots of time walking the property that time of the year. My youngest boy recently found 2 arrow heads. I've been here for 11years and never found anything and this dude has found 2 in the past month. Lol

    Then the wife told me a story yesterday about how the land neighbor found an old cowboy rifle that pre-dated Winchester and valued at $20,000. He found it in the crack of the caprock in a buffalo sheath and was in mint condition. Very cool!

    This got me thinking maybe it would be worth a little metal detecting while roaming around the property. I know this part of the caprock had a fair amount of cowboy and Indian activity. Just thought.... hey you never know.


    Did a little reading on them last night. Looks like I can get crazy at $1,200 to $200. I don't need any water/weather proof. Just want something that sees pretty deep... silver, gold, guns or anything metal. Is $500 a good middle of the road for a beginner?

    What say you, TGT community??
    Ask Brent.
     

    Sam7sf

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    Apr 13, 2018
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    Texas
    Favorite time of the year is just right around the corner.... love me some fall. The family and I spend lots of time walking the property that time of the year. My youngest boy recently found 2 arrow heads. I've been here for 11years and never found anything and this dude has found 2 in the past month. Lol

    Then the wife told me a story yesterday about how the land neighbor found an old cowboy rifle that pre-dated Winchester and valued at $20,000. He found it in the crack of the caprock in a buffalo sheath and was in mint condition. Very cool!

    This got me thinking maybe it would be worth a little metal detecting while roaming around the property. I know this part of the caprock had a fair amount of cowboy and Indian activity. Just thought.... hey you never know.


    Did a little reading on them last night. Looks like I can get crazy at $1,200 to $200. I don't need any water/weather proof. Just want something that sees pretty deep... silver, gold, guns or anything metal. Is $500 a good middle of the road for a beginner?

    What say you, TGT community??
    If you can get one get a whites.
     

    gll

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    Jan 22, 2016
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    I'm really not much help either...

    I bought a Fisher 1265x in 1990; cost me about $400. It was released in about 1986. It had a reputation for going deep on precious metals... It searches totally by sound (no screen), but has dual discrimination and a pinpoint, triggered by a finger switch.

    Do a little searching and you'll find it is still in demand. A few years ago, I managed to burn mine up trying to convert it to use Li-ion instead of the 8xAA it was made for. Fisher said it was the only discontinued detector they still repaired; repairs cost about $100...

    I bought it to search Civil War battlefield areas outside national parks, but that took too much time out of that vacation... Metal detecting really does eat up time!

    The 1265x is really is good for picking up coins (if they are there, it finds them) but I've never had enough opportunity to search really good areas.

    Today, I mostly use it for picking up brass out of the grass where I shoot and for finding metal things I've dropped.

    Video shows a guy searching coins buried at various depths...



    Screenshot_20220810-180438_Hancom Office Editor.jpg




    They sometimes show up on ebay...
     
    Last edited:

    Wudidiz

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    Jul 8, 2022
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    Tomball
    I have a White Goldmaster. My sons and I did alot of old home sites and military camps in Texas. This photo is some of the stuff we found. Mostly just junk but we learned how to locate old coins (under where clotheslines were strung, under large old tree where people would sit under, outhouse sites, under porches, old church lawns, etc.

    3063376B-27C6-440A-94CE-0CBED1997994.jpeg
     

    popper

    TGT Addict
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    Apr 23, 2013
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    Used to design them for Garret. Get amid grade 3-400$, Garret, Fisher, White. About all the same. Large coil to locate honey pot, then smaller or pinpoint for locating small stuff. Expect to dig a lot. Used most of them but never really got into the sport.
     
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    Reactions: gll

    gll

    TGT Addict
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    0   0   0
    Jan 22, 2016
    4,812
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    I'm really not much help either...

    I bought a Fisher 1265x in 1990; cost me about $400. It was released in about 1986. It had a reputation for going deep on precious metals... It searches totally by sound (no screen), but has dual discrimination and a pinpoint, triggered by a finger switch.

    Do a little searching and you'll find it is still in demand. A few years ago, I managed to burn mine up trying to convert it to use Li-ion instead of the 8xAA it was made for. Fisher said it was the only discontinued detector they still repaired; repairs cost about $100...

    I bought it to search Civil War battlefield areas outside national parks, but that took too much time out of that vacation... Metal detecting really does eat up time!

    The 1265x is really is good for picking up coins (if they are there, it finds them) but I've never had enough opportunity to search really good areas.

    Today, I mostly use it for picking up brass out of the grass where I shoot and for finding metal things I've dropped.

    Video shows a guy searching coins buried at various depths...



    View attachment 338021



    They sometimes show up on ebay...

    Check out Fisher 1265x metal detector with wand on eBay! Local pickup, Sugar Land.
     
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