Last Weeks Finds and Questions

[Mag99004]

I think I've finally turned the corner on my X2, I kind of hit a plateau after about 50 hours and the deep iffy signal just weren't clicking for me like I thought they should. After making a few adjustments and having a friend clear up some bad advice I had been using(didn't know any better) I'm finally totally sold on the machine. For about the first 150 hours of actually detecting I was still doing better with my XL Pro 6000 than the X2(and in less time).

The wife and I went down to Nev. to do some nugget shooting(still my main hobby), but I brought along my X2 and hit an old train depot from the 19th century along the way.

Still being relatively new to coinshooting I'm wonder what some of these things are and how to clean others. I found a rusted button and I can make out some lettering. Can these be cleaned up? I'm not experienced enough to know if the rust and garbarge attached is actually part of the button that has deteriorated or if its just stuff that naturally attaches over time. Any suggestions on cleaning the button? Would electrolosys(sp?) work?

I also found what I think is an unspent bullet as well. I thought it was just the bullet with no casing at first but you can make out what looks to be a rim, if so its a short bullet. Any advice on what it is and how to clean it? Something tells me electricity and a potentially live round might not mix well.

I also found some small round lead balls and an abandoned tent city from the late 19th century. My first thought was musket balls but I'm assuming those were not used too frequently past the 1870's. I'm no ballistics expert, its just an thought. So I'm wondering what it is.

Thanks ahead of time. We did alright on the gold as well.

 

[SEMPERFI61]

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[VT Dave]

n/t

 

[Anonymous]

I will post again later when I have time on how to clean the button. Sorry, busy day.

Jeff

 

[Mike from MI "Iron Brigade"]

Congrats on the gold, and for getting used to the X2. You will be glad you did! As for the button, electrolosis will work, but if it is too delicate it might just deteriorate. More than likely the button is a tin back and they look like that often. That looks like a bullet with a lot of junk hanging on to it, but ??? Don't use electrolosis. Just pick at it with a tooth pick. The small round ball might be a musket ball, but the others are modern. Muskets were used after the 1870's too. Remember not everyone could afford a new rifle!

 

[rentasquid]

Thats pretty cool! I tried to use my Xterra-50 to do some nugget hunting in eastern Oregon, but I didnt find anything but shootin' lead. Nice job Mag!!!!

J.

 

[Jim West Pa]

comaring them to yer live round, i would guess .410 maybe. Yer live round appears to be .25 auto . Real hard to really be sure on any o' these without knowin the sizes.
Diggin panin sluicin and such....my kind o' day

 

[Mag99004]

Thanks!

We did have a great time. I think the best part was making the finds with my wife. She likes to come down with me but usually sits back at the truck and reads a book, catches some sun, etc. She never been real interested in detecting herself(despite my efforts). She actually came out with me nuggetshooting and I think those were the funnest nuggets I've ever found. We were having a great time just the two of us. The trip was definitely a blessing, with or without the finds.

I didn't find the nuggets with my X2, I run a Minelab GP Extreme. It runs better than most GP 3000's I've ran. I should have clarified. I tried testing the X2 out there on some of the nugs I found and it would pick them up but not deep at all. Ground is just real hot out there.

I never thought I'd get into coinshooting, figured I'd stick with nuggetshooting. But its really been getting me hooked, you just never know what you'll dig up. I also found this button a few days earlier back in UT. Any ideas on what it is? Wording says, "Archid Avst Dux Burc Co Tyr 1780x". I typed it into google and all I came up with is some austrian coin with the same wording. No buttons though, wondering if it was off a military uniform or is just off a regular sportscoat or something.

God Bless.

 

[rentasquid]

about finding them with an X-2. I have a Bandito II umax, which is very similar to the X-2, and I have to scrub a piece of cut lead, the size of the nuggets you found, right against the coil to get it to sound off. Regardless, they are nice finds!!! How deep were the nuggets?

J.

 

[Mag99004]

The X2 does have some trouble picking up the gold. If your running it wide open though it will dig bullet just fine. I've found .22 bullets really deep. It really has more to do with the ground than the gold. Gold and highly mineralized areas go hand in hand, particularly when your dealing with residual placers in the desert. So the ground is usually very hot and noisy. The X2 just wasn't made for detecting nuggets. I bet if you bury that lead in a sand box you'll find it sounds off much better and much deeper.

The type of gold specimen has a lot to do with how it sounds off as well.
You can hit a real solid dense smashed piece(think dredging nugget) at twice the depth that you can hit a crystalized piece that is real rough, airy(think pumice).

I know the Xterra 70 has got very good reviews from people I know that both coin/nugget shoot on its ability to hit gold. I haven't personally been able to do much testing with it so I can't verify that myself but I've heard its very good with nuggetshooting relative to other coinshooters. The Gold Bug 2 is a single frequency VLF machine just like most coin shooters and its a GREAT gold machine in the right spot with the right coil. But because you manually balance it you can run it in hot ground. Granted you may have to balance it every few feet but its a great machine.

 

[MI$$OURI BETTY]

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