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Lookinf for Opinions

TomH

New member
Folks,

I have been using a Minelab Safari for the last 5 months and am considering an upgrade to either the Explorer SE Pro or the E-Trac. I am a relic hunter, living adjacent to Gettysburg and hunting mostly in PA and MD, with occasional trips to VA. I run into just about every soil condition, from soft loamy brown gold to rust-red "powdered Iron" (Culpeper, VA, Emmitsburg, MD, parts of G'Burg, etc.). Most of the places that I get permission to hunt are considered "hunted out", with just about every machine imaginable having passed through since the advent of the Metrotech and the surplus WWII mine sweepers, so targets are generally more than 8 inches deep or deeper.

The Safari has been excellent at finding the deeper targets, especially bullets (my area of specialization, my collection can be viewed at http://www.baymediapro.com/collection). Do you folks feeel that the extra computing power in the Explorer and E-Trac would make them better machines for my type of hunting? I am getting familiar with the Safari's orchestra of tones and am really starting to like that machine a bunch, but I generally dig with people that use the latest and greatest developments from Whites and Fisher and am always looking for that slight advantage.

Any and all opinions are welcome and appreciated,
Tom Henrique
 
Tom, thanks for posting your link. This will be a valuable resource. As I've detected mostly colonial sites, most of my lead is in the form of musket balls, but I did find this oddity at an indian encampmewnt near the delaware which might interest you. There were no coppers or other non-indian artifacts there, only arrowheads and this. It is next to a 57 mm for scale. It is obviously crudely made, and seems to show riflling. It is the thick white patina of long buried lead.

<img src="http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj255/johnirwin_2008/bullet.jpg" border="0" alt="bullet">
 
johnnyl,

Can you show the bottom of those bullets?

Thanks,
TomH
 
TomH said:
Folks,
but I generally dig with people that use the latest and greatest developments from Whites and Fisher and am always looking for that slight advantage.

Any and all opinions are welcome and appreciated,
Tom Henrique

Well According to Andy's Book on the Explorer and E-trac the Minelab team testing the E-trac found a cannonball with clear, repeatable signals at 18 inches. Page 137. but Most people seem to lean towards the SE as a relic machine.. But I would say go for it.. Minelabs are know for there depth and the New E-trac and SE pro are IMO the best machines around for that Job..
 
Johnnyl,

Can you check your measurements please. 54 millimeters is 2.14 inches so I am pretty sure that is not accurate for a diameter :shrug:

The one on the left looks like one of the multitudes of 3 groove minie balls that have been recorded. They ran from .54 to .70+ cal and given the photos, that one looks like the conventional .58 cal bullet used throughout the war. The other, taller bullet looks like a 45/70 sharps, post civil war, but popular in indian battles.

Tom Henrique
 
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