Quick hunt with new Pistol Probe

[Terra1959]

Gday from downunder,

I hope all you northern friends are all healthy, warm & happy...we are cold and damp down here at the moment.
For the last few months I have been hunting a lot using just a screwdriver, a hook and a pair of long nosed pliers to retrieve shallow coins.
I have now got it pretty well worked out and wanted a pinpointer to go deeper than my Garrett (even when using the slide the penny down the shaft trick) as I have been missing out on quite a few deeper targets - so I bit the bullet and got a Pistol Probe.
( thanks Rich of Colonial M. D...one week from USA to my doorstep in Aus. is great service)

This screwdriver method relies on precise accuracy to place the screwdriver tip onto a buried coin.
Today I had a very productive ($75.10, silver ring, lead toy, New Zealand $1) 3 hour hunt in a nicely manicured park and tested them out side by side.
I still love the Garrett, but I now use the Pistol Probe for targets that are too deep for the Garrett.
Both are super accurate.
I found the Pistol Probe very light, easy to tune and use.
I did place some flouro safety tape onto it so it looks less like a weapon.
I must of looked like a gunslinger from your wild west with a pinpointer on both sides of my waist this morning. lol
I'll be keeping both for hunting modern shallow coins - where a plug cannot be cut the Pistol Probe is a ripper.
The Pistol Probe will pay for itself in no time.
Happy tectin.

Terra59

 

[Beale]

Very nice hunt! Sounds like you have a good technique worked out, Beale.

 

[Steve in Idaho]

I have used the pistol probe since it came out and I sure like it. It has great depth, better that some other models that I have used.

 

[David]

Good finds. I truely love my Pistol Probe and would never be without it. It is deep and accurate. Very deep pinpointing tip accuracy on top of the ground and side scanning on dirt piles.

Looks like you have your Pistol Probe case on backwards.

"For the last few months I have been hunting a lot using just a screwdriver, a hook and a pair of long nosed pliers to retrieve shallow coins.
I have now got it pretty well worked out and wanted a pinpointer to go deeper than my Garrett (even when using the slide the penny down the shaft trick) as I have been missing out on quite a few deeper targets - so I bit the bullet and got a Pistol Probe.
( thanks Rich of Colonial M. D...one week from USA to my doorstep in Aus. is great service)

This screwdriver method relies on precise accuracy to place the screwdriver tip onto a buried coin.
Today I had a very productive ($75.10, silver ring, lead toy, New Zealand $1) 3 hour hunt in a nicely manicured park and tested them out side by side."

There was something mentioned a little while ago about a Heat Shrink(rubber-plastic) coating for a screwdriver tip(and pliers) so it would not scratch coins. A person should also round off the sharp edges with a grinder before hand.
Coin poping My first try
http://www.findmall.com/read.php?55,1167669

Terra59, what is a hook? What is slide the penny down the shaft trick? I do not own a Garrett ProPointer, besides being smaller, does the Garrett have any advantages over the Pistol Probe? Thank you.

 

[Terra1959]

Hi David,

Backwards. oh- thanks , ha ha I wasnt sure, sure is a snug fit...wish the pouch was a little longer.

With a Garrett Propointer - to get a little more depth out of it -you get a metal object eg. a penny and slide it down the barrell of the pinpointer until the probe starts to sounds off.
Then you pull it backwards the other way towards the butt... just until it stops beeping...and hold the coin there at that spot .
You then can scan with it, holding the coin at that spot and it will get an extra inch but the signal is more broken.
( I dont use a coin I use my screwdriver blade.)

You can also detune it by holding it near to a metal object when starting it up...the Garrett will be less sensitive if you do that...handy for a coin next to a big metal object like a manhole cover.

The Garrett has a light when its on which I use a lot as I often hunt at pre-dawn and dawn.
It also beeps faster as you get closer to the object which i have gotten used to and like that feature.
The size is perfect and it is very robust...I have used mine in the rain and dropped it from standing height onto concrete a couple of times.
The Pistol probe has much better depth and that is why I got one.

I use a hook only for the deeper coins.
My hook is just a thin, old metal tent peg with the hook part shortened and the tip rounded a little - attached to an old file handle so I can grip it.
I use it when a deep coin is stubborn and wont flip upwards or over when using my screwdriver to prise it .
I slide the hook alongside and under the coin and pull the coin over onto its edge, then reach down with the long nosed pliers and grasp it.
It very hard to grasp a coin with pliers when its lying flat, especially if its 3-4" down.

Heat shrink is optional and works well. I use the screwdriver method to hunt for recently dropped $1 & $2 coins so am not too concerned about scratching the coins.
Since I have been doing it I have only found one old corroded, bubbly1800's half penny 1" down all the rest are modern coins and a few rings.
Most old coins are deeper down here 6" + , and cutting a plug is mostly needed to reach them.
Hope this helps.

Terra59

 

[GunnarMN]

Kick ax man, I would like to get one someday , i would take it under the bleachers as isand clean house thanks for sharing

 

[Mick in Dubbo]

Sorry Terra. I couldn't let that one pass.
Good luck with the Pistol Probe! I've got it's predecessor the Pocket Uniprobe, and you can't beat them for depth. I mostly only take the Pro-Pointer out these days though, simply for it's shear convenience. You'll not miss any of those goldies with the Pistol Probe. Generally; if it's out of range of that, then it's usually out of screw driver range! If the ground is really trashy, the pro pointer will be the way to go though as the Pistol Probe will sound off on the garbage as well.
$75 for a single hunt ain't too shabby either! Sure wish I lived in the big smoke so that I could do more of those sort of hunts.
Mick Evans.

 

[Terra1959]

Actually David, a picture tells a thousand words...

The screwdriver is 11 and a half inches long...the blade is 8" long.
As you can see by no heatshrink, I am not too worried about scratching coins.
A fellow with many many years expreience in my club does use heat shrink though.
I have scratched far more coins using my Lesche tool and plug cutting tool than any screwdriver.
Hope this helps.

T59

 

[David]

Thanks T59, for the explainations of the penny sliding down the barrel(?), the hook tool(bent tent peg in a file handle), and for the photo of your tools!

A person can detune the Pistol Probe also for less depth on purpose. It also has the LED light only option.

Real good set-up for manicured lawns. You could make the (8" long) screwdriver blade 'wider' on the tip by heating it up red hot and hitting it on an anvil then rounding off sharp edges with a grinder. Why? To give more surface area to successfully probe a coin with. Electrician Heat Shrinking on the blade(and pliers) is optional to prevent coin scratching.

Also thanks Mick. Yes the Pistol Probe is the king for the best depth but that bulky handle(can be inconvenient) is the only drawback. I guess maybe that is why the 2 x 9v batteries in the handle provide more power for that extra depth.

 

[david123]

Just picked up a Detector Probe, looking forward to using it!!

David

 

[mrwobbly69]

Thanks Terra 1959 orderd mine today.

 

[David]

Yes the Detector Pro Pistol Probe is the deepest probe(so deep it pinpoints most targets on top of the ground with the tip and a nickle at about 5" in the air), the best, I have one, I love it, I can 'side scan' dirt piles with the probes barrel as it is hot about 3/4 the way up(not just on the tip) which is a great advantage(then finish up with the tip), and it works great using it with VLF detectors. BUT 'the disadvantages' are the handle is a bit bulky(rightfully so with the 2 x 9 volt batteries) and it interferes badly with my GP-3000 Pulse Induction(PI) detector. The Garrett Pro-Pointer is said not to interfere with metal detectors so I may get one to use with my PI.

 

[david123]

Hey Terra, what sort of depth do you get with your Pistol probe?! mines struggling for 3 inches!!

 

[bumshot]

I had the pistol probe. I didn't like it. To big and bulky, have to use two batteries, only got three inches at the best, had to adjust sensitivity,wasn't loud enough. I returned it and got the Garrett pro pointer. I love the pro pointer. It is handy, tough, batteries last forever. Getting over two inches on coin size. Just push the button, nothing to adjust.

 

[Terra1959]

Hi,

Measured depth ? - sorry, I havent done it.
Guessed depth ...4 to 5 inches in damp soil.
I do know that when the Garrett propointer cannot pick up the coin at all ( 2" ) that is when i get the PistolProbe out
and it hasn't failed me too often picking up the target from the surface.
I hunt mostly old predecimal, jewellery and $1 & $2 coins...mostly discriminating out smaller denominations
so the targets have a fairly good strong metal signal
..as i said I got it for that purpose only and it is a winner in my book.
It sits in my shoulder bag till I need it.
My 1st choice is the one that I learnt on ...the Garrett propointer - it water resistant, so ruggedly built and easy to use
If the Garrett had the PistolProbes depth - it would be perfect
happy swinging with whatever you use

Terra59

 

[Terra1959]

david123

Is it tuned in to maximum ?
...turn selector to "full time power", turn bottom dial all the way to the right (it will beep), then slowly back to left the left till it only just stops beeping, turn selector back to "Hi"
If you still only 3" I would telephone Detectorpro
Good luck
I agree sound could be louder. fiddling with "frequency" dial till I get a louder sound that "in tune with my ears" is what I do.

Treasurehunter63 has a good utube comparison showing 3 pinpointers including the Whites, Garrett and the Detectorpro...I put a link to his video below
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK4ujXzGQmM

T59

 

[david123]

Thanks Terra!

I noticed the green light was flashing! so replaced the batteries and now she has some more zap! been very happy with ever since!!.... what sort of life are you getting out of your batteries?

 

[Terra1959]

David,

Good...glad to hear you got it sorted
still on my 1st set.
I use quality alkalines
Happy zappin

T59

 

[Obie1]

I was just wondering if some of you "coin poppers" would be willing to make a video of this process. I am interested and reading how to do this just doesn't give me a good picture. Like most of you who do this, it would be a useful technique for some of the areas I hunt at.

Thanks,

Obie

 

[Terra1959]

Hi Obie,

There are some coin popping videos around on the web but I would get kicked out of where I hunted if I prised up chunks of turf like some of them.
This method only works as well as your tools and skills but in time in soft or moist soil 4-5" is possible
Most coins I dig this way are in the top 2" - 3"

I dont have a video camera but can guide u through what I do.
- pinpoint as close as possible
- jab screwdriver vertically into the ground until u feel the coin and you hear a "tink"
....rings & coins on edge can be challenging and various angles of jabbing are needed to make contact
The "tink" of a coin will become recognisable to u with practrise and u can often tell if its a bottle screw cap by the dull thud or a rock by the grating sound.

- keep jabbing as you move the screwdriver along to find where the edge of the coin is...when u do the screwdriver tip will drop lower down past the coin
.( ie ..you want to find just where the coin edge is so u can grab the coin on its edge )
- Optional : unless the coin is very shallow I like to get the screwdriver tip just under the coin edge and gently prise the coin so it slants upwards a little.
- leaving the screwdriver tip where it is...wriggle the top handle of the screwdriver up and down to make a little slot in the grass surface
- put your long nosed pliers into the slot and push to coin depth and gently feel around until you contact the coin
- grasp the coin and pull it out through the little coin slot - happy days my friend u have your treasure
- close the slot with your fingers and no one can see where u have been.

For stubborn , deep coins I insert the hook into the slot and get the hook part under the coin edge and then pull to turn the coin so it sits almost vertically (making it easier to grasp )
Practise and patience is key to learn but when mastered is a very fast way to retreive for shallow coins
Wishing you many happy extractions (ha, ha...coins that is )

T59