Jim McCulloch

True Simon, but with gold at over 2500 NZ$ per ounce I'm sure that it won't be long before you pay it off. "How do you pay off a $1500 detector? One $10.00 nugget at a time." HH Jim

The problem with having Fred as a hunting buddy is that YOU might become HIS lunch. Sixty-plus years ago in Southern California there was a place called the Alligator Farm. They had hundreds of alligators, crocodiles, and caymans. At feeding time often Little Jimmy would pedal his Stingray there to watch whole chickens being gobbled down. During the feeding frenzy sometimes smaller gators got eaten, too. Even today my worst nightmares are about "gittin' et by a croc." You Ozblokes who detect near croc-infested waterways must be muy macho hombres. HH Jim

Simon, sorry to hear of your dilemma. But, when you get the six inch coil you will absolutely love it. Probably 98% my White's Electronics 24K customers bought both coils at the time of purchase. Probably 98% of them exclusively use the 6 in. It is really awesome in cramped, rocky areas. If you have an online subscription to Western and Eastern Treasures magazine, check out the October 2018 issue for my field test report. You can see some of the really tiny nuggets the 24k is capable of finding. HH Jim

Klunker, your story reminds me of an excerpt from a letter penned by a Fortyniner named John Paul Dart, written on Dec. 26th 1850 from Chinese Camp. "The miners generally are amusing themselves killing deer and grizzleys. One miner got hold of an old grizzly the other day, and vice versa. The bear tore him up pretty bad, and left him..." Oh, the stories some of the stuff we find could tell...

Tony, thanks to the XGB system the 24k handles mineralization far better than any other VLF operating at a similar frequency, including it's predecessor, the GMT. On my 24k I use the 6" concentric most of the time, and it has no problem operating in Mojave Desert black sand washes. What is really astonishing is that the 24k works flawlessly even with the huge 14x8 coil. Check out the video "White's GMX and 24k: ALL 4 coils tested" on Rob Johnson's "Spud Diggers" YouTube channel, where we do an in-ground comparison. To see how the 24k fared in Idaho, see Rob's "Metal detecting a gold mine - gold, bottles an relics found." HH Jim

Simon, as you know the 24k fitted with the 6" concentric is my favorite "go-to" gold getter. But, now that there will be a wider range of coils for it, we look forward to your detailed and insightful reviews. HH Jim

These are the last Goldmaster 24k and GMT coils I have left in stock. They are brand new, have never been mounted on a shaft. Each comes with a new coil cover. All prices include insured shipping to the lower 48 states. Goldmaster 24k 14x8 (2 available) $235.00 each. Sierra Gold Max 14x8 (blue label/white plastic thus concentric) for GMT and earlier models (one available) $175.00. GMT 10x6 DD (one available) $125.00. Call or text me at (760) 401-7514. HH Jim McCulloch dba Jim's Metal Detectors.

"Can you make a LIVING nuggetshooting in the Western US these days?" First off, how much income would constitute a "living?. I know a few guys who are debt-free, with no dependants, don't have health insurance, live out of their uninsured dilapidated car in the goldfields, and subsist on beans, rice, and canned tuna. For such folks a half gram of gold per day might constitute a "living." In one of my TV ads for White's Electronics I state "... some days are $20.00 days, some days are $1000.00 days..." Yet I have yet to make a "real" living nuggetshooting. Just sayin.

Another exciting episode of "Mitchel's Mojave Midnight Madness." Thanks for sharing.

So, Klunker, were you a saloon keeper during the California Gold Rush? 😊

Certain terms or phrases relating to gold mining have become commonly used idioms today. For instance, "How much can you raise in a pinch", dates to the California Gold Rush, and refers to the practice of using pinchs of gold dust drawn from a pouch to pay for something. Obviously, the larger the thumb and forefinger of the one doing the pinching, the more gold removed. Likewise when an endeavor is successful, it is said to have "panned out," and if very successful, "you struck the mother lode". When an endeavor was not successful, it was just a "flash in the pan." And remember, "all that Glitters Is Not Gold."

If you TRULY want to be a AU GETTER, and not merely a "nuggetshooting wannabe", get training from a qualified trainer, as well as from the better nuggetshooting "how to" books and YouTube videos. There are NO shortcuts to success in the goldfields.

Walt, to be honest about it, for nuggetshooting with VLF machines, in terms of depth for all size nuggets, and senstivity on sub-grain nuggets, there has not been significant improvement since the MXT and Goldmaster V-Sat. Where modern machines show improvement is in terms of features and ease of operation. For example, a properly tuned Equinox 800 can detect 0.25 grainers, but so can an MXT. At pretty much the same depth. Both the Goldmaster V-Sat and Gold Monster 1000 can sense 0.01 grainers. But, again, newer features make tuning, and operation easier/better. As for choosing between 2 800's or one 800 and one 1000, for your needs mentioned above, I would opt for 2 800's. Hope this helps. HH Jim

The ultimate loser in this scenario is the customer. When I interviewed Bud Guthrie for the "Treasure" Magazine article "$75,000 Rock Found," he condemned buying a detector from mailorder rather than a local dealer. "You might save $50.00, but if you lose a $1,000.00 nugget, it wasn't worth it." He felt that paying extra to the local dealer who included training and where-to-go information with the detector sale was money well spent. Consider rhe case of a potential customer whom I offered a package deal consisting of detector, full range of quality accessories, training, and where to go info. "I can beat that price on the internet!" he wailed. I then made it clear that the internet price did not include accessories, training, info, and goodwill. He scoffed, asserting that he would be successful without any of that. So he bought from the internet dealer. Sometime later i encountered him. He had spent 4 months detecting at two of Southern California's most productive areas, and hadn't found a single nugget. But he did save a little money...

I am closing out the last of my gold Master GMT and 24K coils and coil covers. All of these are absolutely brand new, never mounted on a rod. Each coil comes with a brand new coil cover. All prices are postpaid. GMT Sierra Gold Max $120. Two are available. GMT 10 x 6 standard Double D coil $120. One available . 24K 14 x 8 coil, $200. Two are available. Individual coil covers 10 x 6 oval GMT $11. The Flat 6 in round coil for the 24K and GMX $11. The 6 by 4 shooter oval coil $10. I have several of each of the ladder coils you can contact me at 760 401-7514.