Jim McCulloch

The primary ore of lead is galena, which can readily be found with a metal detector. I have found galena nuggets weighing up to 12 pounds. But, lead "trash" is manmade, i.e. bullets and birdshot.

Anthony, they were near one of my favorite places, Angel's Camp, founded in July 1848 by Henry Angel.

For a comparison of White's original 4 coils for the Goldmaster 24k and GMX, see the Spud Diggers video entitled "White's GMX and 24k - ALL 4 coils tested" on YouTube. INMHO somebody needs to release a 10" round concentric. Just sayin'. HH Jim

December gold from Montana... Sweet! Well done.

Bill, PM me your email address and I will email you photos of my "Gold Nugget Areas in Southern California" pamphlet as well as my "Goldmaster 24k Controls and Recommended Adjustments" cheat sheet. HH Jim

For a review of the original coil offerings from White's Electronics for the 24k, check out Rob Johnson's "Spud Digger" YouTube channel video entitled "White's GMX and 24k - ALL 4 coils tested." I still have one 14x8 left in stock. See Classifieds. HH Jim

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

"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...

Steven, Aureous perfectly nailed it. Personally, since most of my nuggetshooting here in the Mojave revolves around hunting small rocky ravines, where large coils cannot be used, as well as "crumb hunting" drywash piles, the 6" CC is my favorite coil on my 24k. Hope this helps. HH Jim

Gerry, glad to learn that Pieter is alive and still chasing gold. Seeing him brought back fond memories of the old "Treasure" magazine gang, Pieter, Ken Doe, Jim Williams, George Mrzkowski, Jimmy Sierra, Woody Woodworth...

Steven, aside from what you have already listed, I suggest the following: good hand shears, small stiff-bristled paint brush, small crevicing tools, quality headphones, a second searchcoil and cover, a jewelers loupe or magnifying glasses, several plastic Ziploc sandwich bags, good quality tweezers, a 24-inch section of vinyl flex hose 1/2 inch diameter. I would choose a good 10 pocket belt pouch over a backpack. And, last but not least, a copy of "Advanced Nuggetshooting with the Goldmaster 24k." 😊 HH Jim

CA, AZ, NV, ID.

Steven, you reside in Washington, and use a Goldmaster 24k. I would recommend 7b, 10a, and 14a. HH Jim

Follow the Drywashers for a Magnificent Quest, especially if you are Three Hours to Gold in Southern California. Nice pics Keith. HH Jim