I was recently asked about a metal detector that’s right for a beginner.
I firmly believe the Garrett Ace 250 is one of the best metal detectors I have ever used and here’s why:
I was treasure hunting with Lrlman recently in the good ol’ southland of Louisiana. We were on the hunt for civil war relics and any other metal detecting finds that we might stumble upon. We specifically wanted to find Louisiana State Seal Belt Buckles. Not the round ones, the rectangular belt buckles. Just one of those bad boys is worth $5000 minimum if sold to the right collector. Why the Louisiana belt buckle? Supposedly, it’s one of the rarest types of civil war belt buckles.
I was using my Ace 250 and walking up and down rows of cut and burnt sugarcane making sure to sweep the detector to cover as much ground as possible. It wasn’t 5 minutes before I hit something.
“Bong”
Bong? That’s usually not a very good sound. The lower and wider the note, the more worthless the target usually is. I whipped out my garden shovel and started digging. My first metal detecting find of the day: a large iron nut. It must have fallen off a sugarcane tractor. I was a bit disappointed, but we forged on.
After re-adjusting the metal detector and eliminating iron, I started anew. In an hour, I found some Civil War relics: confederate bullets and a pont-max medal! Unfortunately, we had to leave early because it had been raining and the ground was too wet to continue.
We went back a few days later and hunted again. It was drier, so we could drive further in. I found a plantation token and about 15,000 aluminum beer cans. Well, not 15,000 but it sure felt like it! It was still too wet to drive by an old fort, but I was invited to go back again to search along the banks of a bayou to find some old encampment sites.
If there’s something in the ground, the Ace 250 will find it. The rest is patience and a little luck.
Here’s the pictures of my metal detecting finds after I dug them up and cleaned them off:
Confederate Bullets
You can see two different confederate bullets and another lead bullet that has been flattened after hitting its mark.
Pont-Max Medal (Front/Back)
Pont-Max is short for Pontifex Maximus and is a religious medal.
Plantation Token 5 Piece (Head/Tail)
Plantation tokens were used to pay slaves so the slaves could only buy from that plantation’s store. This ensured the slaves wouldn’t buy anything from rival plantations. Tokens were also used during the Great Depression as an alternate source of currency. This token says “ALF. BOUDREUX”, “AMBERDOWN” and has a “5″ stamped on the back. There’s other writing, but I can’t make it out.
As you can see, the Garrett Ace 250 Metal Detector has more than proven itself to be not only versatile, but also easy enough to use for beginners and professionals alike! It’s definitely worth what I paid for and if I can find more rare Civil War relics, it will pay for itself in no time!
If you have any info on these metal detecting finds, please comment and let me know! Any help is appreciated. Good Hunting!

[...] Check out our field test of the Garret Ace 250 Metal Detector. It’s a great, all-around metal detector and another option to helping you [...]
Learn how we found Civil War Relics with our Garret Ace 250 Metal Detector! http://bit.ly/ace250
how heavy is this metal detector? it looks like it could be pretty lightweight, but I want to make sure since it seems like i should definitely carry some other equipment with me.
It’s about 4.5 pounds, so it is indeed pretty lightweight! It will get heavy after a long period of constant use, but that’s true of any device that you’re holding with an outstretched arm. Thanks for visiting!
[...] Finds video review is up! We decided to make this when we were out with the Garret Ace 250 on our Civil War Relics hunt and thought, “Hey, the Garret Ace 250 has served us so well and it would be great if we [...]