Metal detector for food use.

[VSS]

Is anyone using a small hand-held metal detector to check venison for bullet fragments? And if so, what makes and models are recommended?
I've had two instances recently of bits of metal ending up on the dinner plate, and would like to avoid it happening again if possible. Up until now I've just relied on a very careful visual inspection, and rigorous trimming of any shot damaged areas, but it's maybe time to improve on that.

(Incidentally, one was from a deer head shot with lead ammo. The neck was used for a stew, and contained a bullet fragment. The other was from a chest shot deer with copper ammo. Fragments of metal were widely distributed through the carcass).

 

[John Gryphon]

I read of an Aussie bloke that bought a $40 unit the length of half a bike pump. He bought from ebay and noted that "thats all its good for too" IE finding metal in shot animals.
Could be worth a shot...pun intended lol.
Its been a few years since I read of his report but this seems similar.

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[VSS]

I read of an Aussie bloke that bought a $40 unit the length of half a bike pump. He bought from ebay and noted that "thats all its good for too" IE finding metal in shot animals.
Could be worth a shot...pun intended lol.
Its been a few years since I read of his report but this seems similar.

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I had a look at some like that, but not sure if they detect non-ferrous metals? A lot are designed for needle detection (ferrous only). There are also handheld detectors used for security frisking, but reviews don't seem to be very good on those.

 

[Rake Aboot]

Have a look at a Garrett pinpointer

Known in the hobby as the Garrett carrot.

 

[nun_hunter]

I've used security oriented ones in the past that will pick up small pieces of aluminium foil, I had a quick look and they're about £120. One side is a large area for scanning and then the other side has a 40mm circle for more precise locating.

I've seen a few metal detecting scuba videos and they use similar ones to John's post above and pick out quite small items of jewellery of more precious metals.

 

[willie_gunn]

Have a look at a Garrett pinpointer

Known in the hobby as the Garrett carrot.

@VSS, I have one of these.

I've tried it on both deer and game, and it's worked okay, though you do have to keep in mind that it will be of limited use if you do all your butchery on stainless steel prep tables!

If you want to try it out before buying one, to see if it works for you, drop me a PM.

 

[fallow me]

I use a Minelab pin pointer, will find anything made from non ferreous to ferrous metals within a carcass, obviously its best to use when you hang a carcass,

 

[Cottis]

I metal detect.

Most metal detectors are VLF machines (very low frequency machines) with Pulse Induction machines being used on more mineralised land (like beaches and gold areas where the ground can appear "too busy" to VLF machines)

The small handheld pinpointers/probes we use to accurately pinpoint the target once found (so we don't stick a spade through it) can also be Pulse Induction or VLF.

VLF machines can discriminate between ferrous and non ferrous metals but the probes themselves are more basic. Pulse Induction will not tell you what is iron or non iron but they are more sensitive and give advanced/greater detection range due to the circuits the use to detect metal. Given that you do not care what metal is in the meat and that you just want to know if there is any metal there or not, a PI machine would likely be better for your needs as it would be more sensitive. This would be particularly useful to find very small pieces of metal buried in a large piece of meat.

I use a VLF machine and to give you an example, my actual detector which is advanced and super spendy, can still only detect a small silver hammered coin at about 7 inches in perfect conditions if it is lay flat with the full flan facing up. A cut quarter or even smaller piece of metal will be detectable at much less distance. It will however allow me to ignore a rusty nail sat below or near a piece of gold or silver and means I dig much less trash.

Conversely, on the beach in horrible conditions with salt water and all sorts of false signals, my PI machine can pick up a small gold earring at over a foot.

You want a PI probe if you can find a reliable one. I personally use a Garrett Pinpointer (Carrot) and they are good but they are VLF and whilst it would find metal in a piece of meat, I do know it could potentially miss tiny piece of metal at a certain depth.

What sort of size metal and how far from the surface of the meat are we talking. I will get mine out and do some tests on fragments of air rifle pellets for you which would maybe help give you an idea how useful it would be?

 

[Sol]

My father is pretty big into metal detecting I've used a pinpointed over some pheasant breasts a few times with decent success, I dont metal detect myself but I've witnessed my father pinpoint lead In a good 4-5 inch deep soil with them.
I would imagine them being effective on meat? however I wonder if there's maybe something out there actually legitimately designed for meat?

*I think its the garret he uses I imagine, he likes having really nice modern kit.

I have some oven ready birds in the freezer I could take a nosey too I'm sure one is bound to have a pellet trapped under the skin.

 

[Sol]

I have some oven ready birds in the freezer I could take a nosey too I'm sure one is bound to have a pellet trapped under the skin.

I gave it a quick test just there and found even with an entire expanded lead head I struggled to get a reading through anything sizable I was able to get rather consistent readings at under 3cms though for lead I feel like it would be more sensible to used on cooked cut meats? rather than raw whole chunks.

I imagine it would work rather well for checking shot areas though and seeing if non-blood shot pieces are okay for trim pile?

I'm unsure how much frozen meat effects it it may play slightly into it.

 

[jb1]

i tried using one for shot remnants in Pheasant and Ducks before making sausages and it would not pick up the small shot, more likely due to the detector, i ended up feeling for shot.

 

[VSS]

I wonder if there's maybe something out there actually legitimately designed for meat?

Yes there is, but they mostly seem to be big industrial scale units that are built into automated food processing lines.

 

[Cottis]

Don't bother with the orange Garrett carrot Tim. I cut a .177 air rifle pellet in to quarters and folded up a sock a few times and put one piece of the pellet underneath. It could not detect it unless I put a very particular part of the probe (not the end) on the sock and pressed down to reduce the distance away from the pellet fragment. In practice on meat you could easily miss a small piece of metal some 2-3inches in to a piece of meat.

You would need a more senstive PI probe and I don't have one or any actual experience of using one so I cannot offer further info I am afraid. Sorry.

 

[tozzybum]

Yes there is, but they mostly seem to be big industrial scale units that are built into automated food processing lines.

Yes at work our plastic recycling machines have them ,made by Garrett .
They pick small pieces very well but are far too much expense for the man in the street.

 

[VSS]

Don't bother with the orange Garrett carrot Tim. I cut a .177 air rifle pellet in to quarters and folded up a sock a few times and put one piece of the pellet underneath. It could not detect it unless I put a very particular part of the probe (not the end) on the sock and pressed down to reduce the distance away from the pellet fragment. In practice on meat you could easily miss a small piece of metal some 2-3inches in to a piece of meat.

You would need a more senstive PI probe and I don't have one or any actual experience of using one so I cannot offer further info I am afraid. Sorry.

Thanks for that!

 

[CookM]

Have a look at a Garrett pinpointer

Known in the hobby as the Garrett carrot.

Good for all metals,l have found everything from 22rf cases, to silver sixpence to lead buckshot with mine out detecting.

 

[JockStalk]

Another option might be to use bullets that mushroom rather than fragment? I use Hasler for exactly this reason.

 

[VSS]

Another option might be to use bullets that mushroom rather than fragment? I use Hasler for exactly this reason.

Mostly they do. Certainly all the bullets I use for chest shots are designed to mushroom, but even so bits sometimes break off and can disperse quite widely.