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Bounty Hunter has a variety of metal detectors for hobbyists of all skill levels.
What is appreciated is that they manufacture quality metal detectors for kids without it being a kid’s toy that equates to junk.
What do you need to know about the BHJS Junior?
What real performance does it provide?
To determine if this is the metal detector that will get your kid excited about detecting and will produce real results, let’s go over the specs to ensure it’s money well spent.
At a Glance…
✔️ Best Feature: For kids
❌ Worst Feature: Need upgrade
👌 Ideal For: Coins, Jewelry, Relics, Kids
Our Verdict: The BHJS Junior metal detector is a great buy for a child that is new to metal detecting. It’s made with the right specs to cater to small and young users while also providing real performance to find objects. As an inexpensive buy with a manufacturer warranty, there’s no excuse to pass up on this deal.

Who is the Bounty Hunter BHJS Junior Best Suited to?
It’s obvious that this is a metal detector designed for young users. The Bounty Hunter Junior metal detector is a budget, starter model for a young child aged between 6 to 10 years old.
It’s priced so affordably that a parent or grandparent wanting to gift the youngin’ can do so without reservation. It functions just like an adult’s version, but it’s designed with ease-of-use and simplicity in mind that a child can turn it on and get hunting.
Because it does have real features, it will require a learning curve, so be prepared to teach the child how to use sensitivity, discrimination, and how to interpret signal strength and audio. The child will need help in learning how to appropriately dig plugs and leave the ground in the best condition possible.
How Does the Bounty Hunter BHJS Junior Perform?
It’s a real metal detector that is scaled down with an analog interface to make it easy for a child to interpret the information provided by the metal detector.
For a kid’s version, it has decent features such as adjustable sensitivity, discrimination, and can be used to pinpoint a target.
It’s a VLF 6.6 kHz frequency metal detector, so it functions just the same as a cheap metal detector made for an adult. It can detect coins up to 5” in the ground and can detect larger targets at depths of 16-18”.
For a kid, this is substantial performance that provides real detecting results just like mom or dad’s metal detector.
Built into a lightweight and ergonomic platform, the BHJS is a worthwhile buy for the young hobbyist who wants to tag along on your hunts.
Features & Benefits
For Kids
The BHJS Junior metal detector is made for young kids. The analog display is easy to interpret and the shaft is adjustable and extends to a full length of 45.5” for those small hobbyists. It’s incredibly lightweight weighing in at less than 1.5 lbs approximately.
The control box face does not incorporate buttons and instead offers two, easy-to-use knobs that you can teach your youngin’ to use.
Analog Display
Analog displays are indicative of budget metal detectors. Instead of digital technology, you have a needle that moves in proportion to a target’s signal strength and location.
On this model, the needle will move into the green zone when it is directly over a target. It won’t always be in the green zone if conductivity is low and the target is deep or very small. There are many factors that will affect the Junior’s ability to detect an object, but part of the fun is digging everything up.
2 Search Modes & 1 Tone
The two search modes consist of all-metal mode and then the ability to discriminate out certain metals. This is done with the knob on the right of the control box face.
Without discrimination, you can also use the Junior metal detector to pinpoint. This will take practice and you will need to teach your child how to use the “X” technique on a target area to home in on the target’s location.
The Bounty Hunter kid’s metal detector has only one audio tone. This makes it easy for the child as they don’t have to discern between what different tones mean. Again, part of the fun is digging it all.
However, the audio will only be as loud as the signal strength. This is a key point that you can teach your child how different metals can sound as it comes through the speaker. Example, very loud tones can mean a very strong signal which could lead to a large object close to the surface or coins with high conductivity.
Adjustable Sensitivity
With no ground balance as a way to quiet signals from minerals in the soil, you will have a hard time correcting for false signals.
One way to adjust for this is to turn down sensitivity, and this can be done with the Junior metal detector. The left knob on the interface is the power knob as well as the sensitivity knob. Turn it to “click” to power the detector on. Turning it to its most right position means sensitivity is at maximum. This is the setting where you will reach the best performance for detecting targets.
However, certain ground conditions will require you to turn down sensitivity. Turn the knob counterclockwise to reduce sensitivity so that you can still hear target signals while quieting the noise from interference such as ground minerals and electrical interference.
This won’t always work, and the alternative is to move to quieter ground.
Discrimination
The ability to discriminate allows your little hobbyist to be more specific about the types of targets they find. The right knob on the interface allows for discrimination.
From the 8 o’clock to 2 o’clock position, there will be no discrimination and all target metals are detected. This is your all-metal mode.
From the 2 o’clock to 4 o’clock position, you will eliminate iron targets. From 4 o’clock to 5 o’clock positions, you will eliminate targets such as nickels and pull tabs. From 5 o’clock to 8 o’clock, you will eliminate zinc targets leaving silver targets as the metal that is desired. This is as far as discrimination will allow. You cannot eliminate silver.
Warranty
For a kid’s metal detector, it’s nice that it comes with a 1-year manufacturer warranty. It’s also proof that it isn’t a kid’s toy and is in fact a real metal detector for young users. Any defects and functional issues will be addressed by First Texas Products.
The warranty requires that you keep your original receipt as proof of purchase and it only applies to the original owner.
Limitations
Need Upgrade
For as basic as this model is, your child will need to upgrade after a couple of years as they will yearn for a digital display with more audio tones and the ability to fine-tune discrimination.
This may happen around the age of 9 to 10 years old, and by then, they should be ready for a longer shaft with a control box that offers more features.
Popular Questions
What Batteries does the Bounty Hunter Junior Take?
The Junior metal detector from Bounty Hunter requires 2x 9V batteries to operate. It’s important to note that you must use alkaline batteries with it. No rechargeable or zinc carbon batteries should be used with the Junior detector.
You must purchase batteries separately as it does not come with the metal detector in the box.
Is the BHJS Junior Metal Detector Waterproof?
The Junior metal detector is not waterproof. The searchcoil is weather-resistant, but do not submerge it. It is not suitable for detecting in shallow water. Exposure to water will damage the detector and void the warranty. Keep it on dry land or at home when weather threatens damage to the Junior metal detector.
Does the Bounty Hunter Kid’s Metal Detector Come with Headphones?
The Junior model does not come with headphones because there is no headphone jack on the control box. However, there is an external speaker, so the beeps are loud and clear and can be heard when it has detected an object.
However, there is no adjustable volume on the Junior as the volume increases as the searchcoil gets nearer to the object.
Will the Bounty Hunter BHJS Find Small Nails, Staples, and Metal Markers?
Many adults are wondering if the kid’s metal detector can find small metal items in the driveway or around the house. The BHJS Junior metal detector can detect it if it’s metal, and especially so if these items are not buried too deep.
Conclusion
We must admit to ourselves that we really don’t want to spend a lot of money on a metal detector that a young child is going to use. You’re not sure if they’re interested in the hobby, but it might be something that can keep them busy and entertained for camping trips, visits to the park, or even while digging in dry sand at the beach.
The Junior metal detector has the basics in an affordable package that is designed for kids. It’s easy to use, lightweight, and detects metal. After all, that’s what a metal detector should do, right? Well, it’s what a real metal detector does, and the Junior is a real model in kid size.
Further Reading:
- Fisher CZ-21 Metal Detector Review (10.5 inch Coil)
- Aquascan Aquapulse AQ1B Metal Detector Review
- Minelab GPZ 7000 Metal Detector Review
- Minelab SDC 2300 Metal Detector Review
- Minelab Excalibur II Metal Detector Review