6" coil

watercolor

Silver Member
Feb 3, 2007
4,112
1,351
Arlington Heights, IL
Detector(s) used
V3i, MXT-All Pro and Equinox 800
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Last month when I bought my 800 I also pick up the 6" accessory coil. My first time using it, I recovered a sterling & turquoise ring at the base of a large tree that was infested with small pieces of aluminum and iron. I had been over this area before with the standard size coil and gave up because of target separation difficulties. I think it's a great asset because of its small size and ease in isolating a promising target.
 

digger27

Bronze Member
May 18, 2011
1,506
3,225
We call smaller coils like that snipers because they are so efficient at picking off great, small targets often surrounded by many other not so great targets.
The day the small 6" sniper coil was released for the Nox I ordered one, I didn't consider my 800 fully capable and complete until the day I received mine.
In extreme trash and iron sites it could be advantageous.
The Nox is actually and bizarrely capable when dealing with masking issues in sites like that when you use the bigger standard coil.
I found a tiny gold ring recently with the standard coil even though it was surrounded by trash on all sides so more than one target under the coil at the same time and it still zeroed in on that gold ring with a good, very short and yet solid signal despite all the jumping as I moved the coil around the small area.
I have never seen anything exactly like that using several other detectors.
Still, I mostly hunt unusually trash infested sites always looking for jewelry like around basketball courts and picnic areas because areas with the most trash are where the most people hung out.
Hunt any old home site and see what you are up against with sometimes massive iron and junk bits that could be an inch apart in some cases and snipers work well there also.
I mentioned iron...I am blessed with hunting sites that are loaded with that around here, even in private lawns, so more often than not if you see me hunting I will probably have a sniper mounted.
As a matter of fact I have snipers for all my detectors and they have done so well for me if for some reason I was forced to get rid of all sizes of coils for any of my detectors and could only keep one a small sniper would definitely be the one I would keep, no question.

There is a little less depth you can reach as coil sizes get smaller, that is just physics, but you can be shocked on how deep the smaller coil can get to on the Nox platform.
They also cover less ground per swing but if you are hunting areas with heavy vegetation, like farm fields or woods, small coils maneuver much better and can get the center of your coil over targets more efficiently and give you more information on and a chance at a better more solid and diggable report which may be the difference in whether you decide to dig a target or not.
Sites with heavy masking issues, though, is where small coils really shine and show their worth...they just make our experiences all a bit easier in situations like that.
As surprising and adept as the larger coils are mounted on the Nox if I am scanning a small area with a gold or silver ring or a stellar coin that happens to be sitting 1/2 inch away from an iron nail, pop top, tab, can slaw or piece of foil, in my heart of hearts I gotta believe the sniper will give me the best shot at getting the most solid signal that will trigger my digging instinct.
Over the years I had grown tired of digging tons of trash so I changed to what I call my "High Percentage" hunting method and cut out going after about 80% of the signals I aquire...I just dig mostly the super solid other 20% nowadays and my volume of great finds didn't slow down at all because of that.
Hard to believe, I know, but it's true.
As a matter of fact they grew in volume.
About 60% of that kind of success I have had doing it this way is because I try to learn my detector language and behavior better than just decently, otherwise this method wouldn't work nearly so well.
The other 40% is because I mostly use snipers, I am wholly convinced of that.
Can you tell I am a huge fan of snipers?
In all my time in this hobby I used only bigger coils for the first couple of years but after switching to a small sniper just for one hunt at one of my well scoured trashed out sites just as a lark what I found in that hunt that I missed previously shocked me to the core.
I changed my thinking about these things immediately after that, and as time went on those smaller coils have found me so much more treasure than bigger coils.
In my experience, anyway.
My sniper coils have all paid for themselves very quickly as soon as I mounted them, as a matter of fact my sniper coil finds have actually paid for 6 detectors and many different coils in the clad, and especially the gold and silver jewelry I have found over the years with them, so yea...I believe.
 

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Donut

Sr. Member
Jan 25, 2010
392
334
Coloma, Michigan
Detector(s) used
Xterra 70 6" 7.5khz concentric 9" 7.5Khz concentric, 5x10 18.75Khz DD, 10.5 18.75Khz DD.
Consider it as a stinger coil for trashy areas so you can separate the trash.
Just because it’s small it will still go deep but you have to be more precise over the target.
Doug
 

jmc24

Full Member
Feb 24, 2020
123
195
Colorado
Detector(s) used
Garrett Axiom, Minelab Equinox 800, Nokta Legend, XP Deus 2, FTP Tek Point, Garrott Carrot, Gold Hog River Sluices and Flow Pan, Royal Mini High Banker.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Since the 6" has a smaller "footprint" it will by default have less targets under the coil than the 11" or 15". It can work thick aluminum trash and iron trash areas better than the bigger coils just because of this. Like Doug said, it can go deep but that is not what it is for.

Another use, which is why I have one, is for gold prospecting in highly mineralized areas. The same concept applies except that the 6" coil just sees less ground and is not affected by the mineralization as much as the bigger coils. I think the 6" coil is better for tiny targets too like really small nuggets and for micro gold jewelry.

Some surf hunters prefer to use the 6" in ocean surf. It creates less drag.

In general, the 6" coil makes the Equinox a very well balanced detector too and the nose heaviness disappears compared to the 11" coil.
 

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timmysys

Jr. Member
Nov 4, 2008
82
31
Detector(s) used
Minelab Excalibur 1000, Whites Surf Dual Field, Minelab Equinox 800, XP Deus2
Digger, thanks for the previous post.

Thanks for the previous post. I am a little different from the subject, so I apologize.


Over and over again, I have to realize how useful small coils are. I would mention an example, I was extremely tired from the recent beach water hunt. It exhausted me both physically and mentally, and in the meantime I found almost only trash and worthless things.
The bottom of the freshwater lake bed is a mixture of sticky mud, stones, clay and sand, really disgusting. There are plenty of tiny iron grains and plenty of other tiny objects in the bed.
Tiny plate pieces, World War II shards, tiny lead fishing leads, rifle shot bullets, fishing gear, coins, foils, caps and all kinds of beach waste that people leave behind. A lot of people swim there in the summer and many hunters also go to that area.
After a long introduction, the point.

Fresh lost items can be found or ones that other hunters have not been able to find so far due to target masking. Therefore, micro jewelry and chains can be hunted in the area.
My brain was tired with the factory NOX coil, so many little tiny signs that I was less and less able to decide if it was worth digging or not. In many cases, there are multiple targets at a time under the scroll, so wherever I move, it’s hard to decide if I’m not sensing another object. Very frustrating. I also tried the small 6" coil , which made it less tiring to decide if it was worth digging or not. The difficulty is still digging less unnecessary garbage, leaving more time for valuables. It's not easy either.

Digger , thank you for adding another strength to try to hunt in this area again.

Going back to the topic: I was able to use the small scroll great so far in bushy, stony terrain, dense garbage parks, snorkeling in rocky sea. I’ve found a lot of nice things with the little coils so far. Much more than with large coils.
 

hound

Jr. Member
Sep 19, 2018
98
162
KY
Detector(s) used
XP Deus,
Equinox 800
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
People have covered most things, but I'll add that smaller coils and higher frequencies are great for tiny targets. The biggest example of this is the 6" coil in gold mode finding some very tiny nuggets.
 

OP
OP
sphillips

sphillips

Bronze Member
Jan 4, 2008
1,046
1,119
Western NC
Detector(s) used
Equinox 800
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Thx to all for the very helpful information. I have been hitting a park in my town that dates back to 1900, but have not found anything significant. There are several large old trees in the park that I know has to have some good items buried somewhere amongst the trash. Last weekend I found two coin spills but they consisted of modern pennies, oldest dated 1974. At least I found something. From the comments here, I think I will order the 6" coil and give it a try. It may even help me at the local beaches.

Thx again for the input. Steve
 

digger27

Bronze Member
May 18, 2011
1,506
3,225
Thx to all for the very helpful information. I have been hitting a park in my town that dates back to 1900, but have not found anything significant. There are several large old trees in the park that I know has to have some good items buried somewhere amongst the trash. Last weekend I found two coin spills but they consisted of modern pennies, oldest dated 1974. At least I found something. From the comments here, I think I will order the 6" coil and give it a try. It may even help me at the local beaches.

Thx again for the input. Steve

If you go golfing you will see nobody with a bag that just has only a few clubs...everyone has a decent selection.
Each has a purpose, you might not use every one on every hole but when you need a specific type for a specific task you need it.
Same with coils, I have so many they are coming out my ears and I do have favorites I use more than others but do I regret having others that don't get used much, not at all.
They all do get used eventually depending on the site conditions and targets I am going after, lord knows none of us hunt in the same sites with the same exact conditions going after targets at the same depth 100% of the time.
Nobody I know does, anyway.
Our mantra should be like the scouts...Be Prepared.
My thinking has always been, "Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it".

That one special coil that helps you find even that single great stellar or bucket lister treasure will always be worth having in the arsenal in the end.
 

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digger27

Bronze Member
May 18, 2011
1,506
3,225
Digger, thanks for the previous post.

Thanks for the previous post. I am a little different from the subject, so I apologize.


Over and over again, I have to realize how useful small coils are. I would mention an example, I was extremely tired from the recent beach water hunt. It exhausted me both physically and mentally, and in the meantime I found almost only trash and worthless things.
The bottom of the freshwater lake bed is a mixture of sticky mud, stones, clay and sand, really disgusting. There are plenty of tiny iron grains and plenty of other tiny objects in the bed.
Tiny plate pieces, World War II shards, tiny lead fishing leads, rifle shot bullets, fishing gear, coins, foils, caps and all kinds of beach waste that people leave behind. A lot of people swim there in the summer and many hunters also go to that area.
After a long introduction, the point.

Fresh lost items can be found or ones that other hunters have not been able to find so far due to target masking. Therefore, micro jewelry and chains can be hunted in the area.
My brain was tired with the factory NOX coil, so many little tiny signs that I was less and less able to decide if it was worth digging or not. In many cases, there are multiple targets at a time under the scroll, so wherever I move, it’s hard to decide if I’m not sensing another object. Very frustrating. I also tried the small 6" coil , which made it less tiring to decide if it was worth digging or not. The difficulty is still digging less unnecessary garbage, leaving more time for valuables. It's not easy either.

Digger , thank you for adding another strength to try to hunt in this area again.

Going back to the topic: I was able to use the small scroll great so far in bushy, stony terrain, dense garbage parks, snorkeling in rocky sea. I’ve found a lot of nice things with the little coils so far. Much more than with large coils.

You're welcome, anytime.
Just all common sense to me having 10 years experience using several detectors and lots of different coils hunting in four different states in all kinds of different sites with wildly variable soil, trash and iron conditions.
My favorites are snipers but I do have a nice selection of both DD's and concentrics in sizes from small to standard to large and I am lucky to have them.
They all get used, eventually...all have found me great treasure.
 

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RustyGold

Gold Member
Aug 16, 2013
9,372
10,901
Southern California
Detector(s) used
XP Deus I & II
Xterra Pro
Primary Interest:
Other
Add my vote for the 6” coil. Like others have mentioned, they’re great in tight trashy areas. Good luck with the new coil!
 

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