shooter coil or 5.3 for mx5

[petew]

Coin hunter and rings.wondering which gets better depth and seperation?looking to buy one,just got a 10x12,and need a smaller coil.maybe even a 6x8?mostly trashy parkland and curbs

 

[airscapes]

I have had the 4x6 for a while now and it is just to small and shallow. Yes, great separation but the target better be only 3-4 inches deep. Have one for the CM GT (on the 6th one in a year) and one came with my used DFX. If I had the option, I would trade the one for the DFX for a 5.3 in and instant.

 

[leslie]

8x6 Sef, IMO the best small coil for the Whites high freq models

 

[Mega]

Must admit my vote would also go for the SEF8x6 its a very nice all round coil,good depth for its size,great seperation and also good pinpointing as well,ticks all the boxes for me anyway.

 

[Phillip_in_NM]

I'm a huge fan of the 4x6. 90% of my best finds with the M6 have been with that coil. Fantastic separation, very light, closed design so it's not constantly hanging up on every surface irregularity, pinpoints like a laser..

Found nuggets with it, dimes down to about 7 or 8 inches, 27 gold items in the last 4 years.

I can't say enough good about it.

Phenomenal coil.

 

[MattBullSummerville]

I like smaller coils also, have used the 4x6 Shooter for some time now on my MX5 and found a 1.6 gram 10k ring good 5 inches deep. I personally don't see much difference in depth from the stock coil, maybe an inch or two. Either the Shooter or the 6 inch (5.3) eclipse is the ticket in trashy places. I have not tried the 6 inch but a detecting friend uses it most of the time. If the 5.3 eclipse is similar to my 6 inch mf coil on the 705 x terra then I imagine it is killer in places with lots of pull tabs and foil. I do like the coverage of a dd coil in some locations. Maybe it's just me but seems like I do not have to over lap my pattern as much with the dd coils.

 

[pescadore]

I have the 4X6DD, 5.3, and the 6x8 SEF. for an all around coil, I really like the 6X8 because it does get good depth and decent separation. Lately, I have been using the 5.3 on my M6 and it performs very nicely. It gets good depth and in my opinion, ID's better than the DD coils especially on bottle caps. I rarely use the 4x6DD but it is great in heavy trash and the separation is unmatched compared to my other coils. It's just real small and works best in small areas. I don't agree with the 3 inch depth at least with a M series detector. I have found many coin size targets at 6-7 inches with mine. The 10x12 SEF stays on my MXT but for smaller trashy areas, I use the M6 with tone ID and one of the 3 small coils. If you had asked me a couple of months ago, I would have recommended the 6X8 SEF but now I would say that if I had to keep one of the 3 it would be the 5.3 Eclipse. It gets great depth, good separation and its a nice size.
Pesc

 

[Wayfarer]

I'm with pescadore. I had both the Eclipse 5.3 and the Shooter 4x6 and sold the Shooter. It was just too damned small and gave up too much depth compared to the 5.3. Plus it's so light that it throws off the balance, the 5.3 balances perfectly. And the 5.3 is still small enough that it does great in the heavy trash - I never wish I had an even smaller coil, the 5.3 is small enough.

 

[plidn1]

I am a very successful jewelry hunter.
My choice of weapons are the MXT and M6.
When you get some experience under your belt, you will find out most jewelry is found in the 3" to 5" range with an occasional 6 to 7" target.
The coil I use 99% of the time is the 5.3.
Not only is it superior to DD coils in pinpointing, depth, and IDing, it is light weight and covers a good mount of ground. As far as depth, In my mild ground, I have found a silver ring at 11".
That was a rarity, but shows you how affective it can be. In the extreme trashy areas, I use a detech 4.5" round DD. It will pinpoint like a rifle shot, separate next to none, and give you moderate (6-7") depth.
I have other coils I use for different tasks but the coil of choice is the 5.3.

 

[Monte]

actually a measured 6½" diameter, as it is an excellent general purpose coil. I have used that measure coil on both the 6.59 kHz models and the 'V' series models [size=small](mainly the MXT series)[/size] at least 90% of the time. Probably more like 95%, and they provide very versatile performance.

Monte

 

[wasp]

I don't have the MX5 but I do use the 5.3 and 8x6 coils with the 5.3 being my first choice on my V3i. I like the 8x6 on my DFX.

I recently bought the 4x6 Shooter and went back to a skateboard park with it on my V3i. I was pleasantly surprised at all the previously masked coins I found. This little coil picked out 106 coins and a bracelet amongst all the trash. This park is extremely trashy....evidently skateboarders (in general) don't know what those large round open top containers are for and throw everything on the ground. I thought I had found all the coins several weeks ago with the 5.3. Most of the coins were too deep to be fresh drops. Lots of pennies but many of them were copper giving a dime range VDI. I plan to go back with the Shooter to see if any of the multitude of tab signals might be gold rings.

Sure opened my eyes to the value of the 4x6. It isn't a depth monster but has its place in extremely heavy trash and gets good enough depth in extreme trash where you aren't going to get much depth anyway due to masking.

 

[PSS1963]

actually a measured 6½" diameter, as it is an excellent general purpose coil. I have used that measure coil on both the 6.59 kHz models and the 'V' series models [size=small](mainly the MXT series)[/size] at least 90% of the time. Probably more like 95%, and they provide very versatile performance.

Monte

I was thinking about this, Monte, and while the outside plastic casing may measure 6.5 inches (I haven't measured it but I'll take your word on it) I have a hunch that the Tx coil inside may be what actually measures 5.3 inches. That would be a good rationale for the name and certainly the excess plastic that brings the outside diameter up to 6.5 wouldn't contribute anything to the performance.

-pete

 

[slingshot]

I'm thinking of getting the shooter coil but you guys aren't helping. I'm more interested in separation than depth. Now come on guys-help a fellow out. I've never known Monte to steer me wrong but I'm hearing some good things on the shooter.

 

[OregonGregg]

I've hunted a ton of iron infested ghost towns, I have used the 4x6, the 8x6 SEF, 5" round Detech DD and the Eclipse 5.3 I have found that in the end , in trashy iron infested sites I got my best performance from the Eclipse 5.3. If I could only have one coil to use on my MXT Pro or M6 it would be the Eclipse 5.3. The 4x6 shooter was a waste and promptly got rid of it. Of the other coils I still have them and use them and they will do you good.

 

[slingshot]

Thanks. Looks like the 5.3" is numero uno. I can always try the others later.













t

 

[Phillip_in_NM]

Go with the 5.3, then I'll go behind you with the 4x6.

Then I'll show you what you missed!

 

[Monte]

I was thinking about this, Monte, and while the outside plastic casing may measure 6.5 inches (I haven't measured it but I'll take your word on it) I have a hunch that the Tx coil inside may be what actually measures 5.3 inches. That would be a good rationale for the name and certainly the excess plastic that brings the outside diameter up to 6.5 wouldn't contribute anything to the performance.

-pete

However, in the end, most of us think in terms of a coil's physical size and shape. That makes it easier to know if it will 'fit' into a tight space, or make it easy to compare with a competitor's coil by actual physical measurement.

Going back a couple of decades White's marketing guys, I would presume, came up with a 7.8 title for the 8" coil on the Quantum II. They took the Blue Max 600 [size=small](which measured 6½")[/size] and changed the color from white to black plastic, and renamed it the 5.3 Black Max. Later it was again renamed the 5.3 BullsEye, and the same size coil for the MXT and DFX was labeled the 5.3 Eclipse.

Yes, the "5.3" is a measurement of the inner Transmit coil winding. But twice I asked a White's engineer about the coil's actual measurement and neither time did they have a knowledgeable answer. I asked if the new marketing name for the decal referred to the Transmit winding and they said yes. Then I asked if that was a measurement from the inside or the Tx coil across to the opposite inside of the winding? Or, was it a measurement from the outside of the winding straight across to the opposite outside of the winding? To keep them on their toes, I asked if the '5.3' was a measurement from the center of the coil winding straight across to the center of the opposite side of the winding?

A simple question related to physical search coil size brought about this stymie because two engineers didn't have the true answer to the questions of just what was the actual measurement. Then you can look at other search coils from White's as well as coils from other manufacturers and, low and behold, many do not have a 'proper' or 'exact' physical measurement.

Take the 9" Spider Eclipse coil they now have for the MXT's and other upper-end models. They call that a 9" coil for their Prizm/Coinmaster series as well. It measured slightly over that, and I don't have a ruler handy but I believe it's about 9¼". Well, they just announced the new, lower frequency Treasure Master and Treasure Pro models with a 10" DD coil ... and ... a 9½" spider Concentric coil.

I kind of doubt they molded a brand new 9" spider coil that was larger than the slightly over 9" spider they had that actually measures 9½". Furthermore, the so-called 5.3 coils used the same plastic housing as the Blue Max 600 coil, and that's one they called 6" when it actually measures about 6½". Many of the competitors have also had coils that were labeled different from what they measured, but in the end most manufacturers, for the decades they have been making hobby-end detectors, have generally tried to describe them based upon their actual physical measurement.

I like that because you can then read and compare then with the competition. Besides, the nifty marketing concept to call a 6½" diameter measured coil a "5.3" was kind of a back-fire. I almost always make it a point to call that coil by its physical size rather than, or in addition to, 5.3 because for almost a couple of decades now I know many people who did not buy that excellent size coil because they thought it was actually [size=small](physically)[/size] barely over 5" and too small to be useful for them.

Monte

 

[PSS1963]

I was thinking about this, Monte, and while the outside plastic casing may measure 6.5 inches (I haven't measured it but I'll take your word on it) I have a hunch that the Tx coil inside may be what actually measures 5.3 inches. That would be a good rationale for the name and certainly the excess plastic that brings the outside diameter up to 6.5 wouldn't contribute anything to the performance.

-pete

However, in the end, most of us think in terms of a coil's physical size and shape. That makes it easier to know if it will 'fit' into a tight space, or make it easy to compare with a competitor's coil by actual physical measurement.

Going back a couple of decades White's marketing guys, I would presume, came up with a 7.8 title for the 8" coil on the Quantum II. They took the Blue Max 600 [size=small](which measured 6½")[/size] and changed the color from white to black plastic, and renamed it the 5.3 Black Max. Later it was again renamed the 5.3 BullsEye, and the same size coil for the MXT and DFX was labeled the 5.3 Eclipse.

Yes, the "5.3" is a measurement of the inner Transmit coil winding. But twice I asked a White's engineer about the coil's actual measurement and neither time did they have a knowledgeable answer. I asked if the new marketing name for the decal referred to the Transmit winding and they said yes. Then I asked if that was a measurement from the inside or the Tx coil across to the opposite inside of the winding? Or, was it a measurement from the outside of the winding straight across to the opposite outside of the winding? To keep them on their toes, I asked if the '5.3' was a measurement from the center of the coil winding straight across to the center of the opposite side of the winding?

A simple question related to physical search coil size brought about this stymie because two engineers didn't have the true answer to the questions of just what was the actual measurement. Then you can look at other search coils from White's as well as coils from other manufacturers and, low and behold, many do not have a 'proper' or 'exact' physical measurement.

Take the 9" Spider Eclipse coil they now have for the MXT's and other upper-end models. They call that a 9" coil for their Prizm/Coinmaster series as well. It measured slightly over that, and I don't have a ruler handy but I believe it's about 9¼". Well, they just announced the new, lower frequency Treasure Master and Treasure Pro models with a 10" DD coil ... and ... a 9½" spider Concentric coil.

I kind of doubt they molded a brand new 9" spider coil that was larger than the slightly over 9" spider they had that actually measures 9½". Furthermore, the so-called 5.3 coils used the same plastic housing as the Blue Max 600 coil, and that's one they called 6" when it actually measures about 6½". Many of the competitors have also had coils that were labeled different from what they measured, but in the end most manufacturers, for the decades they have been making hobby-end detectors, have generally tried to describe them based upon their actual physical measurement.

I like that because you can then read and compare then with the competition. Besides, the nifty marketing concept to call a 6½" diameter measured coil a "5.3" was kind of a back-fire. I almost always make it a point to call that coil by its physical size rather than, or in addition to, 5.3 because for almost a couple of decades now I know many people who did not buy that excellent size coil because they thought it was actually [size=small](physically)[/size] barely over 5" and too small to be useful for them.

Monte

Yeah, engineers' inclination to be precise and technical about things can make it very difficult for them to communicate effectively with non-engineers - I see it a lot. This is where an effective marketing team needs to step up and act as liaison between the designers and the public and apparently White's has a bit of trouble with this.

Thanks, Monte, for the informed history . . . see, this is why you should write a book! What better way to get the straight story than from somebody who was actually there?

A good working title could be "The History of Sweep - a Metal Detectorist's Journey"

-pete

 

[trkrdon]

Thanks, Monte, for the informed history . . . see, this is why you should write a book! What better way to get the straight story than from somebody who was actually there?

A good working title could be "The History of Sweep - a Metal Detectorist's Journey"

-pete


I second that!!! The wealth of knowledge you have should be shared in a book so it is in one location instead of scattered in the many forums you post in!!

 

[IDXMonster]

I am a very successful jewelry hunter.
My choice of weapons are the MXT and M6.
When you get some experience under your belt, you will find out most jewelry is found in the 3" to 5" range with an occasional 6 to 7" target.
The coil I use 99% of the time is the 5.3.
Not only is it superior to DD coils in pinpointing, depth, and IDing, it is light weight and covers a good mount of ground. As far as depth, In my mild ground, I have found a silver ring at 11".
That was a rarity, but shows you how affective it can be. In the extreme trashy areas, I use a detech 4.5" round DD. It will pinpoint like a rifle shot, separate next to none, and give you moderate (6-7") depth.
I have other coils I use for different tasks but the coil of choice is the 5.3.

What he said.