15 Metal Detecting Tips to Help You Find More Targets
Most detectorists would like to find more coins, artefacts and interesting targets.
It is tempting to assume that the answer is buying a more expensive detector or increasing sensitivity to maximum.
In reality, your search technique, site selection and understanding of the detector often make a much greater difference.
At Metal Searchers, after more than 30 years of metal detecting, we have found that improving your finds rate is usually about doing the basics consistently well.
There is no setting that can guarantee good finds.
But there are plenty of ways to increase the chances that your search coil passes over targets that other detectorists have missed.
Here are 15 of the techniques we consider most useful
1. Search Better Locations
The most sophisticated metal detector cannot find a historical coin if nobody ever lost one there.
Site selection is therefore one of the biggest factors affecting your finds rate.
Look for places where people historically:
- Lived
- Worked
- Walked
- Gathered
- Traded
- Travelled
- Socialised
Potential areas might include:
- Old footpaths
- Former buildings
- Village sites
- Market areas
- River crossings
- Mills
- Inns
- Fairgrounds
- Field entrances
- Old roads
A modest detector used on a historically productive site can outperform an expensive detector on empty ground.
Research Before You Detect
Use:
- Historic maps
- Tithe maps
- Old aerial photographs
- Local-history books
- Historic Environment Records
- Old directories
- Newspaper archives
- Field names
Research gives your detecting a purpose.
Instead of walking randomly across a 20-acre field, you may be able to concentrate on the location of a former track or building.
2. Learn Your Detector Properly
Changing detector every few months can actually slow your progress.
A detector you thoroughly understand is a very powerful tool.
Learn:
- Audio tones
- Target ID behaviour
- Iron responses
- Ground Balance
- Recovery Speed
- Sensitivity
- Search modes
The objective is to recognise when a target is unusual.
That only comes from experience.
Dig a Wide Range of Signals
Especially while learning, dig signals that you are uncertain about.
You will find rubbish.
But that teaches you the difference between:
- Foil
- Iron
- Coins
- Lead
- Bottle caps
- Aluminium
Eventually you begin recognising patterns before digging.
3. Keep the Search Coil Low
Every centimetre you hold the coil above the ground reduces the effective distance between the coil and a buried target.
Keep it:
- Close to the surface
- Level
- Parallel to the ground
Do not deliberately press it hard into the soil, but avoid unnecessary air space.
Minelab recommends keeping the coil close and parallel to the ground because this maximises detection depth and improves responses from small objects.
4. Avoid the Pendulum Swing
Many detectorists unconsciously lift the coil at both ends of every sweep.
This creates an arc.
The middle of the sweep is close to the ground, but the ends may be several centimetres higher.
That means the edges of your search pattern receive less effective depth.
Better Technique
Imagine that the coil is sliding across a perfectly flat sheet.
Keep approximately the same height from:
left → centre → right
throughout the sweep.
This single improvement can increase effective ground coverage without changing any detector setting.
5. Overlap Every Sweep
Do not move forward by the full width of your search coil after each swing.
Overlap the previous sweep.
Both Garrett and Minelab recommend overlapping passes to avoid leaving unsearched gaps. Garrett suggests advancing by roughly one-quarter to one-half of the coil diameter depending on the detector and technique.
A good practical target is around:
25–50% overlap.
More overlap means slower coverage, but more complete coverage.
Why Overlap Matters
A detector coil does not necessarily detect equally across its entire physical width at every depth.
A deep small coin may only respond near the strongest part of the coil's detection field.
Overlapping helps ensure that the strongest part of the coil eventually passes over it.
6. Slow Down
One of the easiest ways to miss targets is walking and swinging too quickly.
A slower search gives you more time to recognise:
- Short responses
- Weak targets
- Signals close to iron
- Deep targets
- One-way signals
Minelab specifically advises slow, overlapping sweeps and notes that fast sweeping can cause targets to be missed.
Slow Down Even More in Productive Areas
If you find:
- Several old coins
- Buttons
- Lead
- Buckles
- Roman material
- Medieval objects
stop trying to cover the whole field.
Slow down and thoroughly search the immediate area.
A productive patch deserves much more attention than empty ground.
7. Search a Hotspot From Several Directions
A good target beside iron can sound completely different depending on your approach angle.
After finding several interesting targets in one area, search it:
north to south
then:
east to west
and, if worthwhile:
diagonally.
Changing direction can expose targets previously masked by iron or awkward orientation.
Minelab guidance has long recommended approaching heavily searched areas from multiple directions because changing coil orientation can reveal targets missed on previous passes.
8. Use a Grid
Random wandering leaves gaps.
A grid gives you systematic coverage.
Choose an identifiable boundary such as:
- Hedge
- Fence
- Tramline
- Footpath
- Field edge
Search parallel lines across the area.
Then turn 90 degrees and search again.
Grid Productive Areas More Tightly
You do not necessarily need to grid an entire large field extremely tightly.
Instead:
broad search → identify hotspot → tight grid
This uses your time efficiently.
9. Investigate Imperfect Signals
Not every good target produces a textbook response.
A deep coin may:
- Give a weak tone
- Produce unstable Target ID
- Respond from only one direction
A coin close to iron may behave similarly.
If a signal has something interesting about it, investigate further.
Use a Shorter Sweep
Once you hear an uncertain target:
- Stop walking.
- Shorten the sweep.
- Centre the response.
- Rotate around it.
- Listen again.
A questionable signal can sometimes become much clearer.
10. Don't Rely Solely on Target ID
Target ID is very useful.
But it should be treated as evidence rather than certainty.
Numbers can change because of:
- Depth
- Orientation
- Soil
- Nearby targets
- Corrosion
- Search coil position
Listen to the audio as well.
A deep target producing a slightly inconsistent ID may still be worth digging.
Audio Often Tells You More
Experienced detectorists frequently recognise:
- Sharpness
- Duration
- Repeatability
- Iron contamination
through the sound of a target.
Try occasionally detecting without looking at the screen.
It helps develop your listening skills.
11. Use the Highest Stable Sensitivity, Not Maximum
Sensitivity that is too high can make your detector noisy.
You may hear:
- False signals
- EMI
- Ground noise
- Unstable IDs
This can obscure the weak genuine signals you are trying to find.
A Better Approach
Increase sensitivity until instability becomes noticeable.
Then reduce it enough for reliable operation.
Minelab similarly recommends balancing sensitivity against stability rather than assuming maximum is always optimal.
12. Ground Balance Correctly
On mineralised ground, incorrect Ground Balance can make genuine targets harder to distinguish from the soil response.
If your detector requires balancing:
- Find clean ground.
- Perform the appropriate Ground Balance procedure.
- Recheck if ground conditions change.
Our Metal Detector Ground Balance guide explains this in detail.
Don't Confuse Ground Noise With EMI
Ground Balance compensates for the soil.
Noise Cancel deals primarily with electrical interference.
They are different problems.
If the detector remains unstable even when the coil is away from the ground, investigate EMI as well.
13. Match Recovery Speed to the Site
Recovery Speed determines how quickly a detector can respond to separate nearby targets.
Lower Recovery
Can favour clearer responses from isolated deeper targets under suitable conditions.
Higher Recovery
Can help separate closely spaced targets, especially around iron.
There is no universally correct number.
A quiet pasture and an iron-filled settlement site require different strategies.
Test It Yourself
A coin beside an iron nail in your metal detector test garden is an excellent way to understand the effect of Recovery Speed.
14. Use the Right Search Coil
The standard supplied coil is usually an excellent compromise.
But a different coil can sometimes significantly improve performance for a particular site.
Smaller Coil
Useful for:
- Heavy iron
- Dense rubbish
- Tight spaces
- Target separation
Larger Coil
Useful for:
- Open fields
- Greater coverage
- Larger/deeper targets under suitable conditions
The largest search coil is not automatically the best search coil.
Match the coil to the problem.
15. Search Good Sites Again
Do not assume a site is finished because you have detected it once.
You may have missed targets because of:
- Sweep direction
- Soil moisture
- Coil choice
- Detector settings
- Iron masking
- Search gaps
- Target orientation
Good permissions deserve repeated visits.
Change Something Each Time
Try:
- Different search direction
- Smaller coil
- Different Recovery Speed
- Lower discrimination
- Slower sweep
- Different search mode
This gives you a genuine reason to search the same ground again.
Bonus Tip: Follow the Finds
Your finds themselves tell you where to search.
Suppose one area starts producing:
- Buttons
- Buckles
- Old coins
- Lead
- Pottery fragments
That is evidence of human activity.
Slow down.
Expand outwards gradually.
Do not continue walking across the field simply because that was your original plan.
Mark Hotspots
Use:
- GPS
- Smartphone mapping
- Field sketch
- Waypoints
Record concentrations of interesting finds.
Over several visits, patterns may become obvious.
Bonus Tip: Watch for Changes in the Ground
Visual clues can be just as useful as detector signals.
Look for:
- Pottery
- Brick
- Tile
- Flint
- Darker soil
- Building stone
- Raised areas
- Depressions
These can indicate previous human activity.
Bonus Tip: Search Old Entrances
Field entrances and gateways can be productive.
People historically passed repeatedly through the same narrow areas.
Look at old maps because today's entrance may not be the historic one.
A removed gateway can be more interesting than the current entrance.
Bonus Tip: Investigate Old Footpaths
Paths concentrate human movement.
Look for:
- Lost footpaths
- Paths leading to former buildings
- Routes between villages
- Church paths
- Tracks to mills or wells
Always obtain appropriate permission.
Bonus Tip: Search Around Former Buildings
Where research identifies a former structure, search:
- Entrance areas
- Pathways
- Garden areas
- Yard boundaries
Do not automatically concentrate directly on the building footprint.
People lose objects while moving around buildings, not only while standing inside them.
Bonus Tip: Detect After Cultivation
Ploughing can:
- Move targets
- Change orientation
- Bring deeper objects closer to the surface
A field that seemed quiet one season can sometimes produce differently after further cultivation.
Follow the farmer's instructions and avoid crops.
Bonus Tip: Revisit After Weather Changes
Ground moisture can affect detector performance.
A signal that was marginal during very dry conditions may behave differently when the soil contains more moisture.
Do not treat conditions as identical every visit.
Bonus Tip: Don't Spend the Whole Day Adjusting Settings
Advanced detectors provide enormous control.
That can become counterproductive.
If you constantly change:
- Sensitivity
- Recovery Speed
- Ground Balance
- Ferrous Limits
- Audio
- Frequency
you spend less time actually searching.
Find a stable configuration.
Then detect.
A Practical Search Strategy
When arriving at a new permission, try:
Stage 1 - Reconnaissance
Search moderately quickly using:
- Standard coil
- General-purpose mode
- Stable sensitivity
Look for signs of activity.
Stage 2 - Identify Hotspots
Mark areas producing:
- Old coins
- Buttons
- Buckles
- Other period material
Stage 3 - Slow Down
Grid those areas carefully.
Stage 4 - Change Direction
Search again at approximately 90 degrees.
Stage 5 - Change Coil if Necessary
Use a smaller coil where iron or target density becomes difficult.
Stage 6 - Return Another Day
Try different conditions or settings.
This is much more efficient than treating every square metre of a huge field equally.
How to Improve Your Finds Rate Without Buying Anything
Some of the most effective improvements cost nothing:
| Change | Cost |
|---|---|
| Slow your sweep | £0 |
| Keep coil lower | £0 |
| Overlap properly | £0 |
| Grid hotspots | £0 |
| Search from another direction | £0 |
| Research old maps | Often £0 |
| Learn your audio | £0 |
| Revisit productive sites | £0 |
Before buying another detector, make sure you are already doing these things consistently.
Detector Settings That Can Help
Settings matter, but they need context.
Sensitivity
Highest stable setting.
Ground Balance
Correct for site conditions.
Recovery Speed
Match target density.
Discrimination
Avoid rejecting too much.
Frequency/Search Mode
Match the target and environment.
Noise Cancel
Use where electrical interference is present.
The correct combination depends on your detector.
Five Things That Commonly Reduce Finds
Walking Too Fast
You simply cover the ground poorly.
Swinging Too High
You lose effective depth.
Poor Overlap
You leave gaps.
Excessive Discrimination
You risk rejecting questionable targets.
Giving Up on Productive Sites Too Quickly
Good ground often rewards repeated searches.
What About Upgrading Your Detector?
A new detector can improve performance where your existing machine has a genuine limitation.
For example:
- Poor salt-beach stability
- Slow recovery
- Excessive weight
- Limited coil options
But buying another detector will not fix poor sweep technique.
Before upgrading, ask:
What specific problem am I trying to solve?
That question can save a considerable amount of money.
How We Would Search a Productive Patch
When we begin finding older targets concentrated in one area, our approach is:
1. Stop covering ground quickly.
2. Reduce walking speed.
3. Shorten sweeps.
4. Increase overlap.
5. Grid the area.
6. Search again at 90 degrees.
7. Investigate questionable signals.
8. Consider a smaller coil if iron is heavy.
9. Record the hotspot.
10. Return again.
That systematic approach is usually more productive than continuing randomly across the field.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I find more targets metal detecting?
Improve site research, sweep more slowly, keep the coil low, overlap your passes and thoroughly investigate productive areas.
Does walking slower really help?
Yes. Slower movement improves coverage and gives you more opportunity to recognise weak or closely spaced target responses.
How much should I overlap each sweep?
Approximately 25–50% is a useful practical starting range. Adjust according to coil type and how thoroughly you want to cover the ground.
Should I use maximum sensitivity?
No. Use the highest sensitivity that provides reasonably stable operation.
Should I dig weak signals?
Many weak or imperfect signals are worth investigating, particularly when they repeat or occur on historically productive ground.
Should I search the same field more than once?
Yes. Different search directions, moisture conditions, settings and coils can reveal targets previously missed.
Does a larger coil find more?
Not always. Larger coils provide more coverage, while smaller coils can perform better in dense iron or rubbish.
Does Ground Balance help me find more targets?
Correct Ground Balance can reduce unwanted ground response, making genuine signals easier to recognise on mineralised sites.
Is research really important?
Yes. Finding locations where people historically lived, travelled or gathered can make a much greater difference than simply upgrading the detector.
Will a more expensive detector increase my finds rate?
Possibly, if it solves a genuine limitation. But good site selection and search technique remain fundamental.
Final Thoughts
If you want to improve your metal detecting finds rate, do not begin by asking:
“What should I buy?”
Begin by asking:
“Am I searching the right place thoroughly enough?”
Research the land.
Keep the coil low.
Overlap your sweeps.
Slow down.
Investigate imperfect signals.
Grid productive areas.
Search them from different directions.
And return to good sites again.
After more than 30 years of detecting, we believe one of the most important lessons is that good finds are often missed rather than absent.
The difference may be only a few centimetres of poor coil coverage, an awkward target beside iron or a signal dismissed too quickly.
Improve the way you search, and you give yourself the best possible chance of finding what others have walked over.
Happy detecting!