If you don’t have a pinpointer, let your detector do the pinpointing. Center the target with the detector’s pinpoint mode, or with a two-direction “X” sweep if it has none. Cut a tight plug over that spot. Then pass the plug and the open hole under the coil to see which one holds the target. Use a scoop only in loose sand or gravel, a blunt probe only in firm soil with a shallow target, and a magnet only when the target is iron. Once your holes keep getting wider than the find, it is time to buy a real pinpointer.

This guide is desk research. The pinpoint steps come from Minelab’s and Garrett’s manuals and product pages, and the rest is general recovery technique. Check your own manual for button names.

Step 1: center the target with the detector

If your detector has a pinpoint mode, use it. Pinpoint usually switches to a non-motion all-metal response, so the signal holds while the coil is still. Garrett describes the AT Gold’s and ACE 300’s electronic pinpointing this way. Minelab’s X-TERRA ELITE manual gives this sequence:

  1. Hold the coil away from the target and press Pinpoint.
  2. Sweep slowly over the target two or three times with the coil parallel to the ground. This calibrates the pinpoint response.
  3. Follow the loudest signal or the on-screen display to the center. Minelab notes that pinpoint narrows the response with each sweep, and the target is under the coil’s centerline when all the segments light up.
  4. If it gets noisy, turn pinpoint off and start again from step 1.

If it doesn’t have pinpoint, use the X sweep. Minelab’s manual also describes a manual method:

  1. Sweep slowly across the signal and mark a line in the dirt with your shoe or digger where it is loudest.
  2. Move 90 degrees and repeat.
  3. The target is where the two lines cross.

Keep the coil low and level, and keep your sweeps short over the spot. Wide, fast sweeps are what make the target seem to move.

Step 2: cut a tight plug and scan it with the coil

Cut a plug a little larger than the coil’s center zone, hinged on one side if you are in turf. Then:

  1. Lift the plug out and pass it over the coil (or the coil over it).
  2. If the plug beeps, the target is in it. Break it in half and test each half until you are down to a small handful.
  3. If the plug is silent, scan the open hole. Remove soil one scoop or handful at a time onto a cloth or pan, and pass each scoop over the coil.

This is the substitute that works almost everywhere. It is slower than a pinpointer, but it keeps the hole the size of the plug instead of letting it spread.

Step 3: choose the right extra tool for the ground

Ground Best substitute Why it works Where it fails
Turf, parks, shallow targets Coil-scan the plug; a blunt probe for very shallow targets Keeps the cut small and the lawn tidy Deep targets, rocky soil
Dry sand, loose gravel Scoop and shake Loose material separates cleanly Wet, sticky or root-filled ground
Iron-littered fields Magnet, after the coil says iron Clears nails and staples fast Useless on gold, silver, copper, brass or aluminum
Rocky or frozen ground Coil-scan small amounts Avoids prying with tools Slow if soil keeps fighting back
Wet clay Small handfuls over the coil Clay hides the target edge from probes Smears and sticks to everything

Avoid sharp tools for probing. A screwdriver or awl will scratch coins and jewelry and push the target around. If you probe at all, use something blunt and narrow.

Use a magnet only for iron. A magnet will not pick up gold, silver, copper, brass or aluminum. Use it to clean iron out of a hole once the detector’s tone or ID has told you the target is ferrous.

When to stop improvising and buy a pinpointer

Buy one when your holes regularly end up wider than the find, when you hunt delicate turf that shows every extra cut, or when you dig enough targets that the extra minutes add up. A handheld pinpointer also helps in water, where scanning a scoop over the coil is awkward. Garrett’s Pro-Pointer AT (Amazon search) is rated waterproof to 20 feet and has a lost-pinpointer alarm. Minelab’s PRO-FIND 40 adds an iron tone.

If you are still learning your detector, practice centering targets and cutting plugs in your own yard first. The first 30 minutes checklist builds a pinpointing practice step into a first session, and the yard detecting checklist covers buried utilities and plug technique.

FAQ

Can I metal detect without a pinpointer?

Yes. Use your detector’s pinpoint mode or the two-direction X sweep to center the target, cut a tight plug, and scan the plug and the hole with the coil. A pinpointer mainly saves time and keeps holes smaller.

Is a magnet a good pinpointer substitute?

Only for iron. A magnet will not pick up gold, silver, copper, brass or aluminum, so use it to clear nails and other iron after the coil has told you the target is ferrous.

Sources