Hunting w/Scope - Set and Forget or Adjust?

FISMA

Lads,
Suppose you've been to the range and zeroed the rifle for your shooting style. Now, you head out to the field and are waiting for a shot to present.

If you are like me, you're reading nature, the wind and the lay of the land, at the very least. If you're tackleBerryWho kind of serious, then you're checking temperature, pressure, humidity, and all.

So, you reckon there's a light wind. Do you hold zero original zero or do you click it out?

I am wondering if your zero is sacred - you do not click. Or, do you rezero the day of the shoot based upon conditions?

Also, if you decide to hold zero, miss, and see the splash, do you now click out the deviation or just adjust your aim-point?

Just wondering as some shooters I know hold the original zero as sacred. Others use it as a starting point for the day's shoot.

Slan

Tackleberrywho

FISMA wrote: »

Lads,
Suppose you've been to the range and zeroed the rifle for your shooting style. Now, you head out to the field and are waiting for a shot to present.

If you are like me, you're reading nature, the wind and the lay of the land, at the very least. If you're tackleBerryWho kind of serious, then you're checking temperature, pressure, humidity, and all.

So, you reckon there's a light wind. Do you hold zero original zero or do you click it out?

I am wondering if your zero is sacred - you do not click. Or, do you rezero the day of the shoot based upon conditions?

Also, if you decide to hold zero, miss, and see the splash, do you now click out the deviation or just adjust your aim-point?

Just wondering as some shooters I know hold the original zero as sacred. Others use it as a starting point for the day's shoot.

Slan

Thanks for the Homage
I have a Tissot Touch watch that measures barometric pressure.

But most of the time I could not be ars*d and sa fcuk it.
Point and shoot.

Zero on a perfect day, not a windy day, not a foggy day, not a wet day.

Then make adjustments in teh field.

As I have a head like a sive I use MOA on the scope, as I would be terrified of making click adj and forgetting.

So many times I had mag on full and parralax on infinity when trying to take a shot @50 yards and all I could see was blur.

Had to be off zero for my own forgetfulness




So hopefully that answers the question honestly

deerhunter1

Tackleberrywho wrote: »

Thanks for the Homage
I have a Tissot Touch watch that measures barometric pressure.

But most of the time I could not be ars*d and sa fcuk it.
Point and shoot.

Zero on a perfect day, not a windy day, not a foggy day, not a wet day.

Then make adjustments in teh field.

As I have a head like a sive I use MOA on the scope, as I would be terrified of making click adj and forgetting.

So many times I had mag on full and parralax on infinity when trying to take a shot @50 yards and all I could see was blur.

Had to be off zero for my own forgetfulness




So hopefully that answers the question honestly

Spot on

everypenny

To be honest, i have the sights set and recorded for every 10 meter interval from 20 to 120 for my CZ 22 LR.

Once i see a target i estimate its range, a thread in its self, and diall my sigts in for that range. Then its cross hairs on target and shoot.

Different things have to be taken into account of course, elevation to the target is a big one. If the target is above you or below you will increase or decrease the point of aim of the round as the point of impact will be different. And again thats a skill you can only pick up through practice on teh range.

In relation to windage i don't adjust. If there is a strong wind i don't fire as my 22 is a small round and would be very erratic in gusts.

If i fire at a target and miss i use the mil dots on my scope to see where the fall of shot is. I then adjust using my mildots and rengage the target. Luckily this dosen't happen often (cough, ya right) and when it does at least i have the moderator to ensure that i can take a second shot.

It wasn't me!

Hold off, just so much faster. It's also the reason flat shooting cartridges that dope wind well are so popular. At 300 yards with a 200 yard zero, my .25-06 is about 7 odd inches low, so just over two minutes, a very easy correction to make. It's also pretty decent in wind, so in a modest breeze it's just a tweak to either side and off it goes.

Vegeta

Depends what I am doing to be honest

Lamping, I find there is barely enough time to set the parallax let alone go clicking in the dark and the fox is usually inside the point blank range of the round anyway so I don't adjust

Varminting and practising I would always use the range finder and dial in. Generally because you have the time, the target is far enough away that it isn't spooked and it is simply less guess work and therefore more accurate for me. If I had a first focal plane scope I might use the reticle much more but I have wasted a lot of rounds in the past using the reticle on second focal plane scopes and have abandoned it for that type of work. Takes more rounds to get on target and heaven forbid you need to use a different magnification.

clivej

It would depend on the gun and the shot.

For the deer stalking I have a zero of 180y on my .308 and that will give me a point blank range of 25y out to 225y with a 5" target. I have a drop chart made out for the round as well so I read of the MOA value to dial in if needed but lets face it I won't be taking any shots over 250y at deer.

The 223 for foxing is 1" high at 100y and again this will give me a PB range of 25y out to 250ish yards and have taken foxes at that distance.

With the 22lr I have a drop chart made out for the ammo I use and a zero of 50y. I range the target with a finder and dial in the MOA from the drop chart. I'm on the button out to 135y using Laupa or Eley subs.

All my Bushnell scopes have the target turrets and so it'd easy to dial in the MOA value even with gloves on.

cavan shooter

I guess I am a bit of a heathen on this one and tend to point and shoot, I never see a 1inch target I go for MPBR, i.e a 3inch target on a rabbit a 5 inch target on a fox.

Both my scopes have mildots which I use to my advantage, on the 10/22 I am good to 100 yard between the cross hair and the first dot. I wouldnt punch past that on live game, Aiming for the ear,

The hornet cross hair to 130 yards first dot down 225 I find your drop isnt too great and under the conditions I shoot consistent kills to 180 using the 35 gr Hornady. The longest was 200 yrds but rare I'd shoot that distance as I prefer to pull them in closer.

Hawke BRC allows to print cards which i find useful when zeroing.

roosman

this may seem a bit unorthodox to some but it works for the ammo I use. I zero the .308 at 50 yds, ballistically this keeps me in a 5 inch lethal zone out to 250yds so basically I aim bang on from 0-250 yds which is damn handy, maybe a few inches high at 250. Also, at 300yds its about 10 inches low and that so happens to be 1 mildot down which is also handy. Not much is engaged out passed these ranges. The other thing I do is put a bit of masking tape on the top turret and write the ranges on it lined up with the correct MOA. This is done out to 500 yds which for me is just under 1 turret rotation. If I change ammo then I just stick on tape with the new dopes. These are my methods, they have always worked out well for me but its all up to your own preferences...some swear by 100 yd zero but its whatever works....

johngalway

In all fairness I've target turrets and never use them, I should, I just never get around to it. Most of my shooting is in the MPBR of the rounds I use so it's fire and forget unless there's a real strong wind.

One of these days... :pac:

tfox

My 6.5 is zeroed at 150 yds, 1" high at 100, 2.5" low at 200 so that leaves me bang on within my ranges, for wind I hold off. My zero is SACRED

DR6.5

With my 25-06 i have Swarovski 4-16/50 with the TDS-4 reticle

Its lined in 1 inch high at 100 which is bang on at 200, its 5 ich low at 300.

I find the scope and calibre very effective for deer.

dr6.5

declan1980

i set my 223 at 200 yards, this puts it 1.5" high at 100, and 7.5 low at 300. for foxes i use MPBR and just put the cross hairs on the foxes back for shots outside 200, i find this'll get me out to 280, a lad i shoot with has a rule "always aim at hair, never aim at air" so if you miss at long range at least you'll miss under the taret.
for bunnies i dial in the drop, because i always go for the head shot, and if your shooting them at longer ranges, they'll never know you're there so you'll have plenty of time to range them and dial the drop