Picking up your target in the scope while lamping

ace86

Hi I have been lamping lately with a friend and I find it hard trying to pick up the quarry in the scope and I'm geting very annoyed and fustrated with myself and I know my buddy is not 2happy either. Has anyone any simple tricks and solutions to my problems??

what type of scope is it?

ace86

IOR mil scope 6-24x56

garv123

What mag you using?

You're prob best using a low mag when lamping to find the target easily and then zoom in while on target if you have to.

ace86

I normally leave it at 12 thats centre way and i zoom if i need but never do, i find it ok during the day but at nights i find it harder.

garv123

What are you shooting and what ranges?

Finding rabbits or a fox under 100 yards on 12x could be difficult enough, i normally keep mine on 8 and then zoom up if i need to.

Theres a pretty small field of view at 100 yards on 12x.

cookimonster

Keep your magnification low to make the most of the scopes light gathering abilities. Look at the target over the scope and bring the scope to your eye.
Keep both eyes open.

Check your set up in day light and don't adjust during your lamping session.

ace86

garv123 wrote: »

What are you shooting and what ranges?

Finding rabbits or a fox under 100 yards on 12x could be difficult enough, i normally keep mine on 8 and then zoom up if i need to.

Theres a pretty small field of view at 100 yards on 12x.

at foxes for the moment there is little or no rabbits where i am so i wont shoot them to be honest, I want to start at the 100yrd range and maybe when I get better and alot more confident to be knocking them at 200yrds but I'm along way off at them moment. what I find is when my mate lights the fox I bring my rifle to the shoulder but feel im no where near the target and im moving around to find him. What I want to do it mount my rifle like a shotgun be looking through the scope on to the target. My rest sometime is not the best but when your out on a hill sometimes you never really get a perfect one to be honest.

hedzball

Both eyes open...

I never close my eyes lamping..

also identify whats around the target.. posts.. poles.. rocks.. all of which should be able to be seen under the naked eye.


what lamp is it?

ace86

hedzball wrote: »

Both eyes open...

I never close my eyes lamping..

also identify whats around the target.. posts.. poles.. rocks.. all of which should be able to be seen under the naked eye.


what lamp is it?

A H.I.D light I only purchased it earier in the the yr and the light out of it is frigthening compared to other lamps I have seen fellows using. I have a small lightorce striker and its no way as near as good as that.

hedzball

ace86 wrote: »

A H.I.D light I only purchased it earier in the the yr and the light out of it is frigthening compared to other lamps I have seen fellows using. I have a small lightorce striker and its no way as near as good as that.

I have the hid 170 too..

You can pick up the fox at 200 yards naked eye and tell the colour of his socks

You need to start looking more of whats around the fox..

Turn the scope down to 8x.. thats all I have and I shoot them up to 300 yards all day..

Once it clicks youll clean up with the hid

cookimonster

As you increase the mag you decrease the field of view and there fore if your not aiming in directly on target it is easy to miss the target in the scope. Any shake or wobble will be exaggerated in the eye piece. Get a steady shooting position, use bipods or sticks when no suitable natural rest are at hand. As Hedzball said use reference points for target acquisition.

Bring your range to target down and work up to further ranges only when your consistently hitting what your aiming at. A fox at a 100 yards at night is nothing to be sneered at.

ace86

hedzball wrote: »

I have the hid 170 too..

You can pick up the fox at 200 yards naked eye and tell the colour of his socks

You need to start looking more of whats around the fox..

Turn the scope down to 8x.. thats all I have and I shoot them up to 300 yards all day..

Once it clicks youll clean up with the hid

Thanks my biggest problem is just locating the fox really and down a rushy field or rocky field everyone looks the same I am contemplating maybe my eye reief for the scope is wrong and maybe try correcting that but I'm going to try some of the suggestions the guys have said here.

foxes in rushy ground can be very hard to spot, I keep mine on the lowest mag like the lads have said, I ofter seen it happen that the lamper can see the target but the shooter cant, amazing what the different angles can do, it also helps a bit if the spot of the light is fairly tight

One shot on kill

One thing to think of is the guy holding the lamp. Makes sure he holds it the same way all the time.

As in when your taking the shot kept the fox in the center of the spot. I normaly get my friend to hold the fox in the 6 o clock position on the spot because I do t have a dimmer.

So then you know that if your under the light in your scope the fox is just there. Start by aiming at the bottom of the light and searching there. That combined with both eyes open and looking over the scope I till your pointing at your target.

Chances are your scope mag isn't helping anyway.

Hope that makes sense.

strangles

You probably know anyway but make sure no light from the lamp is hitting the scope aswell,keep your buddy up beside you

323

hedzball wrote: »

Both eyes open...

I never close my eyes lamping..

+1

Learn to aim/shoot with both eyes open.

Takes a little practice, but after a wee while you won't be aware of doing it, immediate fast target acquisition for all shooting.

Vegeta

Lower the magnification to increase field of view
Keep both eyes open (helps you identify where in the landscape the gun is pointed) If this causes reticle focus issues (has done for me in the past on fine crosshairs), once the fox is spotted and centred in the scope feel free to close the non scope eye to sort that out. If you can leave both eyes open though, do.
Have a system with the lamp man as One shot on kill describes, putting the fox at the bottom of the beam of light is what I do too. Doesn't blind the fox and is easy for the guy on the rifle to search for.
Also get the lamp man to stand close to you, even if he is a few feet away the reflections from the eyes can be viewable to him but not to you. Obviously never shoot at anything without proper identification but the eye reflections are a handy indicator to focus in on.

ace86

323 wrote: »

+1

Learn to aim/shoot with both eyes open.

Takes a little practice, but after a wee while you won't be aware of doing it, immediate fast target acquisition for all shooting.

Ah will I try the two eyes open but my eye sight is very poor in the other eye but i will give it a go.

outfoxing

get your lamp man to show you roughly where the fox is with his free hand, mount your rifle smoothly keep both of your eyes open whisper ok and your lamp should turn on lamp again hopefully fox is still there don't panic and let rip

Nekarsulm

Do you wear glasses? I find that it can be difficult to get the eye relief correct, and there is a lot more chance of stray light getting into the scope. Sometimes people need the scope mounted so far forward, to get the right eye relief, that the rear scope mounting points are almost over the ejection port.
Also, how scratch free are your glasses, if you wear them?
A new pair, with the anti dazzle/flare coating could work wonders. Often glasses slowly get scratches and marks, and you don't notice until you get a new pair.

ace86

Nekarsulm wrote: »

Do you wear glasses? I find that it can be difficult to get the eye relief correct, and there is a lot more chance of stray light getting into the scope. Sometimes people need the scope mounted so far forward, to get the right eye relief, that the rear scope mounting points are almost over the ejection port.
Also, how scratch free are your glasses, if you wear them?
A new pair, with the anti dazzle/flare coating could work wonders. Often glasses slowly get scratches and marks, and you don't notice until you get a new pair.

No sorry I don't wear glasses my man I have a squint or lazy eye in my right eye so I dont think glasses will be any good as my left eye is my dominant eye and thats the one that does all the viewing for me.

Nekarsulm

Ok, was just a thought, based on my own experience. Another thought, did you get your eyes tested recently? I got mine done in the summer, and they seemingly automatically test for red/green colour blindness. Not likely a factor at night, with a spotlight, but perhaps?

FISMA

ace86 wrote: »

Hi I have been lamping lately with a friend and I find it hard trying to pick up the quarry in the scope and I'm geting very annoyed and fustrated with myself and I know my buddy is not 2happy either. Has anyone any simple tricks and solutions to my problems??

ace86,
You may wish to try keeping two eyes open while acquiring the target and then, once the target centered, closing an eye and going solely on scope.

I shoot regularly with two eyes when it comes to shotguns and bows and use the above method for pistols and rifles. Although, I have never tried two eyes lamping.

Also, where is holding when you are doing the shooting: on the rifle, in your hand, or your buddy's hand?

ace86

FISMA wrote: »

ace86,
You may wish to try keeping two eyes open while acquiring the target and then, once the target centered, closing an eye and going solely on scope.

I shoot regularly with two eyes when it comes to shotguns and bows and use the above method for pistols and rifles. Although, I have never tried two eyes lamping.

Also, where is holding when you are doing the shooting: on the rifle, in your hand, or your buddy's hand?

The light is in my buddys hand always I never use a lamp that sits on top of the scope to be honest.

ak204

ace86 wrote: »

Hi I have been lamping lately with a friend and I find it hard trying to pick up the quarry in the scope and I'm geting very annoyed and fustrated with myself and I know my buddy is not 2happy either. Has anyone any simple tricks and solutions to my problems??

I ace . I would say learn to shoot with your two eyes open you will see the target a lot quicker. Or when you find the target with your two eyes close one eye.