Author Topic: Built some target stands (Read 6177 times)

RobertH · « **Reply #20 on:** June 23, 2013, 10:55:01 AM »

it was fun. i think i hit the 600 once. maybe if it was a less windy day, so our spotting scopes would stop moving.

bkoenig · « **Reply #21 on:** June 23, 2013, 12:11:36 PM »

John giving pointers, Kozball practicing from an improvised position, and Robert spotting while I was goofing around.

AWick · « **Reply #22 on:** June 23, 2013, 05:48:42 PM »

I'm new to NFOA but have been a lifelong hunter and firearms enthusiast. It's things like this thread that make me very excited about getting more involved and make me think that I've been missing out on this whole experience for far too long. I've always been sceptical of the larger forums at the national, or even global level and am glad that I found a good local one.

Thanks to all that make this a reality! And for Chris Z for pointing me in the right direction!

bkoenig · « **Reply #23 on:** June 23, 2013, 08:09:36 PM »

Yeah, there are a lot of good people here. We generally keep the bickering to a minimum.....it probably helps that an awful lot of us know each other in real life. You don't want to be a jerk to someone if you're going to see him at the next USPSA match

JTH · « **Reply #24 on:** June 24, 2013, 04:56:45 PM »

Quote from: bkoenig on June 23, 2013, 08:09:36 PM

Yeah, there are a lot of good people here. We generally keep the bickering to a minimum.....it probably helps that an awful lot of us know each other in real life. You don't want to be a jerk to someone if you're going to see him at the next USPSA match

JERK!

....I wish I could have made it out there shooting this past Saturday. [sigh]

Chris C · « **Reply #25 on:** June 24, 2013, 05:43:37 PM »

Quote from: SemperFiGuy on June 21, 2013, 05:19:12 PM

With typical Shooter's Luck, first shot will be through one of the chains. Kinda like putting one right down the middle of your brannew chronograph. And I'm not talking about the middle of the skyscreens.

Quote from: SemperFiGuy on March 27, 2013, 06:39:11 PM

Shoot parts of the chronograph???!!!

Just can't imagine that that kinda thing would ever happen.
[Except maybe the skyscreens or maybe the skyscreen legs now and then...........]

Heck, what I do is just put the skyscreen legs on the vise anvil and beat them back into shape with a................ Never mind.

Shoot parts of the chronograph???!!!

Redickless!!!!

How could it ever happen??

sfg

Wait a min here......so you were being sarcastic and not cutting a promo on me for mentioning I had read of people shooting their chronographs earlier this year or contradicting yourself now?

bkoenig · « **Reply #26 on:** June 24, 2013, 06:08:55 PM »

Quote from: jthhapkido on June 24, 2013, 04:56:45 PM

JERK!

....I wish I could have made it out there shooting this past Saturday. [sigh]

We need to do it again so we can get more people ready for Wallace's match this fall. It's definitely something you need to prepare for and do some homework, but I can't tell you how satisfying it is once you have your dope and you can hit steel repeatedly. I have a long ways to go before I'm ready but it will be fun getting there.

RobertH · « **Reply #27 on:** June 24, 2013, 06:27:05 PM »

oh invite me again. always fun and i needed those tips to undo years of bad habits. and i'll drive.

kozball · « **Reply #28 on:** June 24, 2013, 10:06:07 PM »

Pick a date and we will check the match schedule for the 600. Later in the day probably works the best as the range clears in the PM. I am always ready to go TRY to learn some things.

And I need to take a peek thru John's scope.

And try to get some basic load data.

Any time, let me know.

Koz

gsd · « **Reply #29 on:** June 24, 2013, 11:16:22 PM »

I need some distance time...but first i need to load some rounds. (which I can do now thanks to a local connection, scored nearly 1k of berger and sierrar matchking 168's)

SemperFiGuy · « **Reply #30 on:** June 25, 2013, 12:02:02 AM »

Chris C:

If we could get enough people to admit it, we could have some patches made up, something on the order of:

"One Less Chronograph to Mess With"

"Didn't Give Good String Data Anyhow"

"I Shot My Chrony in Self Defense.....Honest"

"Shooters, 1.........Chronographs, 0"

and form a fairly exclusive club. Give out patches. Meet. Have club rules. Dues. By-laws....

Not the same as Harley-bonding, but actually, how many folks have really shot their chrony??

Something to think about.

sfg

bkoenig · « **Reply #31 on:** June 25, 2013, 10:13:40 AM »

By the way, I had another picture of Koz shooting but I decided not to post it because it was a direct shot of his butt. I was trying to get him shooting with John and my rifles in the frame but there was collateral damage......

kozball · « **Reply #32 on:** June 25, 2013, 10:17:11 AM »

There is enough scary stuff on the NET.

Thanks for not sharing. Nobody needs to see that.

Koz

wallace11bravo · « **Reply #33 on:** June 26, 2013, 12:36:16 PM »

Been finding myself getting an above average number of emails, pms, etc asking for advice for getting into precision rifles. Below is my most often issued piece of advice (gear wise).

glass... Glass... GLASS!!!

The most common thing I see with new shooters is skimped glass. Optics will make or break your rifle and your performance. Good glass needs to have high light transmission, good clarity, parallax adjustment (forget about focus, you won't need it), it needs to track correctly (box test), needs to have matching reticle and dials.

I will take a factory rifle with good glass over a GAP or AI with crap glass any day. Most factory bolt guns are sub MOA capable out of the box, which is really all one needs.

Rule of thumb: Your glass should cost twice as much as your stick.

Glass recommendations:
Schmidt and Bender
USO
Zeiss
Nightforce has long been considered the "best bang for the buck" glass-wise
Some vortex stuff has been getting very good reviews, and looks to be good bang for the buck

Others:
Leupy: I have seen firsthand, and many secondhand reports of issues with tracking correctly. In other words, after dialing out to 800, they won't return to zero. They skip or overtravel while dialing.

AFTER you get good glass, I recommend looking at replacing that cheap plastic stock. Those stocks tend to stress into the barrel when loading support or bipods. Get something pre-bedded or bedded by a good smith. Look for and adjustable comb, adjustable LOP, and, if you like, detachable magazines. I like the McCree Chassis, but there are plenty of fine options.

AFTER you get a decent stock, then look at muzzle devices. Brakes and cans, cans and brakes. They reduce recoil and help you spot your own splash and deliver effective second shot corrections, or just get back on target.

kozball · « **Reply #34 on:** June 26, 2013, 02:21:29 PM »

So what do you see most often for magnification? Seems to me that something like 8-25 might be the hot ticket.

Does anyone actually use their retical to range? Seems like it would be a good practice to learn, cause you may not always have your range finder. From what you have seen, does the retical have an effect on ranging thru to scope?

Sorry for all the questions, but there is sooo much info out there that it just gets as blurry as my right eye.

wallace11bravo · « **Reply #35 on:** June 26, 2013, 02:58:34 PM »

Quote from: kozball on June 26, 2013, 02:21:29 PM

So what do you see most often for magnification? Seems to me that something like 8-25 might be the hot ticket.

I, personally, like my 15x. I rarely have to dial back to avoid soda-straw syndrome, but I can still have a good sight picture on a MOA target at 800. I don't like having to run my mag to find my target, just another thing to monkey around with for no real gain. The only thing more magnification gives you is a more finite sight picture, it will not make you, the rifle, or anything else more accurate.

I find folks who run much over 20x tend to have to dial back quite a bit to find their targets, then dial in to make their reticle correct for firing their shot. Higher mag also equals more mirage. A fixed 10x will do most people just fine. Unless you are running a FFP scope, you only have one mag setting where your reticle is correct.

Quote from: kozball on June 26, 2013, 02:21:29 PM

Does anyone actually use their retical to range? Seems like it would be a good practice to learn, cause you may not always have your range finder. From what you have seen, does the retical have an effect on ranging thru to scope?

A lot of people do, including yours truly, up until about 3 months ago when I broke down and purchased a Swaro Laserguide. As far as LRFs go, unless you are willing to spend close to or more than $1k, don't waste your money. Your $200-400 Cabela's hunting LRF simply will not suffice much past 400 or 500.

Even if you do have a nice LRF, learn to mil range. Equipment fails, have an alternate method. Do not rely on appearance of object, bracketing, or unit of measure, as I can make anyone screw these up pretty easily.

Yes, the reticle is used to measure your target in mils or MOA, and if you know the dimensions of your target, you can get suprisingly close to the actual range.

Mil reading is ~0.8

(Target size in inches) X (27.7 for yards) = Constant
(Target size in inches) X (25.4 for meters) = Constant
24 X 27.7 = 666.48

(Constant) / (Mil Reading) = Range in yards/meters
666.48 / 0.8 = 833.1 yards

One thing I always forget to mention: Scope mounts and levels. Get quality rings and rails. Level, Loctite, and torque everything, and set your level using a plum line. I use an el cheapo scope level that works fine for me.

Chris C · « **Reply #36 on:** June 26, 2013, 05:03:15 PM »

Quote from: wallace11bravo on June 26, 2013, 12:36:16 PM

The most common thing I see with new shooters is skimped glass. Optics will make or break your rifle and your performance. Good glass needs to have high light transmission, good clarity, parallax adjustment (forget about focus, you won't need it), it needs to track correctly (box test), needs to have matching reticle and dials.

I took a 2 day precision rifle class last weekend and was amazed at some of the scopes I saw to be honest. Get something good and only buy it once. You mention forget about the focus if you have a parallax adjustment. I have a Nightforce 5.5-22x50 scope on the R700 I was using and throughout the 2 days I was having a heck of a time multiple times a day getting the reticle dark enough to see. Had to keep messing with the focus since one minute it would be cloudy and the next would be sunny. What is the best way to get the focus just right so I don't have to mess with it?

wallace11bravo · « **Reply #37 on:** June 26, 2013, 06:14:37 PM »

Quote from: Chris C on June 26, 2013, 05:03:15 PM

I have a Nightforce 5.5-22x50 scope on the R700 I was using and throughout the 2 days I was having a heck of a time multiple times a day getting the reticle dark enough to see. Had to keep messing with the focus since one minute it would be cloudy and the next would be sunny. What is the best way to get the focus just right so I don't have to mess with it?

1) Your glass most likely came with a sunshade. Use it. It helps protect your objective lens, makes your glass less sensitive to light changes, and minimizes scope flash (if you are concerned with such things)

2) Nightforces are usually set pretty well for most people right out of the box, if you do need to make adjustments do the following:

-Set mag to highest setting
-Set parallax to infinity symbol
-Look through your scope and INSTANTLY determine if your reticle is in focus. Do not squint and look at it for a long time, do not attempt to look through it and make adjustments at the same time. Your eye will gradually acclimate, and you will not have a solid adjustment.

!!! YOU ARE ONLY CONCERNED WITH RETICLE FOCUS !!! I recommend looking into the sky for this so you are not concerned with anything but the reticle.

If it is not instantly in focus, make an adjustment one way or the other (counter-clockwise is usually best with NF) and check again. It may take several turns. Once you are close you can quickly make small adjustments until the reticle is as crisp as possible (while looking through the scope, key word is "quickly"). Set your lock ring and never touch it again.

What you experienced was most likely the result of eyestrain due to your reticle not being in focus. Your eye acclimating to the out-of-focus reticle got worn out and would occasionally give up on trying to compensate. Also, if you are shooting into the sun without a sunshade, I would expect nearly any reticle to get washed out.

Just for my info, whose class did you take?

Chris C · « **Reply #38 on:** June 26, 2013, 06:47:05 PM »

I did have the sunshade on and tried the pointing the rifle at the sky when messing with the focus once but had the power level low and don’t remember where the parallax setting was. I will make sure the magnification setting is on high and parallax to infinity next time I mess with the scope. It was taken up at 88 Tactical. Thanks!

CDavies · « **Reply #39 on:** June 26, 2013, 10:44:10 PM »

Gentlemen
Glad that you are using the ENGC facilities for the enjoyment of shooting.

I do have a problem with the picture of a shooting benched rolled up on it's front. This is not how they were designed to be used or the purpose that ENGC supplies them to the members. Please respect ENGC property and use the property in the manner they were intended.

Thank You
Chris Davies
ENGC VP