Today I went out to the range early enough to do what is typically not done at this paticular range.
I used the 100 yard lane..only one...with a big big bern to the rear. I set up targets
at ESTiMATED 45 yrds, 65 yrds, 85 yrds, and 100 yards. I sighted in at each distance with
the 45 being zero on the turret. This is a Big SkY II sightron scope. Rings are high burris signature.
I then counted the number of clicks from target to target. Each click is 1/4 moa, as stated on top of turret.
Bottom line in terms of actual moa:
0, 1, 4, 6

This is different from what was posted in the past by a few members. A few were close to the
following settings: 0, 2, 5, 8.5

The difference could be weather, mounting rings?,ammo, and yardages. ...and me. I didn't have an opportunity to double check. Not an easy morning. Rushing, cold, wind blowing at me, slight angle.

Protocol at the match will only allow me to sight in on a 2inch steel circle at 40 meters.
Will the above posted numbers (0, 2, 5, 8.5) be a good/safe approximation? I need to just shoot and not think about this anymore, at least for this sunday. My only goal is to get out there and knock one or more down. Fwiw...shooting sv aquilla "super extra".

The 0,2,5, and 8.5 are closer to my actual experience, but ymmv, every gun is different, ammo diferences, shooter diferences, etc....Our scope settings don't vary much if at all at different venues around the country, but there are times when conditions will play with you a bit....Any chance of you getting a spotter to work with to make adjustments "on the fly"?

Kitty

Is the match you are shooting at using yards or meters? I got my dope figured out for yards and was in a real panic when 100 yards become 100 meters which is 109 yards at the first match I attended.

Using CCI SV, I'm using 0, 2 minutes, 4.75 minutes, 8.5 minutes out of my CZ 453 Varmint. Both ranges I shoot at have swingers where you can shoot off a rest and check your settings during the practice time before the match. I shoot the top of the swinger and the bottom of the swinger to see if I'm centered on it and use a center hold when shooting off hand.

I've only shot three actual matches and am firmly stuck in B class so take my advice understanding my meager experience in this game.

Good luck!

As Kitty mentions, the settings will definitely vary due with rifle/ammo/scope and even weather/lighting conditions. My settings with my Anschutz 1712 with fairly tall rings holding a Weaver T24 shooting Lapua Center-X ammo at around 1060fps with zero at chickens, +2 minutes for pigs, +4 minutes for turkeys, and +8 minutes for rams. That's at my usual range. I occasionally vary one click (1/4 minute) up or down at pigs and turkeys, and up to 2 clicks (1/2 minute) up or down at rams depending on weather/lighting conditions and where I'm shooting at. These are all based on getting a zero at chickens for that particular day. I've been to a few matches where my chicken zero changed up to 3/4 minute from one day to the next due to big changes in weather and lighting. Note that this does not account for any wind conditions, as those change much more often and I deal with those at the line when shooting. Settings can vary with changes in ammo in the same rifle and scope, also. A couple lots of Wolf/SK ammo that I've used needed another full minute of elevation at rams above what that lot of Center X needs, presumably because it shoots that much slower. Now that I think about it, with the same rifle and Center X ammo when I was using a Leupold 30X scope, my settings from zero at chicken were +2.25 minutes for pigs, +4.5 minutes for turkeys and 8.75 minutes for rams.

Then you have to consider what is true zero. If your 40 Meter setting is 1 somebody else's is 0 that's less than 1/2 inch off. Average Rifle groups 1/2 inch at 50, is the setting from the top bottom or center of the group. Little bit off at Chicken distance means more off = one rifle to the other, at Ram distance.

It's not real important your settings match anybody else's as long as Your gun centers it's groups up on each target.
Only way I know of to tell is long run groups offhand on paper Silhouette targets, actual size range and light condition.

Boats

I appreciate the commentary, not to mention a growing awareness of the demands
upon a silhouette shooter. I'll get there early and see if I can post some paper sil
targets of the same size..which I have printed up. Another head scratcher for me
is the consequences of using tall mounts. Yes, they help me with a more erect
head but a competitor bench rest shooter wanted me know that parallax will exacerbate
any near miss. He didn't care that I had a scope with AO and I couldn't defend the rings
because I am yet to figure out how AO takes parallax out of the equation. No matter, he did loose some credibility when he told me that I needed to dump the stock (1712), too. I do need to spend more time at a range with offhand shooters and no matter how confused I manage to make myself I feel good about stepping into these waters. I don't have to make a single hole. Close enough will do with some refining along the way.

You can safely ignore his opinion of the stock. He probably thinks that the shape won't ride benchrest gear well, which is correct but not as relevant to a game that's shot standing as fit to the shooter in the offhand position. The adjustable objective takes parallax out of the equation by correctly focusing the image from the objective lens onto the reticle of the scope at different distances. This means that even if you move your head around slightly in relation to the scope the placement of the center of the reticle does not move in the image relative to the target. Without an adjustable objective scope, the image of the target through the objective lens is only correctly focused on the reticle (the actual wires) when the target is one specific distance away. Shorter rings may give a bit more consistent cheek weld on the comb and therefore a more consistent positioning of the eye relative to the scope in some cases, but it's better to actually adjust the parallax out altogether and not have to worry about it at all. The taller rings allow a more upright position of the head, which improves balance and steadiness in most shooters. This depends on the body build and preference of the shooter, though. I have seen some shooters shoot very well with short rings. Those shooters tended to be shorter and stockier, but there are exceptions. Our targets are shot at known distances using adjustable objective and elevation settings established for those distances, so needing to have the scope close to the bore doesn't apply to silhouette shooting like it does with hunting shots with rifles with non-AO scopes and unknown distances.

If you do have the benchrest expertise there to draw from, if he is a successful competitor get him to share some knowledge of reading wind and light conditions for their effect on point of impact. I came to silhouette after a brief venture into smallbore benchrest shooting. Even though I decided that it wasn't the sport for me, I did learn quite a bit in a sport where a difference in 1/10th of an inch for one shot out an entire match is massive. There's a reason they obsess over those wind flags.

It's easy to get bad info when starting something new. Have shot competitive rifle longer than I care to admit Competitive shotguns about 2 years. Last couple of years with the shotgun a few paid lesions and lot of range sessions only 2 people have given what I consider good advice. Most not only useless but distracting when shooting. One of my Rifle shooting buddy’s is a top level Sporting Clays competitor, lean more watching him than anything else. Everything top level shooters do is for a reason well worth "going to school" on methods.

Best thing is find somebody who knows what they are doing at your local match and see if they will work with you. After the match is a good time to ask questions. Use this forum as a point of reference. Have never seen any bad info posted. Difference of opinion yes but still good information. Search function will help a lot.

Boats

Bill, the settings for your range may vary based on whether it is in yards or meters, as some ranges share rifle/pistol NRA/IMSHA formats. This is where a log book comes in very handy, recording the range, date, weather conditions, lighting, ammo, and found elevations for the scope.
As for bench vs offhand, there are a lot of bench shooters that are fantastic technicians, but they no nothing about shooting offhand. And as Boats pointed out, there is lots of advice out there, some good and some bad. My recommendation is to find local top shooters, and work with them, set a goal of improving your scores. What works for one shooter may not always work for another so listen, try if you want to and if it works then go with it. As far as listening to a bench shooter with regard to scope height, he is not necessarily correct as in most shooters balance is key to successful sight picture. Most of all go have fun!

Mary

I have the same scope as you do. I use a Anschutz 1712 and previously used a CZ 452. With high rings (and a shim under the back ring).

For both, I use 0, 2, 4, 8.

Joe

Remember, it's not rocket science (it is projectile physics but forget I said that!)

When you get to the match, go to the chickens and get your rifle shooting dead on at the chicken distance and set that as your zero. Then go to pigs and get it dead on for that, write down that number (It will be ABOUT 2 moa) then go to turkeys and get that number (it will be ABOUT 4 moa) then go to rams and get your number for that (it will be ABOUT 7.5 moa). Repeat before each and every match you ever shoot. Dont worry if your numbers are not the same as you read here or as someone else. Just make sure they are correct for your rifle on that range on that day.

And put your scope wherever you are comfortable as long as it's within the rules. My scopes are all set high.

Also, Mary gave some great advice about having a mentor of sorts at your club. I shot my first match in June 2011. The two best shooters at our club were Jerry Tureau and Joe DuBoulay. I must have asked each of them 10,000 questions and they answered each one. When I started shooting airguns, I asked Dee at least 1000 questions and he still answers my questions to this day. I made it to Master class in each rifle in a little over a year and one of the major reasons was because I didnt have to reinvent the wheel because I listened to what the experienced shooters told me. I DID NOT listen to anything that some benchrest guy told me about my equipment! I still run lots of ideas and questions by shooters that I know all over the country.

The point is that EVERYTHING has been tried by someone either at your club or here on SteelChickens so dont waste your time learning lessions that others have already learned and can tell you all about; just ASK and listen. Oh, I also shot through 5000 pellets in a month with my airgun and once shot an entire brick of 22 at a chicken swinger on one Saturday; so shoot a lot too!

Dustin

Air Gun is a real good training tool. Mine is a standard 10 Meter competition rifle with one of my old Silhouette scopes mounted. Use a 10 meter target trap with the official NRA indoor air rifle silhouette targets. It's perfectly accurate no changing distances to confuse things, Miss is a miss and recorded with a pellet hole, lack of variables lets you fine tune position .

Boats

Dustin,

I do the same as you do, as I think most people do. But you missed an important stipulation he had:

"Protocol at the match will only allow me to sight in on a 2inch steel circle at 40 meters."

Never heard of that before, but it seems he doesn't get to figure out settings for each distance on the day of the match. Hate to shoot that match much.

Joe

jloehle wrote:Dustin,

I do the same as you do, as I think most people do. But you missed an important stipulation he had:

"Protocol at the match will only allow me to sight in on a 2inch steel circle at 40 meters."

Never heard of that before, but it seems he doesn't get to figure out settings for each distance on the day of the match. Hate to shoot that match much.

Joe

Yeah, I didn't catch that. That SUCKS! I bet the scores at that match are terrible. Which Hitler descendant is running that match?? I guess if I couldn't zero in just before the match I'd show up really early and get some zeros?? I would surely bring some paper targets with stands or swingers and walk out and set them up at each distance and make someone tell me that I cant shoot it.

I've never been to a match with such restrictions. Which match is it??

Dustin

Dustin,

The guys that shoot at this club are really good, not to mention "members." They even have ten pins to hand out! As members they know exactly where the banks of steel are placed match after match. And, they can come out anytime to zero new equipment. I'll get there early with some paper targets and see what adjustments are possible. Though I prefer to not think that I'm just throwing metal down range without an accurate zero, no matter what happens I'll carry forth and know that if I join this club these guys will be a delight. A pure treasure trove, to quote a fellow shooter, just like the members here. The moa approximations that you guys post are a good reference point. Glad to have them!

Thanks to all, Bill