Newbie Questions on Scope Choice(s)

G

Gene Anderson

New member
Have always "lurked" at Benchrest Central but just got registered....got a PPC rifle up and running and am trying to decide on scope reticle type and thought I would ask here on what most prefer....talking about short range BR do most prefer 1)Fine cross hair 2) Fine cross hair with dot or maybe a duplex cross hair? Also, in regards to the standard BR target for 100yds, where do most use as the aiming point if you are trying to center your shots in the "mothball"? Thanks in advance. Gene
 
If you are just starting out, get a standard cross hair and small dot. Over time you will decide where you shoot best based on target hold. Then the standard setup scope will sell/trade better if you want to change later.


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I've had both fine crosshair and 1/8 dot. For me the 1/8 dot is to big. That's half a bullet hole.
I prefer the fine crosshair. If you know anyone that would let you shoot a rig with adopt and without would help you decide. If you find a good used Leupold at a nice price they don't charge a lot to change reticle


I aim at 12'oclock on the moth ball and have them printing first match of the morning anyway center of moth ball

Some aim center of moth ball some at 6'oclock. The important thing IMO others will vary. Have the bullet impact as close as you can to your point of aim. When the push is on and your trying to calculate how much to hold it will be easier especially at 200 yds.
 
I prefer to hold so that the top edge of my horizontal cross hair just touches the edge of the mothball, and the vertical cross hair splits it, and adjust my scopes so that bullets impact near the center of the mothball. For me, using that hold, a dot just gets in the way. The reason that I changed to this point of aim is to have a better reference when shooting at 200 yards. I set up so that as the mirage bounces the mothball, that I am aligned with its lowest positon. Lots of other shooters do differently. I make no claims as to my method's superiority. It is what seems to work well for me. I found holding in the middle of a rather large blank space, while its borders were constantly moving to be less precise. Shooters that have not shot high magnification scopes (36x and up), which would include virtually all who are starting out in benchrest, will have no way to really understand what I am referring to.
 
I really don't know why the dot has such popularity, but it does. If you can see the crosshair..why would a dot be better..or as good? I'm actually asking! Likely, the dot is easier to see for some but I don't actually know....

I do believe that as long as the wind will move a bullet along the way it doesn't really matter but would like to know what others think.
 
Thanks for all the input....I was thinking along the lines of just a crosshair without the dot and will go that direction based upon some responses and what I was kind of thinking as well. Appreciate the responses in regard to aiming point....as I had always heard that aiming right at the mothball and having your impact there also would destroy your sight picture. Thanks again.

Gene
 
Welcome Aboard Gene.
I like the Leupold w/dot. It's easy to pick up, quick. And it's very useful when shooting Score targets. The dot covers the bullseye perfect.
Have you watched the Jack Neary vids. on youtube? I sat through 2 in person. And the vids are the same.....lot of info...
 
yes you do not want to shoot the point you are aiming at...except in score...hit the dot is the name of the game.
there is no dot to hold on in the group targets,, so you need to pick a point of aim and a point of impact.
aim low, impact slightly hi from what i saw at my one short range group match.
i use cross hairs with small dots at 100, and just a dot at 600/1000

Gene Anderson said:
Thanks for all the input....I was thinking along the lines of just a crosshair without the dot and will go that direction based upon some responses and what I was kind of thinking as well. Appreciate the responses in regard to aiming point....as I had always heard that aiming right at the mothball and having your impact there also would destroy your sight picture. Thanks again.

Gene
Click to expand...
 
Lee Martin said:
I hold 7 o'clock on the moth ball. The horizontal cross hair is touching the bottom on the circle, the vertical is aligned with the left inner edge of the square.

-Lee
www.singleactions.com
Click to expand...

I like the thought of that. I may give it a try. It's important to try a few holds out. But trust me from experience you want to pick one and stick with it. You don't want to get caught coming back up from the sighter trying to remember where you were holding. That kinda sux
 
I was wondering about how to incorporate the square into the sighting picture and I see advantages to what you describe Lee.....thanks to all again for giving me some insight to start with.

Gene
 
Tim..I know what you meant but when you go to the sighter, and return, it doesn't matter where you aimed for the shots already fired...doesn't matter at all. In fact, an aiming point is often a nebulous spot that can change every shot. The correct method (in my mind), and likely the quickest when the wind will kill you, is to not try to look where the bullet hole is on the target but rather where the hole is in the scope. Put the "visualized scope hole" on the group and pull the trigger....the time it takes to shoot a record shot when coming from the sighter is often critical.

I suppose I'm also saying that if the wind is the most limiting factor and you get caught having to shoot when you don't want to....forget about all that other stuff that might cause your group to be a half bullet hole bigger. Find a spot to hold and just shoot - as quickly as possible.

Think about this for a moment and try to realize what I'm saying. They don't measure your scope but they do measure the bullet holes.
 
Two things, OK one thing:

1)
2) I'm not sure that other folks do it like that...probably...but not sure.
 
Wilbur said:
I really don't know why the dot has such popularity, but it does. If you can see the crosshair..why would a dot be better..or as good? I'm actually asking! Likely, the dot is easier to see for some but I don't actually know....

I do believe that as long as the wind will move a bullet along the way it doesn't really matter but would like to know what others think.
Click to expand...

I think for the same reason an aperature sight works. It's instinctive in as much as your eye naturally centers it with less strain. It is a moderately larger object your eye easily acquires, especially at 200 yards, especially if you're a runner at 200 in particular. I tend to believe it also works well in moderate mirage, again, because it's a natural process to acquire and center. I suspect even when the mothball is dancing, your brain tends to find center to some extant.
 
Paul Wolfe was as good a shot as any but he had an aiming ritual that I could never understand. I really don't think he fully understood, but everytime he got out that good shooting rifle he beat me. Certainly, Paul was a bunch smarter than it seemed and he may have used a different ritual than he described to me...but I don't think so. When he "missed", he missed very badly. The verbal comment when this occurred was simply " Sh$t Far" (Fire for the Yankees reading).

Another thing Paul would do was to call me with an extremely deep question. He would talk for maybe five minutes and hang up without me saying anything. Either he found the answer while he talked, knew I didn't know anyway, or really didn't have a question. I'll never know that answer either, on both accounts, as I often didn't understand the question. He may have called just to screw me up for a match or two.
 
Tim - You're probably right as the dots win as often as the no dots. I did have a scope with a dot that covered most of the mothball and found a way to shoot it pretty good. The mothball had a bit of white all around...just a bit.
 
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