A Bad Day at the Shooting Clinic

rkittine

rkittine

Member
I went to the Clinic part of Bob White's BR School today. Took my Borden 6.5x47 Lapua as I had loads ready and it was sighted in for 100 yards, with the Nightforce 12x42 BR scope I had on it. The wind was howling and changing directions constantly. I shoot 1,000 yards with an Eye patch as I can not keep one eye closed and shoot at any power over 24 without getting muscle problems. Shooting with both eyes open has never worked for me, though I know I should be doing this to watch the wind flags.

So, I decided to shoot Score rather than Group. Put four sighters in to the sighter target and adjusted my scope and then shot 1 shot each at 5 targets on the first card. By the time that was done, nothing looked right through the scope. I am left eye dominant, but am the most comfortable shooting rifles and shotguns right handed. I do shoot pistols left handed.

One of the guys on the range played with my scope ran the parallax control full each way and said that it would not come clear and the thought that something was wrong with the scope. I have always used the parallax control to set so that head movement did not change the reticle position only. The reticle focus was set for my eyes with my prescription shooting glasses, so that might have been his problem with someone else fiddling with in, In any case, by the time I got the scope settled down as well as my eye, I ran out of time and did not shoot the second target. Actually had the best score of the group on a single target, but didn't amount to anything as I did not shoot the second one.

So now everything is out of adjustment on this scope. What procedure do you guys use setting up your Night Force Scopes and does everyone think I need to force myself to learn how to shoot with both eyes open, which is what I do shooing clays with a shotgun.

I did learn a few things today.

Bob
 
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I once had a NF scope like yours

At a match it went completely out of focus, then would come back, then out again. No amount of parallax adjustment would cure it. That wasn't the problem. That 56mm big heavy front lens assembly was loose and it would move to the point of being out of focus. NF A sent me a new one.
 
rkittine said:
I went to the Clinic part of Bob White's BR School today. Took my Borden 6.5x47 Lapua as I had loads ready and it was sighted in for 100 yards, with the Nightforce 12x42 BR scope I had on it. The wind was howling and changing directions constantly. I shoot 1,000 yards with an Eye patch as I can not keep one eye closed and shoot at any power over 24 without getting muscle problems. Shooting with both eyes open has never worked for me, though I know I should be doing this to watch the wind flags.

So, I decided to shoot Score rather than Group. Put four sighters in to the sighter target and adjusted my scope and then shot 1 shot each at 5 targets on the first card. By the time that was done, nothing looked right through the scope. I am left eye dominant, but am the most comfortable shooting rifles and shotguns right handed. I do shoot pistols left handed.

One of the guys on the range played with my scope ran the parallax control full each way and said that it would not come clear and the thought that something was wrong with the scope. I have always used the parallax control to set so that head movement did not change the reticle position only. The reticle focus was set for my eyes with my prescription shooting glasses, so that might have been his problem with someone else fiddling with in, In any case, by the time I got the scope settled down as well as my eye, I ran out of time and did not shoot the second target. Actually had the best score of the group on a single target, but didn't amount to anything as I did not shoot the second one.

So now everything is out of adjustment on this scope. What procedure do you guys use setting up your Night Force Scopes and does everyone think I need to force myself to learn how to shoot with both eyes open, which is what I do shooing clays with a shotgun.

I did learn a few things today.

Bob
Click to expand...

I adjust the reticle to where it is he sharpest, then the focus with the left knob. Most high end scopes will be parralex free at the best focus, or at least they should be.

Learn to shoot Benchrest with both eyes open, as it greatly aids in reading the conditions.
 
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Talked to NF, the scope is going back. I do not shoot free recoil and have a pacemaker, which means I can't shoot the gun left handed. I did think (as did my mentor) about trying that, but that will not work for me. Even if I did shoot free recoil, just setting up the shot might be an issue for my left shoulder.

Bob
 
rkittine said:
Talked to NF, the scope is going back. I do not shoot free recoil and have a pacemaker, which means I can't shoot the gun left handed. I did think (as did my mentor) about trying that, but that will not work for me. Even if I did shoot free recoil, just setting up the shot might be an issue for my left shoulder.

Bob
Click to expand...

Check out the off set ring mounts, it would bring the scope over enough so you could use your left eye and would make it much easier to keep both eyes open. I have seen a guy use a set up like that and it works real good.

Maybe not for changing distant shooting. But shooting bench matches shouldn't be an issue.
 
I am going to try some different things. Yesterday, since the scope had gone back into Focus (I would have thought that it was maybe eye fatigue if Bob White and the range office on the line hadn't tried and found the same problem) I went to the range to see if it would do it again. I used the procedure in the manual, Parallax set to infinity, adjust the reticle out of focus and then back in and then set parallax. Stayed in focus the whole time, so I wanted to see about recoil. I tried to have both eyes open, but it just wouldn't work. I have not given up on that, but Boyd and I have talked about some other options to try.

I took my unused card from last Saturday's match and hung it at 200 yards to see what I could do at a father distance. Put my eye patch on my right eye. Cranked in the adjustment that my Ballistic Calculator said I would need for the change in distance and then fired one shot. The upper left one on the "Sighter". Moved the windage to the right and fired two more, then moved elevation and shot one. The wind was moderate and I did not have any wind flags, (haven't bought any yet) so shot the 5 score targets and a few more sighters. Not great, but I was pretty happy that the scope stayed in focus and I shot 50 1 X at 200 yards on a 100 yard target.

Bob
 

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That wouldn't be a bad target at 100 yards but at 200 yards? That's 1/4 MOA shooting; EXCELLENT!
 
I also learned a lot about Nightforce Customer Service. They told me to go ahead and send the scope back, got a RMA for the return and today a package showed up (the scope only shipped yesterday so this was sent to me after my phone call to them) with a Night Force Ball Cap.

Since I don't have my Borden cap yet and don't have a Hammond Hat, I can at least shoot with a hat from something on a couple of my rifles? Nightforce, Sightron etc. The guy I shoot with the most makes fun of me if I do not have a matching hat on for the gun I am shootings, so I have a closet full or Firearm and Firearm Related hats. Fortunately there is a local embroiderer that will make up about any logo cheaply as long as I get person from the copy right holder, which so far as not been a problem for those companies that do not have hats available.

Bob
 
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The scope got to NF and was set up in their recoil test fixture at three times the expected recoil of my gun. No problem found, but then they found an issue with the rear focus and fixed it. It will be back on its way to me today.

Bob
 
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