sight picture

[shooter86314]

While I am working thru issues with my eyes and various scopes, I want to ax this question, tho I realize that there might be several answers: Is there a preferred or optimum reticle, target, and sight picture which yields best results? Circles? Dots? Fine crosshairs? Squares?

I am working with my Rem700, chambered in essentially 6mm-250, 85 grain bullets. I have achieved several 5-shot groups below half-inch, but I am not consistent. My Weaver CT-24 has a half-inch dot. I hold my half-inch dot inside a 5/8" circle or square. Several representative target sheets are attached

 

[vtmarmot]

I'm no expert, but I would have to say that a half-inch dot is a bit largish for a 24 power scope. I would think 1/4 minute would be more appropriate, especially since you are trying to shoot groups much small than your dot.

I have a bunch of scopes from 24 to 45 power, mostly in 36X. The 24's wear cross hairs and most of the 36's have 1/8 minute dots, as does the 45X. The little dot works great for score shooting, where I like to place the dot in the top edge of the dime-sized "mothball".

I do the same thing with the cross-hair scopes, but that little dot seems to nestle in there real nice and inspire confidence..

It comes down to preference, really, but finer dots and crosshairs allow more precise aiming, generally.

 

[philipbrousseau]

target suited to reticle

first i'll say i'm not up to the class of the shooters on this site. i do load work for friends and my own rifles. mainly hunting rifles and a few tactical type guns. i cut my targets out of white paper the proper size to give me a precise aiming point for the reticle i'm working with. large enough that i can see enough white to precisely center the reticle on the target. it works well for leupold heavy duplex or 1\8 minute cross hairs. i have a 500 yard range at my house and make the targets the correct size for the distance i'm shooting. when i use a mill dot for aiming i do the same thing you are doing. i don't want to shoot away the aiming point on small targets at 100 yards taking away the ability of my eye to find the center.

 

[mks]

It comes down to preference, really, but finer dots and crosshairs allow more precise aiming, generally.

Agreed. It boils down to what you like that you can aim with a small +/- tolerance.

Your 1/2" dot inside a 5/8" circle can probably be judged considerably better than 1/16" (the gap between the two). If, say, you can keep the gap within 10% of being the same all the way around, your aiming error is only 0.1 x 1/16" = 0.00625". That is plenty good enough for a half inch gun.

 

[powderbrake]

I use dots on my scopes , so I make circles that are slightly larger than my dots. That allows you to get some white around the dot to be sure it is in the circle.

Here are a few that I use.

 

[vtmarmot]

No doubt being able to place your dot so that you get a narrow circle of white around it promotes precise aiming. If you can match the target to the reticle, then that is probably your best situation. In most shooting games, the target is dictated to us, so we choose the reticle best suited to that target, at least for our personal shooting style. In long range target shooting or hunting, the range of variables can be much greater, with wide variations in target, distance, wind, lighting etc. That's where you tend to see the most complex reticles, to allow for more adaptability. If you're shooting short range bench rest up to 300 yards, you don't need a complex reticle, and small dots or plain fine crosshairs tend to be most common.

 

[Wilbur]

Here's what I don't understand.....

Let's say you have a dot that fits inside a circle on the target. What do you do if the wind changes?

 

[vtmarmot]

Good point.

If you're a "modern" shooter, you just crank the windage knob some.

 

[doghunter]

Let's say you have a dot that fits inside a circle on the target. What do you do if the wind changes?

At my local range here in Oz the wind can switch a bit and as the competitions that I shoot (.22 RF, at the mercy of the wind) are time limited there is little point in trying to tweak the dials.

I found it easier to use a sight with MilDot graduations, zeroed on a calm day.

On the day of the comp, watch the flags, fire a few sighters and note the drift (offset) by using the MilDots to measure where one aimed and where the holes appeared.

Fire a few more sighters using the MilDots to compensate and confirm that the 10 ring is achievable. Then it's just a matter of waiting for that condition to return and banging them down-range as quick as possible whilst that condition persists.

If the wind switches the options are to wait for the 'condition' to return or establish a new offset, depends on the time left and your cojones.

Before I go, I would like to thank Wilbur and all the usual suspects for making this a most enjoyable website, I have learned heaps so all you people have a great and safe Christmas holiday.

Regards from down-under * doghunter *

 

[vtmarmot]

I would have to say that the Mil-dot recticle is probably the simplest of the "complex" reticles to which I refer. That is especially true (on a variable power scope) if you have a reticle in the first focal plane so gaps between the Mil-dots always mean the same thing regardless of magnification. I have a couple of variables with Mil-dots in the second focal plane, so I have to set them on a power that the graduations are calculated for. Either that, or I have to calculate what the differential is at each power.

In fact, the only first focal plane variable that I own is a german Pecar 4-10 with a German number 4 reticle. That may be useful if I ever decide to hunt wild boar over bait by moonlight, but for range finding or windage calculation, not so good. The gap between the posts and the center is just too great for good judgement. That being said, the Pecar is an excellent scope and was a real gun show bargain at 50 bucks.

I too would like to thank Wilbur and friends for an excellent site, and for all the people who put up with my semi-informed ramblings. It's a creative outlet when my work doesn't invite creativity (which is typical). Merry Christmas to all of you.

And Dog-hunter, do you have prairie dogs in OZ, do you come to the U.S. to hunt them, or do you hunt Dingos? What do you think of the Thylacine? Are they still out there? Myself, I'm beginning to think so.

 

[Wilbur]

I think...

...Y'all are talking about something I'm not familiar with. That said, it wouldn't be the first time for sure and it's getting to be a normal consequence. Having written that, if you're dealing with the wind, and you understand that your shots will strike in relation to the direction and strength of the wind then all that's left is the time you have and how you do it. Concerning group shooting, you're up against two things...The quality of your rifle and where the crosshair is when you pull the trigger.

I don't think I've ever seen a "winner" turning the knobs on the scope between shots. Could be, but I've never seen it.

 

[Bill Gammon]

If the wind is blowing that hard to move the bullet 1" or greater, I do not want to shoot in it, but if I have to, I will, but under protest, (which no one hears).

 

[doghunter]

Feral dogs

And Dog-hunter, do you have prairie dogs in OZ, do you come to the U.S. to hunt them, or do you hunt Dingos? What do you think of the Thylacine? Are they still out there? Myself, I'm beginning to think so.

Dingos are a protected native animal. I hunt feral dogs. They run in packs and can decimate a flock of sheep and kill calves. They are a such problem in the high country around here that the Govt. put a bounty on them.

I never hunt them alone as they have been known to attack people. If we get a few dogs the farmers are most grateful people imaginable.

Here's a piccy, this brute weighed 50 lbs

* doghunter *

 

[zippy06]

Let's say you have a dot that fits inside a circle on the target. What do you do if the wind changes?

It's decision time.
Hold over. just like anything.
I found it's not good to leave the 10 ring. When shooting Score......Sometimes it goes where you aimed......

 

[Greyfox]

It's decision time.
Hold over. just like anything.
I found it's not good to leave the 10 ring. When shooting Score......Sometimes it goes where you aimed......

Outstanding idea. However, it doesn't work very well in a 20 mph wind @ 200 yards, much less 300 with a .224 & a 53 gr bullet. Sometimes holding on the target frame works pretty well.

Rick

 

[vtmarmot]

Doghunter, I hear ya about wild dogs. We had packs of them in central Georgia. Nasty looking creatures without collars that haunted the river bottoms. Kept the deer looking over their shoulders. I had a pack trail me to my stand one time.

A lot of folks would abandon unwanted animals in our area. That's how these packs got started. I found a group of puppies in a culvert one time. When I came back with a box for them, they were gone.

Another time we were working on deer stands out in the middle of nowhere. Two nice young yellow labs came up and jumped in the back of the truck. Fortunately, they had plastic vet hospital collars on them. The vet helped us locate the previous owner who had given them to someone who didn't properly look after them. He took them back and found a better home for them.

I still want to know if you think the Thyacline, the Tasmanian Tiger, still exists? There has been some news of sightings recently that seem credible.

 

[Michael Huebner]

Doghunter, I hear ya about wild dogs. We had packs of them in central Georgia. Nasty looking creatures without collars that haunted the river bottoms. Kept the deer looking over their shoulders. I had a pack trail me to my stand one time.

A lot of folks would abandon unwanted animals in our area. That's how these packs got started. I found a group of puppies in a culvert one time. When I came back with a box for them, they were gone.

Another time we were working on deer stands out in the middle of nowhere. Two nice young yellow labs came up and jumped in the back of the truck. Fortunately, they had plastic vet hospital collars on them. The vet helped us locate the previous owner who had given them to someone who didn't properly look after them. He took them back and found a better home for them.

I still want to know if you think the Thyacline, the Tasmanian Tiger, still exists? There has been some news of sightings recently that seem credible.

Locals say Yes the scientists say No

 

[doghunter]

I still want to know if you think the Thyacline, the Tasmanian Tiger, still exists? There has been some news of sightings recently that seem credible.

I don't know, and if I found one I would not tell because it would be hounded to death by well meaning 'scientists'.

Anyway we seem to have drifted a bit off topic, the OP asked about sight picture so I still think that a MilDot reticule is worth checking out.

* doghunter *

 

[shooter86314]

late for the train

Thanks, everybody.