Lesson 21 Mounting, Zeroing & Box Testing your Scope

Basic Lesson :

As requested some people have asked to demonstrate and describe the process we use to mount and zero our scopes as well as how we go about box testing them. What I have put together is a series of complimentary lessons that take you from mounting to zeroing to box testing.

I want to start off saying this is not the only way, but a way. We tend to move a lot of scopes, I get a new scope in for both use and review almost every month of the year when you average it out. Moving them from rifle to rifle we have developed a pretty easy way for use to do this.

Hopefully we’ll point out it doesn’t have to be a project, but rather something you find less daunting after viewing these lessons.

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Lesson 20 – Using a Rear Bag Correctly

Using a Rear Bag

As requested here is a basic lesson that focuses on the rear bag so you can see exactly what we are doing.

This morning I set up and mounted the new Nightforce F1 scope with the Hi Rev turrets featuring 10 mils per turn. After which I took the rifle to the range to zero it and check it. From there I rolled right into this lesson. Hopefully this will illuminate the position we are using a bit better than what is found in our other lessons.

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Introduction to Shooting Moving Targets Lesson 19a

Advanced Lesson: Introduction to Moving Targets

Movers are very difficult to practice as not many ranges have the equipment needed to practice this necessary skill.

In field shooting, rarely will the target be stationary. In hunting, animals will always be on the move. It is sometimes difficult to tell their speed as some of them have legs longer than ours. A bull elk will appear to be moving very slowly, but he will actually be covering a good bit of ground.

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Lesson #12a Introduction to Reading the Wind

Dead calm or rolling with gusts to 45 MPH, it is up to you to make the wind call and get the hit on target.

Obviously, if the range is short, the wind doesn’t present too much difficulty. That is unless you are shooting for group size in a benchrest competition. Benchrest operates under a different set of rules and is a completely different discipline. We will ignore that sort of shooting for now.

In the past, mainstay training methods or what we call legacy skills called for the field shooter to wait for a wind condition that more suits the shooter. It was taught to either wait for a condition they are familiar with or not shoot at all. There is even the option to change the Final Firing Position to one that would negate the effects of wind to a great degree, either up or down wind. These techniques as well as a few others can help the shooter with getting the hit but only on their limited terms. They are well known and even practiced today by a great many shooters. No slag on these shooters, but it is not a very efficient method, as this way of shooting will result in a lot of missed opportunities.

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Lesson #11b Assessing the Position pt 2

“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” — George Bernard Shaw

This is Basic video lesson, the written document is the same as Lesson 11A and is meant to work together. This lesson introduces the shooter to more alternate positions and how one can assess the position before taking the shot.

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Lesson #11a Assessing the Position

Basic Lesson:
Not every shot is made with comfort. Time may be short, you may be in a pile of rubble, or the position may be very difficult to obtain. Hopefully we can help you work through some of that.

The so-called ”flat deck” at Rifles Only is 1000 yards long. All these ranges can be shot from a prone position. In fact, you can lie on the tower and get dope from 100-1000 yards in relative comfort and even in the shade. This will make for some very valuable data gathering. The proper data is absolutely essential to knowing what your rifle will do at various ranges and with differing wind conditions. We also work very hard to have a varied target package. Frank is diligent in assuring that the gross targets are present but also very small targets that force you to be very precise. Good on you if you can hit an “E” type target, but keep in mind that full value targets in the field are very rare. Competition and courses here at Rifles Only force you to shoot to a higher standard than that huge full value “E” type. This training pays off. Having the confidence to hit a partially obscured target at an odd range is a valuable skill set. The other side of field shooting is that the prone shot is the rare shot.

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Lesson #10b Believe the Bullet pt 2

Basic Lesson:
Believing the Bullet and being able to get that second shot follow up is what makes the difference between a good range shooter and a great field shooter. Field Shooter have to deal with a slightly different set of conditions, so you have to be adapt at being able to see the results of your impact downrange and correcting for any misses.

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Believe the Bullet Lesson #10a

This basic lesson describes advanced concepts and techniques. It does not give you license to let the basics go by the wayside.

I will first line this out for you in what we see time and again at RIFLES ONLY. During a competition, we have several stages that are two shot stages. The first round hit will garner the full 100 points. If that is missed, the shooter is allowed one additional shot for half the value.

The first shot is taken and missed. The shooter will then make a follow up and miss in exactly the same spot. This presents a huge problem. The rifle is fine, the optic is fine, and the conditions have not changed. The issue is that the shooter did exactly the same thing twice. Even though it didn’t work the first time, he/she did it again.

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Lesson 18 Mirage

Basic Lesson: Mirage

Mirage is tool, when used correctly it can help a shooter determine small changes in the winds velocity, however mirage also has its limitations. The shooter has to know when mirage can help, and when focusing on mirage can be a distraction, even a detriment.

Mirage is best used to help gauge winds who’s velocity is less than 8 MPH, in fact mirage works best in light winds as it will give you a better indication of the movement and changes than the surrounding features, such as grass or trees. However we have seen mirage fool many a shooter in both importance and how it distorts the target image so care must be taken when using mirage.

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Lesson # 9 Pre Shot Checklist

Basic Lesson: Pre Shot Checklist
The methods had to be quick and easy. They had to be easy to do and easy to remember. The Pre Shot checklist was what came out of this. It has evolved into a very clear and concise method that fits all of the criteria that we had in mind.

It is covered in every Rifles Only class on day one. It is repeated every day of the class. It is another tool that will keep you from looking like one.

In spite of the fact that it is hammered everyday, there are still those that will not take the method to heart. That is a bad mistake, as it will keep you from doing the wrong thing.

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