Sighting at differing ranges

[wolverine]

all my plinking/pesting rifles have inexpensive midot scopes mounted on them.  the farthest i've had to shoot a pest is just over 50 yards, and most of them are right at 25 yards.  i use the simple method of finding hold over/under.  all three of my yard rifles are sighted in at 25 yards.  then i set targets at 10, 15, 20, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50 yards and shot groups of 10 and recorded how many mildots they hit high or low.  if the hits at 15 and 20 yards were minute of hosp at both ranges, i dismissed the 15 yard to keep from having too busy a card taped to the rifle stock.  now when i see a pest at a spot in the yard (i memorized the distances of the trees, bushes, bird feeders) i look at the card and instantly know how to aim.


i also have a dedicated "upstairs" rifle for sniping out the bedroom window.  that rifle was sighted in the same way, but from the window, as poi will change with angled shots.

[Don.M]

They're likely adjusting the turrets off camera as you suspect. Below is a link to some detailed info about scope set-up. As you have the capability to adjust the speed(and trajectory)with your Benji, you may want to try this. Sight the gun in at 10 yards using 4 or 5 pumps. Move the target out to 20 yards and see where your impact is. At this point you can add or subtract a pump to change POI up or down as necessary.  Continue out to 35-40 yards. You can record your findings and keep them handy when out in the field. Years ago I found this method very effective with my Sheridan  and a 4X fixed scope.  Good luck!

pv 

OOPS! Forgot link...http://www.fekete-moro.hu/bfta-setup-manual/index-en.php#1

this is great advice, and shows the advantage of a pumper.  less pumps at close range lowers the possibility of a pass through too.

I plan on doing the 5 pump/10 yard thing this afternoon. I will let you all know how it turns out.

[Don.M]

I re-sighted my rifle for ten yards using 5 pumps. The 1st 3-shot group was about 1" low and 1/2" to the left. Once I got the groups vertically set, I switched to a fresh 1" target and fired 3 shots. the first two were vertically in line, but a touch left. So I dialed in a few clicks to the right and fired the third shot which hit the tiny bull.

So right now, I'm happy with the zero on the rifle on a target, now I just have to test it out under real conditions, with real chipmunks.

BTW, the pic is on it's left side, the first two shots were correct vertically, just a little left. The last shot was perfectly centered.

[KevinJBrown]

I always "have fun" putting at least a three shot group on a fresh bull after I have zeroed a rifle, just to confirm. Single shot adjustments have the tendency to drive people mad trying to figure out what the problem is afterwards.

[Bayman]

Quote
When setting up a BDC reticle dope sheet remember that the BDC values change with magnification. UNLESS it's a first focal plane scope which are expensive and not often seen on AGs. IMO"


Funny but maybe I'm wrong. When I use the scope with the parellx side focus. That went away.   If you were to change the power  you just adj the parellx unlike a standered scope where that happens .
 
I'll retest that today to make sure I'm not mistaking.  Seemed like that was one of the first things I noticed  that changing power did not change point of impact.   

Also mine is a sfp  .

I did see a mildot with normal dots and baby dots between then like nced's hashs  but it was out of my price range. Looked like a bit less clutter .

Changing the power will not change your point of impact at the center of the cross hairs. In fact it does not change you POI at all. What it does is change the values of the dots at a set distance. Side focus has nothing to do with reticle scale. It has to do with focusing target image on the same focal plane as the reticle to eliminate parallax.
Each mildot reticle is calibrated for a given power. Let's say yours is calibrated 12 power. Now on 12 power the distance between the cross hair and the first dot is roughly 3.6" at 100yds. If you dial the same scope down to 6 power the distance between the cross hair and the first dot is double or roughly 7.2". In other words if you practice that 100 yard shot on twelve power and it normally takes one mildot of holdover and you mistakenly use one mildot of hold over with the scope on 6 power your POI will be about 3.6" too high. On a deer or a bear not a big deal on small critter it is a missed shot or a wounded animal.