--- smart way to remember or note holdover mil-dot --- help needed

[JohnnyPDX]

I have a simple plan but am pretty sure someone here has a better one to share.

Squirrel / Rat gun shooting from 13 to 100yards

Taipan VL .25 — 25.4 grain — 900fps

I have Chairgun and can see the the mil-dot in the graph but there's gotta be a better way than what I am thinking. I am aware of the 'optimum zero' and 'single zero' options in CG

[ranchibi]

I think your optimum zero is where you are most comfortable knowing approximately where your other holdovers/unders might be...intuitive for oneself and knowing your tendencies. I pest at a friends who lives at 4500ft elevation and it throws me for a loop when I first start pesting as most shots are at steep angles combined with the elevation is fun. A 50yd shot at an incline of 18 degrees I have to aim 2-3 MOA low...I’ve aimed at starlings mid body and brained them..not trying to! LOL! Even when we target practice there the pellet or slug stays on such a flat trajectory for longer distances. My zero is 20yds as that is my max practice distance so I’m comfortable with it there. Your Taipan VL shoots very flat at those speeds and distances 👍. Ratting at night at home, it’s between 13-20yds...my hold over at 13yds is 1/2 MOA. When pesting or hunting, we might not have time to look at a range card to check POI. I have and use a laser rangefinder (the one I use for golf) when at my friends and I range beforehand areas/trees I know or think the starlings/ground squirrels will be so I have a good idea of my holdovers. If you don’t have a laser rangefinder I’d get one...indispensable for knowing distances...they’re usually under a hundred bucks.

[Luis Leon]

Johnny this is what I do, though most of my shooting is at known ranges (range finder).

[JimD]

I retuned my little Prod upping the velocity so I need to go back through the process of checking it every 5 yards.  I am zero'd at 25 yards, the maximum in my back yard.  With the previous tune, I was dead on at 15, up to 3/8 low before that and up to 3/8 high before getting back in line at 25.  I suspect similar results this time but maybe a little less up and down.  If I got to about 1/4 inch I will ignore it, my shooting is not good enough to worry about it.

I've only shot it once beyond 25 yards and it fell about 3 inches by 40 yards.  I did not go further.

The scope protector data seems like a good idea to me.  If you have a REALLY good scope, one with very consistent adjustments, you can also create a custom label for your elevation turret and adjust out the drop.  My current scopes are not that good so I hold over or under. 

[Lt. Dan]

Johnny this is what I do, though most of my shooting is at known ranges (range finder).

I'm liking this idea. Thanks Luis

[JohnnyPDX]

I think your optimum zero is where you are most comfortable knowing approximately where your other holdovers/unders might be...intuitive for oneself and knowing your tendencies. I pest at a friends who lives at 4500ft elevation and it throws me for a loop when I first start pesting as most shots are at steep angles combined with the elevation is fun. A 50yd shot at an incline of 18 degrees I have to aim 2-3 MOA low...I’ve aimed at starlings mid body and brained them..not trying to! LOL! Even when we target practice there the pellet or slug stays on such a flat trajectory for longer distances. My zero is 20yds as that is my max practice distance so I’m comfortable with it there. Your Taipan VL shoots very flat at those speeds and distances 👍. Ratting at night at home, it’s between 13-20yds...my hold over at 13yds is 1/2 MOA. When pesting or hunting, we might not have time to look at a range card to check POI. I have and use a laser rangefinder (the one I use for golf) when at my friends and I range beforehand areas/trees I know or think the starlings/ground squirrels will be so I have a good idea of my holdovers. If you don’t have a laser rangefinder I’d get one...indispensable for knowing distances...they’re usually under a hundred bucks.

I've getting distracted by number crunching. It's probably best, for me, to go out and shoot at 10 yd intervals then write it down.

[shibumei]

I think your optimum zero is where you are most comfortable knowing approximately where your other holdovers/unders might be...

I thought optimum range was the point of zero where there is the least POI change for hold over/hold under?   Maybe saying the same thing...

[JohnnyPDX]

I think your optimum zero is where you are most comfortable knowing approximately where your other holdovers/unders might be...

I thought optimum range was the point of zero where there is the least POI change for hold over/hold under?   Maybe saying the same thing...

It is but he's saying something different.

[ranchibi]

Johnny this is what I do, though most of my shooting is at known ranges (range finder).

Luis, I like! Smart and simple! I think genius is just that, making something that is tough, well, simple!

[ranchibi]

I think your optimum zero is where you are most comfortable knowing approximately where your other holdovers/unders might be...

I thought optimum range was the point of zero where there is the least POI change for hold over/hold under?   Maybe saying the same thing...

It is but he's saying something different.

🤗

[JohnnyPDX]

I'm gonna shoot at 10 yard intervals from 1- to 100 yards and note the holdover in mildot on blue tape then stick it onto the stock.

Ground squirrel shot opportunities are mostly hard won at my permission. They aren't always just standing there at the times I go there.

I am getting a range finder!

Ranchibi said this and it makes sense..."...when at my friends and I range beforehand areas/trees I know or think the starlings/ground squirrels will be so I have a good idea of my holdovers."

I am sitting here with two alerting cameras watching the rat bait station thanks to Ranchibi. Getting a range finder today.

[KevinJBrown]

This is how I do it.

[JohnnyPDX]

Pardon my short bus limitations but I really realized yesterday that determining mil-dot holdover is RIGIDLY tied to magnification. Right?

Do Over Time.

[Back_Roads]

 Yes either pick a magnification and leave it there, or do a set of varying mags, and make separate cards. One main reason to get first focal plane scopes, the dots stay true across the magnification range.

[JohnnyPDX]

Yes either pick a magnification and leave it there, or do a set of varying mags, and make separate cards. One main reason to get first focal plane scopes, the dots stay true across the magnification range.

That's an AWESOME reason for FFP. I like my Discovery scope and will check out what's available in FFP for my Taipan VL

[nced]

I have a simple plan but am pretty sure someone here has a better one to share.

Squirrel / Rat gun shooting from 13 to 100yards

Taipan VL .25 — 25.4 grain — 900fps

I have Chairgun and can see the the mil-dot in the graph but there's gotta be a better way than what I am thinking. I am aware of the 'optimum zero' and 'single zero' options in CG

I mark my AO or side wheel with symbols representing the poi at various distances like this...........

This works better for me than "guesstimatin" the holdover by eye and there is no need for a dope sheet. Simply "sharp focus" and read the holdover symbol.

The disadvantage of this "system" is that it's only good for one gun tune level with scope and mount, however the same is true for needing different dope sheets for different setups. However, when marking actual "yardages" on the AO or side wheel there is no need for "re-marking" the AO/side wheel............


As a side note, with my .177 recoiling springers I never found Chairgun to be accurate enough to rely on and I needed to actually shoot at different distances to get the "real trajectory". Since I needed to shoot targets for "real world trajectories" I stopped using Chairgun except for "playin' around"..........

[Luis Leon]

Pardon my short bus limitations but I really realized yesterday that determining mil-dot holdover is RIGIDLY tied to magnification. Right?

Do Over Time.

Not if you’re using an FFP scope... The holdovers tied to magnification caused me a lot of misses until I understood what was happening. Then I just simply switched to FFP scopes for hunting and pesting. I use my scope throughout its magnification range. So the hold overs being the same from 10X—24 really matters to me. Because as you know opportunities in the field can be few and far between.

[nced]

Pardon my short bus limitations but I really realized yesterday that determining mil-dot holdover is RIGIDLY tied to magnification. Right?

Do Over Time.

Not if you’re using an FFP scope... The holdovers tied to magnification caused me a lot of misses until I understood what was happening. Then I just simply switched to FFP scopes for hunting and pesting. I use my scope throughout its magnification range. So the hold overs being the same from 10X—24 really matters to me. Because as you know opportunities in the field can be few and far between.

"determining mil-dot holdover is RIGIDLY tied to magnification. Right?"
Yep, "fer sure", hense my "The disadvantage of this "system" is that it's only good for one gun tune level with scope and mount," comment. The comment should have included MAGNIFICATION but forgot to mention. Not a big problem since I do all my shooting at one magnification (12x). When I was using a 4-16x Bushnell Elite 4200 I did all shooting at 12x which was the maximum allowed for hunter class field target at that time (the limit was changed to 16x a few years ago).

Regardless, when hunting squirrels, out to about 35 yards I simply hold "dead on" with no need to holdover. Past 35 yards I rely on the sharp focus distance at 12x but I prefer to stalk within about 30 yards unless the shooting conditions are "perfect".

Per another reply, a 1st focal plane scope should eliminate the "holdover vs scope power issue", however I've only used 2nd focal plane scopes and have no idea how the accuracy of 1st focal plane focusing.

[JohnnyPDX]

My brief search for a fixed power scope, eliminating most of this issue, was not rewarding...... parallax issue.

My Taipan is now well-tuned for 25.4 JSB / FX pellets so I don't have to mess with different cheat sheets. I could, with some restraint, leave the scope at a set magnification but that will require self-discipline and time. Most of the time I find myself comfortable at 5x.... I can find the target.

[nced]

My brief search for a fixed power scope, eliminating most of this issue, was not rewarding...... parallax issue.

My Taipan is now well-tuned for 25.4 JSB / FX pellets so I don't have to mess with different cheat sheets. I could, with some restraint, leave the scope at a set magnification but that will require self-discipline and time. Most of the time I find myself comfortable at 5x.... I can find the target.

Doesn't need to be "fixed power". Currently I'm using a 4-16x Hawke scope that's set at 12x for my shooting. A couple years back I noticed a fixed 12x SWFA scope but it simply wouldn't work for my purposes due to the small diameter "rear focus ring" that wouldn't allow attaching a "range tape" with enough space between the marked symbols or "yardage marks"..........

https://www.swfa.com/swfa-ss-12x42-tactical-30mm-riflescope-105770.html