How do you folks set up your sights for small game hunting? Zero range - mid-range elevation - point blank range etc?

For 22lr hunting, I often take shots up into trees, down steep banks, long distance and often have to get my bullet past twigs and leaves to hit my quarry. I use sub-sonic ammo in the 22lr. For my hornet, I use a 1½ inch deviation from line of sight. This gives me a point blank range of 190 yds. For the 22lr I am using a 1 inch deviation. I am not sure how well that is actually working - sometimes I miss inexplicably. (Which could be just plain bad shooting!)

One of the things that I'm really happy with was putting on a Leupold 3x9 Compact after sending it back to have fine crosshairs put on it and have the parallax readjusted from the factory 150 down to 60 yds. It is on a very accurate Kimber and the fine 9x really extends the range beyond a typical 22 setup. During migration times I get some of the illegal immigrant european starlings going through and they are good practice for bigger things to come. Been doing probably 80% on shots out around 100 yards.

quote:

Originally posted by Tundragriz:
Been doing probably 80% on shots out around 100 yards.

What is your zero range? What is the mid-range trajectory and distance? I did not know that vari-power scopes were parrallaxed to 150 yds. Is this the the norm?

303,

Its been a few years since I checked but unless it has changed and I doubt that it did, any scope that Leupold expects to go on a centerfire they parallax to 150, if the scope name has rimfire in it then it is parallaxed to 60. I have no idea for other manufacturers.

I sight my scope for zero at 50 and even though technically it is not I consider it zero out to that range. For hunting it doesn't seem to matter out to 50, except for real close I'll aim just a little high to account for the scope height. By 100 yards I am down about 6 inches and need to compensate accordingly.

I am using low velocity (1080 fps) solids because they are just so darn accurate that I will sacrifice speed to maintain the accuracy. Shot placement makes it work.

This is a pic of some groups at 50. This is an every day group, nothing special. I am using the Federal Gold Medal Target load for hunting. At 100 yards I'm still at about 1 inch.

Thanks, Tundragriz. I use pretty much the same sighting philosophy. I cannot brag the same accuracy but then I have not tried the Fed target ammo. Fed subsonic hollow points gave me good results but I cannot get it anymore so I switched to CCI subsonic hollow points and get good results with that too. I'll never go back to HV's. Shooting with a silencer is just so great! (Trouble is, when you hit 'em in the scull, the noise of the exploding brain seems to reverberate far and wide).

How I mount my scopes.
The lower rifle is a hornet.

303 Guy:

Which brand silencer and where to purchase? Are they legal?


Jordan

Jordan

They are legal in my parts and I made them. They are secured with good ol' Loctite 680 Retaining Compound. They both overhang the muzzle by 50mm (2 inches). The 22lr one is extremely quiet. The Hornet still sounds like a 22 magnum.

I have another device, which is quite astounding in it's effectiveness. I don't know whether to call it a 'suppressor' or a 'muzzle break' or a 'flash suppressor'. It does all three! It is so small that no one would question whether it is a 'legal' suppressor or not. This rifle went from ear splitting to a little more than a 22 Magnum - maybe even the same as the Hornet.



Maybe I should market this thing!

quote:

Originally posted by Jordan:
Which brand silencer and where to purchase? Are they legal?

Silencers are legal in the USA, and most states, but not CA. CA and WA are the only states west of the Mississippi that put restrictions on silencers, WA allows ownership but not use.

If someday you see the light and move to one of the 37 states that allow them, then you can easily buy or make one, but you need to obtain the routine ATF approval and pay the $200 tax first. You can find more info at http://www.subguns.com and http://www.silencertests.com .

I make my own as it is much cheaper than buying. Silencers in the USA are built to last due to the excessive controls and taxes, therefore they are rather expensive I can make a silencer out of aluminum for about $20, stainless steel for about $40. I invested about $2000 in a lathe, grinder, band saw and welder. But after making seven silencers I am back in the black. I'm sure our brothers in NZ will think this is an absurd amount.

From what I have read, the typical gun owner in NZ does not get their gun education from TV and does not believe that silencers are the work of the devil and only used by assassins and the military. Too bad gun owners in the USA can't feel the same way. But this does not stop me from enjoying a day of suppressed shooting at the range without hearing protection.

Ranb

There was a re-think by the authorities on moderators a few years ago in my neck of the woods. Instead of being the spawn of the devil, they saw some the beneficial sides:

Better for the shooters ears
Better for bystanders/other shooters
Deflects a good proportion of muzzle blast
Keeps neighbours happier
Easier on the more sensitive ears of livestock nearby
Felt recoil is lessened
Many say it tightens up groups a little
Lead vopour condenses on the inside of the mod

and all because of the dreaded "health & safety"!

Sometimes, sense shines through the bullshit

quote:

the typical gun owner in NZ does not get their gun education from TV

Quite so. We have a very sensible system of 'gun control'. We have to go through a procedure to get our firearms licence that includes a sanity check. We go to lectures and write a test. It covers firearm safety, legal responsibility and firearm etiquette. We have a great country!

Personally, I think that suppressors should be compulsory! That little one on my 303-25 could be made quite attractive and its effectiveness as a suppressor and muzzle break is way out of proportion to its size.

I do recall my Kiwi brother in-law talking about the requirements for owning a gun in NZ and how easy it was to lose them. It did not sound like a picnic.

Ranb

quote:

Originally posted by 303Guy:
How do you folks set up your sights for small game hunting? Zero range - mid-range elevation - point blank range etc?

For a 22LR, usually zero is 75 yards. I used to sight in at 100 yards and just try to remember the midrange. The rifles with scopes have the distance between centerlines as an offset at close range, not so much with the peep sights that are down closer to the barrel.

Zero at fifty yds. You'll blow a mouse's head off while sitting in the bed of a Ford Ranger with a 10/22. Alright, so it was at night and the mouse was caught in the headlights (which weren't the only thing lit). Nearer is better with smaller calibers.

M

Zeiss Scope with Rapid Z 800 Reticle

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My bolt rifle (custom Winchester Model 52 with a Lilja barrel) really likes the SK subsonic HPs. Accuracy at 50 yds. generally runs 3 shots around 1/4 inch. I have been recently using a Zeiss 4.5 X 14 X 44 scope with the Rapid Z 800 reticule. Zeroed at 50 yds.; 14 yds. 1/2 inch low; 25 yds 1/2 inch high; on at 50 yds; 75 yds on using bar # 1; 100 yds 1/2 inch high using bar # 5. Scope set at 10 X. Using SK High Velocity HPs with scope set at 12 X using bar 4.5 at 100 yds. 1/2 inch high. This scope focuses down to 30 yds -side focus.
Will test at 125 yds & 150 yds. soon. Last week squirrel season opened here 4 squirrels were cleanly and easily harvested. Using this rifle and scope. Prior I tested a Swarwvoski in 6 X 18 AO with TDS reticle. Excellent scope but only focuses down to 50 yds. Squirrels a bit fuzzy at 20 yds.TheTDS also worked well at various ranges. THe Zeiss is better for my rimfire shooting & hunting.

You had a 6-18 Searo on a rimfire. I must be missing something here.
My Kimber wears a 2-7 loopy and will do ( has done) 1/4 in at 50yds off bench with the Win T22's that were the best of about 15 or so brands tested. I sight in for 65yds and this makes it usable out to 100. Having said that the rabbit numbers here are very low and where I go ( Central Otago) 200-350yds are the norm so the 20VarTarg is the toy of choice and even that only has a 4-16 Monarch which is more than adequate magnification and is usually set on 12 x

Von Gruff.

The Swar. 6 X 18 with TDS reticle made it possible to shot out to 100 yds. with accuracy. Using the TDS reticle SK HVHPs grouped around 0.80 inches for 5 shots. Although the scope is large, my custom Winchester model 52 weighs around 9.5 lbs. I use the rifle for hunting woodchucks & squirrels. With either scope I have found it easy to make hits out to 100 yds. with the accurate ammo. The Zeiss is better for my rimfire needs. The Swar. is now on my .22 Mink. I find the higher power scopes to shoot more accurately for me. Must be my older eyes.

quote:

"Too bad gun owners in the USA can't feel the same way.
Ranb

Correction: too bad gun grabbers and non-gun people feel the same way. I can't think of a single gun owner who has a problem with gun mods of any sort...

quote:

Originally posted by Kamo Gari:
Correction: too bad gun grabbers and non-gun people feel the same way. I can't think of a single gun owner who has a problem with gun mods of any sort...

By gun mods did you mean silencers? Some of the people (claming to be gun owners) posting here claim that silencers are illegal, not useful, should not be discussed here, or generally seem to not like silencers or the people who are interested in using them.

packrattusnongratus http://forums.accuratereloadin...471065211#4471065211

mountdaug http://forums.accuratereloadin...043/m/2871037301/p/1

Marc_Stokeld http://forums.accuratereloadin...=775101278#775101278

Duane Wiebe http://forums.accuratereloadin...1043/m/896107748/p/1 On this last post I really went off on the person that suggested I was asking for advice about doing something illegal. We have settled our differences since then and I acknowledged that I went overboard.

Ranb

If you to only google something on the topic you would soon be educated on the subject.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suppressor
There are many health benefits that our government dont want us to have.
Personaly I have lost almost all my high tone hearing and they still dont give a s**t.
Poo on them.
Just means more $$$ uncle sam needs to pay out to me.