Finding your target with a scope - hard sometimes?

[dave3006]

I went out jackrabbit hunting with my son. I had my Remington 700 with a Leupold 3.5x10x40 scope on 3.5 power. He had an SKS. We were in the desert. Most of the targets were 50-100 yards away. We were on a hill. The rabbits would run and stop.

I had a heck of a time finding them in my scope. I could see them with my bare eyes. Then, when I tried to pick them up in the scope, I would lose them among the sagebrush.

Any tricks for finding your target with a scope? I was wishing I had my iron sighted rifle by the end of the day.

(my son did much better with the SKS. He is 12.)

 

[Sergeant Sabre]

Hmm, I dunno. When I raise my rifle, whatever it is I was looking at is centered in the scope. I dunno how...

Maybe try to raise the rifle, but not all the way to cheek weld. Raise your head and look over the scope at the target. Keep your eye frozen on target and then raise the scope so it is in your line of sight. If you eye is still pointed at the target, then the scope should be too, I suppose???

 

[Art Eatman]

The majority of my walking hunting has been with a 3x9. I learned the hard way to keep the scope set on the lowest power when doing so. That gives you the widest field of view, and 3.5 is plenty of magnification for shots to 50 or 100 yards.

I'd had my scope on 9X while sitting in a stand and "just lookin'" during first light. After sunup I took off walking, and forgot to reset the scope to 3X. I jumped a buck at maybe fifteen yards, and when I looked through the scope I saw brown, and then a tine, and then some more brown and then nothing but brush...

(The buck had run off downwind and downhill. Since I knew he'd circle back uphill and upwind, I cut across the arc to the side of a saddle in the upwind ridge and ambushed him--at 3X. About a 30-yard shot, maybe.)

Art

 

[patent]

Then, when I tried to pick them up in the scope, I would lose them among the sagebrush.​

Are you saying you couldn't get them in the field of view for the scope, or that even when they were in the field of view you couldn't see them because they blended into the scenery?

If its the latter, all scopes tend to transmit only part of the light that comes in, and with a cheaper scope that can certainly make it hard to see an animal that is well camoflauged.

patent

 

[El Tejon]

Rule used to be 1X for every 100 yards. And then technology and marketing screwed up a good idea.

I'm a big fan of low power scope, but I represent the minority viewpoint.

 

[dave3006]

My problem was that I could see the rabbit right under the sagebrush. Then, when I mounted the gun, I couldn't find the right sagebrush.

 

[Art Eatman]

Yup. BTDT. It's the old field-of-view problem. Crank the power down, and see several sage brush plants, the bunny's included. I gotta admit, though, that a bunch of years of scope use makes life easier...

I have an old Leupold Vari-X II 2x7 on a little Sako .243 carbine. About all I could wish for as "improvement" would be a bit more objective lens, so I'd have a bit clearer view of Ol' Wily at night. At least I think that's what would help. Can't really complain, so far.

But down on 2X, you darned sure see a wide field of view at almost any distance. Very easy to get right on that bunny's hidey-spot...

, Art

 

[LHB1]

Dave,
Some people have more problems than others. I'm one of the lucky ones who put the gun up and there the target is, even on running animals. More practice and good technique will help a lot. Sounds like you are putting your eye to the scope and then trying to move the rifle/scope to find the target. Try it this way:
Look at the target and then without moving your head, bring up the rifle and place the scope in front of your eye. It should be right on the target. It sounds simple and it is! When done properly, the scope will be inserted in front of your eye which is already looking at the target. Any decent field of view will then have your target included and likely very close to center.

Good shooting and be safe.
LB

ps: The same technique applies to looking thru binoculars. Look at target and put binoculars in front of eyes; NOT the other way around. Does make a big difference.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Four things help -- first, choose a scope with a wide field of view and low magnification. Jack O'Connor, as I recall, used to recommend 2 1/2 power, and that's not bad at all. Modern scopes tend to emphasize power over everything.

Next, shoot with both eyes open.

Third, bring the scope into the field of vision -- don't look through it, keep your eyes on the target and mount the rifle so the scope is suddenly there, where you're looking.

Finally, practice mounting the rifle. Pick a spot and focus your eyes on it and bring the rifle up -- do this a hundred times a day, for a month or so (the general rule is about 3,000 repetitions are needed) until the gun comes up right where you're looking.

 

[dave3006]

Thanks Vern and LHB1. I think the both eyes open and bringing the gun up to my face will help dramatically. The more I think about it, the more sense it makes. Endless repetition makes sense too.

 

[ClarkEMyers]

Second the 2x7 Leupold mounted low.

Second the 2x7 Leupold mounted low. I'll credit Bob Hagle with calling that the best available scope for a hunting rifle. There's more to being a gun sight than optics.

Typically a 40mm objective may be mounted a tad high for the comb so the gun mount is a little uncertain from port arms to cheek weld - maybe with the mouth open a little to raise the eyes. Likely the very best choice today is one of the low power Euro variables with a 30mm tube and using most of that tube; at least I think so. The Leupold low power variables in a 1" tube end up with a 20mm objective and that may be a tad small but much better than a moon scope for a walking rifle.

For field positions I'm happy with my Scout rifles and I have a double with a 2.5 on it. If the blacktail jack ever peaks again - I don't expect it ever will again, not for geologic time - I'll have to get a smaller caliber pseudo-scout.

From a rest with a bearing and a range my favorite is a 16X but that really does take an effort to line up including focusing for the range to get a depth of field that includes the objective.

 

[El Tejon]

dave, all the more reason for low power. Low power=bigger field of view (usually).

 

[HankB]

Two words: Gun Fit.

All too often, the subject of gun fit is limited to discussions of shotguns. IMHO it's every bit as important for a hunting rifle to "fit" the user. In many cases, high-mounted scopes (including those with 50mm and 56mm objectives) make proper gun fit nearly impossible.

To see whether or not your rifle fits you, stand in a normal shooting stance, but with your rifle held as if you were carrying it through the woods. Focus your eyes on some distant target. Close your eyes, smoothly raise the rifle to shooting position, and then open your eyes.

Without moving the rifle or your head around, you should

*See the full field of view of the 'scope.
*See the crosshairs pretty darn close to the target, requiring little, if any, correction to your aim.
*Crosshairs and target should both be in focus - otherwise the 'scope needs adjustment.

Try this several times - you'll get the hang of it fast, and don't try adjusting to the rifle; if you're consistently 'way off, you should alter the rifle stock and/or 'scope mount until it fits you properly, not the other way around.

 

[Slingster]

I concur with the lower power scope with a modest objective diameter so that it can be mounted as low as possible.

Being able to get right on target with the scope starts even before you spot the target. The mantra you should follow is "eyes, muzzle, target". When you're scanning for game, your muzzle should track right along with your eyes; don't have your eyes looking one way and your muzzle pointing another way. That way, when you do spot something, your eyes and muzzle will already be lined up with the target, minimizing the amount of movement needed to bring the sights into alignment.

Keeping both of your eyes open and on the muzzle and target, the next trick is to simultaneously push the muzzle straight towards the target while pivoting the rifle up to your shoulder with the muzzle as the center of rotation. In other words, the muzzle doesn't go up or down, just straight out, as the buttstock swings through an arc up to shoulder level.

Then you pull the rifle straight back into your shoulder and achieve your cheek weld with the comb at the same time as the recoil pad hits your shoulder. If you do everything right, the scope will "blink" on and the crosshairs will be on or nearly on the target.

By the way, you should also take off your safety as you pivot the rifle up, and touch the trigger at the same time the recoil pad hits your shoulder, your cheek welds to the comb, and the scope blinks on. That way you're instantly ready to make any fine corrections in alignment and take the shot.

If your shooting eye isn't strongly dominant, you may have to "dim" or partially close your non-shooting eye as the scope blinks on, but not before. Then as soon as you take the shot open both eyes again and use your peripheral vision to follow the game as you reload with the rifle still in shooting position in your shoulder, again keeping eyes and muzzle tracking together with the target.

 

[1911 guy]

Vern Humphrey

was right on the money. Everything else mentioned will make your shooting easier and more enjoyable, but shooting with both eyes open will help you see what it is you're shooting.