Possible new competition in my future.

[Linefinder]

Do you "dial" for the different distances or have one of the "holdover" type reticles with multiple stadia lines? Just curious.

The Varminter reticle on the Leupold has stadia and windage dots, but they're "calibrated" only at 14X, and I shoot at pdogs usually at the max setting of 20X. They don't really help that much. I use a comeups table based from a 100 yard zero and dial whatever distance I need. As to windage, I don't fool with the windage knob at all. Doing so over a gusting pdog town only causes you to chase bullets all day. I just have kind of developed a "feel" for wind. Some days I'm great at it, some days I suck. Nature of the beast.

The first year or so that I shot pdogs, I tried using a fixed 250 yard zero and employing holdover for longer shots, but against a Coke can sized target at 500 yards, it's an exercise in frustration. It took me forever to hit my first 500 yard dog. Once I developed a comeups table for my load/rig and started using it, a 500 yard pdog on a calm day immediately became a no-brainer.

My mantra is "Dial when you can".

Mike

[JerryBobCo]

Oh, another thing you pointed out, Jerry. Regarding the scope....

The one on my 6mm is a Leupold VXIII LR/SF 6-20X with Varminter reticle. I've always used my comeups table with my baseline zero 100 yards. OTOH, after I see how this comp works, I might simply re-zero for 300 and use the stadia and dots for holdover/holdoff. After all....unlike real pdog shooting, the distances are known, even if you don't know in what order you'll be shooting them. Knowing for a fact that something pdog sized is at exactly 400 yards and not 435 makes a huge difference.

I'd just have to give it a try and see which sighting method, dial or dope, works best for the situation.

Mike

I didn't realize your scope had the fixed stadia for different distances. Based on that, I would definitely learn where the bullet lands using the fixed stadia rather than dialing in a shot.

[Linefinder]

Personally, I'd rather dial.

My scope is 15 MOA per turret revolution. With the 75 grain VMax at 3700 fps launch velocity, from a 100 yard zero, I'm out to nearly 860 yards before I've cranked the scope one full rev. It's not really hard to keep track of until you have to figure out if you've already gone a full rev or not.

Back when I used to shoot 55 grain bullets in my .223 Rem at ~3000 fps, it got a bit tricky when the dogs were both in your face and way the heck out there. I spent about half an hour one afternoon missing every swinging pdog I shot at because I'd forgotten that I'd dialed way the heck up for a 600 yard shot and didn't bring it back down before I took a break. When I started shooting again at your normal 300-400 yard range, not only was I missing every shot, but I couldn't even tell where the bullets were striking. It was frustrating as heck, then when I realized what I'd done, I felt pretty foolish.

But.......if you can get to 800+ yards before you've gone a full twist, it's not bad. That 796 yard pdog I shot that day was at a 13.5 MOA adjustment from my 100 yard zero. That load kind of "straightens the curves".

Mike

[wildgene]

...stadia are just stadia, Mike, no reason you can't calibrate 'em yerself...



http://www.leupold.com/wp-content/up...y12.pdf?9d7bd4

...I agree that you can't hit anything yer not aiming @, & using a 100yd. Zero, dialing is the only way to go, but on something like this given the time constraints, I'd cheat...

...the target is a set size, say 10", using a 400yd Zero & the base of the target as an aiming point, you'ld be pretty much "centered" +/- 1.5" out to 300yds., which I think both of us would agree is "cheap & easy", "on" @ 400yds, & would only have to aim 1/2 a plate high @ 500yds. You might just get "lucky", & yer first stadia line will hit center @ 500yds. Little practice & should be able to adj. yer "aim point" for "center" @ each target...

[Ernie Bishop]

How much time do you have between targets?

[41magnut]

A 40 mph wind would shore 'nuff make it interesting, and would quickly separate the shooters from the wannabes. I'd likely land in the wannabe category. But, it would be fun.

Mike

Is this all known distance?
Reading the wind always separates the groupies from the rock stars, IMHO.

When I participated in metallic silhouette, I always found the turkeys the most difficult. They are narrow and tall, and could ruin a good run.
Wonder why the organizer didn't have Prairie Dog shaped/sized silhouettes?

I look forward to the after action report.

[knitepoet]

sounds like fun Mike.
Hope you get to make the next one

[shooter]

The Varminter reticle on the Leupold has stadia and windage dots, but they're "calibrated" only at 14X, and I shoot at pdogs usually at the max setting of 20X. They don't really help that much. I use a comeups table based from a 100 yard zero and dial whatever distance I need. As to windage, I don't fool with the windage knob at all. Doing so over a gusting pdog town only causes you to chase bullets all day. I just have kind of developed a "feel" for wind. Some days I'm great at it, some days I suck. Nature of the beast.

The first year or so that I shot pdogs, I tried using a fixed 250 yard zero and employing holdover for longer shots, but against a Coke can sized target at 500 yards, it's an exercise in frustration. It took me forever to hit my first 500 yard dog. Once I developed a comeups table for my load/rig and started using it, a 500 yard pdog on a calm day immediately became a no-brainer.

My mantra is "Dial when you can".

Mike

The reason I asked was because I have a Leupold 4.5x-14x with Varmint Hunter reticle and thought it would be very suited to a game with targets from 150 to 500 yards. I see that your scope is more powerful, but the concept is similar. Mine is on a .204 Ruger and the hash marks checked out very well on targets out to 400 yards, which is my home range maximum distance. But with you being in the open spaces, I wondered if you checked out the stadia lines at their supposed relative respective distances. Even if they don't match your trajectory you should be able to determine a distance for the respective hash lines below the crosshair.

As President Reagan once said, "trust but verify". It would be interesting to see where those lower stadia lines put your loads at 300, 400, and 500 yards if given a 200 yard zero. Just a thought. I wish I was closer. I'd love to try it.

[bruchi]

The Pdog thng sounds like fun!

Former "Marine Sniper" told me that their final test was to shoot 10 hidden metal targets in 10 minutes, the targets would pop up each for one minute at distances I think where 100-600 yards (1000?) you basically had a minute to find the target, do the math and adjustments and nail it, if you missed one you failed. Maybe not so easy!

[Linefinder]

Shooter, had most of my shooting with my scope been done at known/fixed distances at targets of a consistent size holding in consistent positions, I'd likely have given the ranging capabilities of the Varminter reticle more of a chance.

But.....a 3 year old male pdog atop his mound is a different critter than a 3 month old pup snaking through the grass. Even taking away the obvious size spread above and below "average", you have the problem of position. Is he standing erect, or down on all fours? On an incline, or decline...which changes perspective.

Then you have the limitations of the human eye....when you start talking 400 yards on a pdog (standing erect), does he fill 3/4 of the stadia, or only half? Half, or a third? If he's on all fours, it doesn't even matter...the reticle's no good for ranging.

I found it easier against live critters to zap them with the laser, dial the range, put one through CM, then take out any others silly enough to stay visible in the immediate vicinity. When that group was gone, grab the laser and find another group. Repeat till you have a couple or three coffee cans of empties.

Now, against KD targets of a consistent size, in consistent orientation, I could probably make the various stadia work out okay for aiming, but I've never had the fortune of shooting under real-world situations where the target size or position was consistent enough that it worked as the advertisements would lead you to believe.

I'm probably faster nowadays at twirling the dial than I am at figuring out how much of the reticle the target's taking up.

Mike

[Ernie Bishop]

What a good use for the Burris E-3 scope

[Linefinder]

What a good use for the Burris E-3 scope

No doubt. But the scope atop the 6 runs about $1200 nowadays. Since about all I use it for nowadays is antegoats, I need to find another way for it to earn its keep.

Mike