Two questions for the experts

[john b 38]

I have a BSA superten, below FAC and zeroed at about 30 yards for use on rabbits. Using .22 daystate FT pellets, about 16gr I think.

 

I have recently started using it to pick off magpies and crows that are swamping my bird table which is at much closer range - only about 15 yards. I know it's a bit overkill but I'm only taking them on the ground which is soft and makes a good back stop.

 

I've set up a couple of practice markers - two pence piece nailed to a bit of plywood, one right at the foot of the table and the other about 20 yards away. After allowing for the pellet arc I get a fairly good grouping on these although the odd stray pellet.

 

My questions are:

- can I freely adjust my scope magnification from the '9' used to zero it down to say '6' without affecting the zero ? I can shoot with it at 9, it's just a little too close and out of focus.

- Is the pellet more likely to pass through at close range and do less initial damage ? I ask this because I have had several shots where there has been a quite large burst of feathers but the bird has flown off. I've even had one where the pellet pinned feathers to the target board. I've gone back to the targets again and the aim is still on so I'm puzzled.

 

Primarliy going for head shots but the buggers will keep pecking. Expanded target area to head and chest now.

[Big bald beautiful 1,231]

zooming in and out with your mag will not efect were it hits only your image

for close range i always used 3x on a 3x 9x 50.

.22 at close range should stop them dead? are you body hitting them?

neck shots can often fly off as the pellet passes through

[andy s410c 63]

Hi John, DISCLAIMER I AM NOT AN EXPERT glad thats out of the way if your scope is zeroed for 30yds regardless of magnification it should be the same?? Shooting at close range at high mag will cause parrallax error unless you adjust the parrallax range ring on your objective lens if you have one that is.Crows & magpies have a lot of feathers round the neck area so the actual target area is small give them a smack in the upper chest area should stop them no problem

[john b 38]

Right then - I think we'll assume that in the excitement of the moment I am pulling the gun down a touch and shooting the neck area instead.

 

I'll have a go at a few chest shots and see how we go.

 

Thanks

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Nothing to do with expertise, JB. More to show a bit of solidarity! Only I once - in a moment of weakness - used a Rook as a zeroing point. To my utter disgust and astonishment, he f*cked off!

 

Later, when Dean O' turned up and we paced out the exact range to the spot, we found a bunch of breast feathers. Dean supposed I'd shot straight through him and caused a dropper. But, in closer examination of the feathers, I realised I'd actually done my classic 'pull down to the right' on firing and had actually shaved his bloody breast!

 

I find, if anything, at closer ranges we're liable to strike low. Maybe aim at the top line of the target? That way any downward creep should prove instantly rewarding

[Deker 3,491]

Hi John

Good quality scopes will hold their zero at all ranges, sometimes, on very cheap scopes you find a bit of zero movement on different magnifications.

 

Close range shots will tend to go clean through a crow, but as the pellet is going faster at close range, the shock wave during penetration will cause more internal damage.

Death should be swift as long as you hit the appropriate areas, head or chest are probably favourite.

 

Cheers

Deker

[john b 38]

It's a SIMMONS WHITETAIL CLASSIC scope, 3.5 - 10 x 50

 

Anyway tried a side chest shot on a big fat woodie with perfect results; in one side and out the other, heart / lungs and dead almost instantly.

 

One supplementary question on PCPs in general - is it ok to 'dry fire' them ?

I always avoided doing that on my springers and have carried it over to the PCP. However to get the magazine out you have to cock the bolt an I'm begining to think it then loses some pressure if it's a while before I shoot again. Ideally I'd like to fire off the charge and recock next time

[bill88 6]

EXPERT not me john.What i can tell you is this.A .22 pellet fired from a sub 12ftlb gun,and zero'ed at 30 yards will in fact be travelling in an arc (but i'm sure you know this already) in effect,you will be shooting over the target,and the pellet will on its descent strike the point of zero,BUT just in case you don't know,it will in fact cross the "point of zero" twice,on the way up,and again on the way down,this will be roughly 10yds,and again at 30yds (am i making sense?) hope this kind of answers your question.Bill

[fergie 0]

EXPERT not me john.What i can tell you is this.A .22 pellet fired from a sub 12ftlb gun,and zero'ed at 30 yards will in fact be travelling in an arc (but i'm sure you know this already) in effect,you will be shooting over the target,and the pellet will on its descent strike the point of zero,BUT just in case you don't know,it will in fact cross the "point of zero" twice,on the way up,and again on the way down,this will be roughly 10yds,and again at 30yds (am i making sense?) hope this kind of answers your question.Bill

yes thats right for a .177 its 13 and 35 .22 its around 10 like you say your best bet is to get targets set out from 8 to your max killing range and find your aim points on the wtc scope you should not have a zero change if you use the magnifacation.

dry fireing a pcp is not as dad as a springer, in a springer you stretch the spring there is no spring in a pcp and in some modles like you say you need to cock it to remove the magazine, you could remove the magasine before you fire the last pellet

 

i'm no EXPERT

[Deker 3,491]

It's a SIMMONS WHITETAIL CLASSIC scope, 3.5 - 10 x 50

 

Anyway tried a side chest shot on a big fat woodie with perfect results; in one side and out the other, heart / lungs and dead almost instantly.

 

One supplementary question on PCPs in general - is it ok to 'dry fire' them ?

I always avoided doing that on my springers and have carried it over to the PCP. However to get the magazine out you have to cock the bolt an I'm begining to think it then loses some pressure if it's a while before I shoot again. Ideally I'd like to fire off the charge and recock next time

 

 

It's a SIMMONS WHITETAIL CLASSIC scope, 3.5 - 10 x 50

Excellent robust scope and optics offering very good value for money! Parallax is set at 100 yards for these so you will often have to adjust the ocular focus to get it just right for you! You should not have any problem with zero shift on these, on the whole they are very reliable.

 

Dry firing a PCP should not present any problems.

 

Cheers

 

Deker

[T78 4]

no need to dry fire,just uncock it. pull the bolt back til you feel it take pressure on the spring.still pulling on the bolt,pull the trigger and push the bolt back home.

[john b 38]

Parallax is set at 100 yards for these so you will often have to adjust the ocular focus to get it just right for you!

 

OK now what does that mean ?

 

I understand the concept of parallax from my physics days so presumably this is to with the relative position of my head on the stock. But how is it 'set' at a distance ?

 

And how does adjusting the ocular focus help ? (that is the eyepiece ?)

 

Ta John

[Deker 3,491]

Parallax is set at 100 yards for these so you will often have to adjust the ocular focus to get it just right for you!

 

OK now what does that mean ?

 

I understand the concept of parallax from my physics days so presumably this is to with the relative position of my head on the stock. But how is it 'set' at a distance ?

 

And how does adjusting the ocular focus help ? (that is the eyepiece ?)

 

Ta John

 

 

Work rounds....

Parallax has to be set somewhere unles you have a fully adjustable parallax. Parallax is an inevitable bi-product of multiple lens placement as in your scope!

You cannot adjust the parallax on this scope, it is pre set by Simmons by lens placement internally. It is possible to break the seal at the front (objective lens) and play with the internals but I do not suggest it.

 

So please remember we are talking work rounds here and simple explaination....100 yards set parallax means it is preset to optimum focus at 100 yards, it you zero at 30 yards you will be out of focus and the parallax will be slightly wrong (that will not matter as long as you look STRAIGHT down the tube) Now... to adjust for focus (and individuals eyes) undo the locking ring and adjust the ocular lens (eyepiece).

 

NOTE..Everyone reading this ....Please do not tell me I have parallax all wrong, I am trying to keep this simple...if you want to write up a few pages and explain parallax to John be my guest!

[john b 38]

Aaah I've got you. I think. Thanks Deker

 

It's the 'looking straight down the tube' thing that's key because I've always assumed that was what I was supposed to be doing and so couldn't understand why parallax would be relevant. But what i think you're saying is that the scope caters for my head being slightly off centre and compensates based on a target range of 100 yards. So the scope will vary a bit 'left-to-right' as well as up an down for different ranges.

 

(NB just a basic explanation of parallax in none shooting terms for anyone else. It is the effect you get when you are trying to line up two things by eye - the line you take also depends on where you eye is in relation to the objects. This is why the bubbles on a spirit level have lines front and back so that you are lining up 3 fixed points and getting a true reading. Old iron gun sights did the same thing.

 

If you want a quick illustration close your left eye, stretch out your right arm and point at a distant object. Now without moving your arm close your right eye and open your left. Your finger will now be off the object by a relatively large amount - this is an example of the Parallax affect and is caused by the the different position of your two eyes. A variation of this is sometimes used as an 'eye dominance' check for shotgun shooters)

[Guest bigredbusa]

try using pest controls for your close range stuff , they seem to make a mess and stop things pretty well