Short range hunting / pesting challenge...

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GeneT

GeneT

Member
Sep 7, 2020
740
410
Arizona, United States
In trying to deal with pests around my place (mostly pigeons (rock dove) and ground squirrels) I have run into a different sort of challenge - close range shooting. It seems that I must know the range *exactly* because the pellet is still rising to meet my line of sight, so a small error in range results in a significant change in POI. I'm talking 10-25 yards (the farther out being easier). Any tips? 

GsT
 
Pretty much all scopes (with A/O) will "range" well at that distance, just learn your rig at every yard , maybe use chairgun or whatever a bit and make a range tape/card.

Just like shooting Field Target & good clean fun.

Or a rig iron sights for those close shots.

10-55 yards & lower power is where the airgun fun really shines anyway.

Godspeed,

John
 
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There is no “quick fix” for that. Only way to reduce the need for major hold over us to lower the scope to as low as possible. Only way to “FIX” your problem is a dedicated 20 yard gun with iron sight that’s no more than a couple of mm above the center of the bore. 


maybe a P17 pistol for 10 yards or a 1701P with iron sight or micro reflex sight and even with micro reflex sight I have to hold over for close up or sub 10 yards but between 10-20 yards the dot is pretty much spot on especially for something as big as a pigeon. 
 
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My rig has a 40 yard zero and in the pass I had the same issue, closer in opportunities were literally "hit or miss". Like others have stated shoot at the closer distances and take note of your POI. I now simply dial down one MOA which lets me aim "dead on" from 15 to 30 yards for close range shots. For shots at 40 yards and over I simply dial back up to my zero and beyond.
 
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Hello I do not know the set up of your property but iI would suggest 2 options. One use google maps and make a range card of your property ( ex 10 yds to oak tree ,15 yds to shed, 20 yds to fence, etc ). Second is colored stakes every 10 yds making an L so you can grid off your property with imagery lines. Also as stated earlier a low power scope ( preferability with various aiming points) and knowing your hold over/ under at various distances. Hope this helps Eric
 
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If I'm using a rifle with a FFP scope, and hash marks, then I try to remember the close range zero. So, if I'm shooting a squirrel under the bird feeder, which is my closest shot, about 15 yards, then a particular rifle may be 2 minutes low at that distance, so I use that hash line. Otherwise, I would just note the error at 5 yard increments and hope for the best. Ground squirrels are small critters, so the error is more significant. They do like to stand up though, which gives you larger vertical target. 
 
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I don't have my computer with Chairgun available but when I moved to my new house I had the same problem with close & steeply angled shots.

I was already looking for a scope I could mount lower for a more comfortable cheek weld & that did bring my PBR in closer. Since I also had Classic Leshiy I also experimented with heavier pellets and/or calibers. 

I don't remember which had a greater effect but both it did allow for taking quicker shots without worrying about what window I was shooting out of or which part of the yard I was shooting to.


 
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Have you thought of zeroing your scope for 15 yards and then you can dial your other distances. I have my Maverick zeroed at 14 yards because that's my kill target zone for the critters. The most in my yard is out to 40 yards and I just dial it on my scope. I use the FX no limit rings and just adjusted it higher in the rear and dialed the scope down to about 30 clicks over and that was it after final adjustments.
 
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How about old school? Learn your mill dots for hold under LOL
Click to expand...


I've used mil (note spelling) dots professionally - the problem isn't adjusting, it's range estimating when the difference between 14 and 16 yards matters. Also "hold under" is supported by few scopes - lots of hold over, left and right, but a lot of reticles have no +vertical component these days. 

Right now I'm zero'd at 50 feet, and learning my holdovers for everywhere else. Guess I was just looking for a "magic" solution that would give me POA/POI at short range.



GsT
 
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Gene, not sure what scope you use but you may just need a different scope that ranges better, something around 4-16x50/56 or 6-24x50/56 category that will parallax to 10 yards. I shoot hunter field target and you can get relatively inexpensive scopes that range very well at 10-25 yards. A side parallax knob and a bigger scope wheel will really help you get amazingly close yard estimates at those ranges. 
 
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How about old school? Learn your mill dots for hold under LOL
Click to expand...


I've used mil (note spelling) dots professionally - the problem isn't adjusting, it's range estimating when the difference between 14 and 16 yards matters. Also "hold under" is supported by few scopes - lots of hold over, left and right, but a lot of reticles have no +vertical component these days. 

Right now I'm zero'd at 50 feet, and learning my holdovers for everywhere else. Guess I was just looking for a "magic" solution that would give me POA/POI at short range.



GsT
Click to expand...

Sorry I spelt mil wrong but it could of been spell check. I’m glad to see that there is still perfect people in the world. STFU
 
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I've been mainly shooting from my home-office windows and can get critters/targets from 10 out to 70 yards.

I've made these shots so many times that I know where to hold anywhere in between.

Think about the poor ole 3D Archery shooters who have to judge distances at an unfamiliar site with no ranging equipment.

How do you get to Carnegie Hall?

Will
 
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There is not a magic pill or potion to replace the work that goes into practice, my old man would not let me hunt critters of any kind until I could hit my marks at multiple ranges. I shot open sights for four years before he would even let me touch a scoped rifle, and the schooling started all over again with scopes. It was a lot of work but looking back I wouldn't change a thing about the way I was taught. 
 
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This problem is not difficult to solve with a PCP. Your situation is pretty much the same as mine. I am shooting squirrels from 7 or 8 yards out to thirty or more. I have zeroed my Stormrider using 729 FPS and JSB Jumbo Express (14.35 gr) at 12 yards. Using a 1 inch diameter kill zone this gives me a point blank range from about 8 yards to about 38 yards. For a squirrel size target no adjustment to your point of aim is necessary. The scope height is 1.5 inches.

A springer with a lower muzzle velocity won’t have quite they same flexibility.

Chairgun or Strelok Pro are your friends.
 
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Right now I'm zero'd at 50 feet, and learning my holdovers for everywhere else. Guess I was just looking for a "magic" solution that would give me POA/POI at short range.
Click to expand...

@ GeneT

Post up info on your setup..scope height, reticle in MIL or MOA, pellet weight(brand/model), and velocity. With that info I can run a solution with ChairGun for you.

One thing you should do, if your scope is SFP, is set the power at 10x...where the MIL dots and hash marks are valid. Then draw a quarter sized circle on a piece of cardboard, then look at where the hash/dots fall on your .75" kill zone at distances from from 10 to 20 yards...or if you expect an 8 or 9 yard shots, at any uber close distance you expect. Know where 10 and 20 yards are in your yard, then you can estimate or use paralax focus to determine distance. If you set a proper sight in distance that eliminates hold under, then you should end up with a scenario like tipton1947 describes..where you have very little need for adjusting and pretty much just hold on and drill your target..except for really close shots.
 
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