I'm new to PCP rifles I want to hunt squirrels anybody know what the holdover or hold under is for shooting them out of a tree any information will be greatly appreciated
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Squirrel hunting with a PCP rifle
- Thread starter sef5359
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Hi,
You'll want to get a ballistic calculator from the app store for your smartphone. Sterlok or Hawke Chairgun are good options. Then use the ballistic calculator to generate specific answers for your gun, pellet, range, angle, etc, combination. I use chairgun, but, Sterlok seems more popular. The interfaces are very different. That gives you a good starting point, but, you will have verify the results in the field.
You'll want to get a ballistic calculator from the app store for your smartphone. Sterlok or Hawke Chairgun are good options. Then use the ballistic calculator to generate specific answers for your gun, pellet, range, angle, etc, combination. I use chairgun, but, Sterlok seems more popular. The interfaces are very different. That gives you a good starting point, but, you will have verify the results in the field.
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squirrels are usually close under 30 and it wont matter ...once your out past the falling side of trajectory it starts to matter more...for a typical 20y zero and you holdover 1" or so at 50 itl be close to dead on shooting up 45 degrees at 50 as an example .. so it moves your usual holdover amt further out more or less ... easy to overshoot on a long shot up in a tree ...
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All that depends on a lot of variables. What distances you are shooting at, what velocity, what gr. pellet, etc, etc. With a PCP, just squirrel hunting in the woods? The chances are you won't have to worry about any hold over/under. Because the distances are normally not that far and most PCPs shoot at relatively higher velocities which makes them have a flatter trajectory. Now, if you were hunting with a springer? Then yes, hold over will often come into play.
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It will depend upon the distance you’re shooting them from, the gun, the tune, the ammo, how you zero your scope, etc. Also these animals generally aren’t sitting still for you to shoot. Especially a gray squirrel. Practice at different distances when you’re target shooting. That is a good way to learn your holdovers. Then learn to figure out your range with your scope and obtain the range of different trees and rocks in the area you plan to hunt before the squirrels show up. When they do you should have a better idea of what distance(s) they are before taking a shot. I don’t know how using an app may help. Personally I have quite the time trying to adjust as they come at different distances. Sometimes I miss shots and opportunities to take them. For example I had a squirrel come out of a tree from above and behind me yesterday before climbing down to the ground. He hopped away before I could adjust my position and scope to take a 5 yard shot. An app would have been little help here. What I can say is that practice is your friend. @TiredRooster summed it up nicely.
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Same configuration at 45degrees up is now zeroed at 48yard instead of 25yards. If you want a quick correction aim base on the horizontal distance, rifle man's rule. A high power PCP will shoot pellets at 850 to 800fps for best accuracy. Sub-sonic and pellets also have BCs much lower then bullet.
Practice is very important, but, you can start from a better point with more information. Not difficult to bring a few quick screens for reference.
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Find a isolated area with no houses around and find a gumball tree and shoot the seed pods! That will teach you real holdover and under quickly
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I will just add a couple thoughts to what has been said - I agree with their comments. First, I ignore the angle. You want to hold based upon the straight line distance to the tree. The actual distance to the squirrel will be longer when it is well up in the tree but it doesn't matter, the drop of the pellet will be consistent with the horizontal distance.
Second, I recommend zeroing your scope to have no more than 1/4 inch up or down as far out as possible. On my Prod, for instance, it is zero'd for about 28 yards and can go a little over 30 yards before it is down 1/4 inch again. So from about 10 to 33 yards I don't hold up or down. On my P35 the scope is a lot higher and I don't get within 1/4 inch until 20 yards but it's velocity is also higher so I don't get 1/4 inch of drop until about 42 yards. The zero of the P35 is a little over 35 yards.
Last, once you have set up chairgun and verified it's drop through shooting, I make a sticky disk to go inside the objective len's flip up cover. That way you have drop data readily available. On the P35, I did not list the up or down in the 1/4 to 1/4 inch range and just put in drop up close and out over 40 yards. I did put the maximum up point in the 1/4 to 1/4 range, however. I bought sheets of the sticky discs on Amazon, they came with software to make it easier to print them out on my laser printer. I have these on each of my 3 air rilfes.
Second, I recommend zeroing your scope to have no more than 1/4 inch up or down as far out as possible. On my Prod, for instance, it is zero'd for about 28 yards and can go a little over 30 yards before it is down 1/4 inch again. So from about 10 to 33 yards I don't hold up or down. On my P35 the scope is a lot higher and I don't get within 1/4 inch until 20 yards but it's velocity is also higher so I don't get 1/4 inch of drop until about 42 yards. The zero of the P35 is a little over 35 yards.
Last, once you have set up chairgun and verified it's drop through shooting, I make a sticky disk to go inside the objective len's flip up cover. That way you have drop data readily available. On the P35, I did not list the up or down in the 1/4 to 1/4 inch range and just put in drop up close and out over 40 yards. I did put the maximum up point in the 1/4 to 1/4 range, however. I bought sheets of the sticky discs on Amazon, they came with software to make it easier to print them out on my laser printer. I have these on each of my 3 air rilfes.
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I live in Central Florida no gumball trees where I live that's good advice I never thought about that I have to find a tree that is in Florida that has some seed pods or stuff hanging out of it . Maybe a pine tree shoot some pine cones out of it
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As others have mentioned the variables like pellet weight, velocity, zero range used and very important too is the scope height above the rifle bore all will effect your point blank range and holdovers and unders. I have found Chairgun to be very good for showing you what your rifle with all the inputs will give for trajectory. In addition you get to input your kill zone size for the size of game you are hunting. Then you can review the trajectory charts generated and then it allows you to print out range cards to take with you in the field. Bill
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My first piece of advice is to get so comfortable with your gun that you KNOW the trajectory. I have one gun that I've now put over 18,000 pellets through it. Any shot between 10 and 60 yards I feel comfortable taking very rapidly. My comfort level is based on my knowledge that I have a 99 percent certainty I can place that pellet in the kill zone when I pull the trigger and I have a safe backstop.....
There's a Plethora of tools to help, but for me none have replaced my intimate knowledge of the firearm I am shooting and the scope I am using.
There's a Plethora of tools to help, but for me none have replaced my intimate knowledge of the firearm I am shooting and the scope I am using.
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