In previous long range shooting articles, I've talked about the effect of light and the error derived from shooting uphill/downhill—both aiming and perspective related errors. In this article, however, I'll talk about another aiming-related error: shooting with the rifle not perpendicular to the ground. When shooting with a canted rifle, the round won't land where you are … [Read more...]
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Long Range Shooting: External Ballistics – Light Effects
In both Bullet Trajectory Part 1 and Part 2, I mentioned how light can act as a variable that affects point of impact. Light doesn't directly affect bullet trajectory, but it changes the way you see the target through the telescopic sight. Essentially, you perceive the target in a different way, e.g., larger or smaller, and/or in a different place, depending on the sun's … [Read more...]
Long Range Shooting: How To Choose a Rifle Scope, Part 1 – Common Features
The rifle scope is maybe the most important component in a precision weapon system. It is the connection between you, and the target; it is your fire control system. Your success in long range shooting depend on the quality of the scope, on the quality of the scope's mounts, and on how it’s installed on the rifle. In this article, we are going to examine the desired features of … [Read more...]
Long Range Shooting: Verifying Vertical Scope Symmetry & Click Value
Ready to do some long range shooting? Now that your rifle is properly set up, your scope is perfectly zeroed (if not, don't worry, just check out these posts first: How to Zero Your Scope and How to Zero Your Scope - Part 2; I'll be right here when you get back). If you've been following this entire long range series, by now you are probably impatient to go the field and try to … [Read more...]
Long Range Shooting – How To Zero Your Scope Part 2
Your scope's set up, but how do you properly zero it? (If you're still working on the setup, check out my previous article, How to Zero Your Scope, before diving into the next step). Let's get going! Getting Into Position An important thing to consider when zeroing the scope is that shooting position often affects point of impact. This is probably due, at least in part, to … [Read more...]
Long Range Shooting – Understanding MOA and Mil
If you are into rifle shooting, you may have already heard of the terms "MOA" and "mil". As this long range shooting series progresses, we'll see these two terms more and more often, so let's take some time to talk about what they mean. MOA and mil are two angular units of measurement, used to quantify sights adjustments, to measure the accuracy of a weapon system, and to … [Read more...]