Point of aim ?

[DenisA]

G'day All,

Not that there's a problem, but.....

Does anyone use the bottom line of the X ring as a point of aim and set the point of impact .25 moa higher?

I'm wondering if it would give a more uniform waterline than trying to aim in the middle of a black void.

Just a thought.

[Steve N]

Denis just shot at Clermont this weekend and with the mirage there I am not sure if there was an X ring....

[mike H]

Sometimes I wonder if I shoot on the same planet as some of you blokes.

[Julian D]

Pretty sure there wasn't a 6 ring at Clermont !

[scott/r]

Don't most of you guys hold off for wind? If so, then wouldn't that make it difficult to keep any sort of consistent aim point?

[Nathan P]

I used to aim at the bottom of the 6 ring but that was when I was using a 8.5-25 leupold and it was helpful when your cross hair covers half the X ring but since I started using sightrons and a nightforce comp I just aim at the middle of the X or line the horizontal cross hair up with the X if holding off

[DenisA]

Sometimes I wonder if I shoot on the same planet as some of you blokes.

Edit. Apologies for biting. I may or may not have misinterpreted this reply.

Don't most of you guys hold off for wind? If so, then wouldn't that make it difficult to keep any sort of consistent aim point?

Depends on the reticule. All 3 of my scopes are crosshairs with slashes so it wouldn't be any different. Most F-classers that I speak to dial the bulk of the wind and hold off for the variation. That's on planet earth though, not sure how it's done elsewhere.

[ShaneG]

I know Mike and respect his experience.
I don't think it takes much thought to work out that he is referring to a fairly rare occurrence ( where I shoot anyway) when you can discern the X ring on most ranges in the middle of the day.
Or when you have forgotten to ask for a new centre as second shooter after another F classer at any range up and including 600.
There have been rare days with a good scope when I have seen the X at 1000 yards.
Then I hold centre on the X!
As I don't have the equipment to shoot out my aim point at that distance.
Maybe others have overtaken my ability and equipment?
Or they are still stuck shooting 300?
Maybe short range bench rest is a better game for them then?

[wilson85]

Pretty sure there wasn't a 6 ring at Clermont !

Denis just shot at Clermont this weekend and with the mirage there I am not sure if there was an X ring....

Glad to see you blokes enjoyed the challenging conditions, shooting on black soil at Clermont! It was a great weekend!

Cheers

Anthony

[williada]

If you can't see it you can't hit it. We just have to accept lower scores and luck of the draw. Just sometimes, aiming high on the target is a better proposition because mirage is generally denser lower down and subject to greater apparent movement as well, particularly in the mornings in Victoria.

[DenisA]

I don't understand where the mirage or poor visibility came from in this question. That wasn't part of the original post at all. It goes with out saying that if you cant see something you cant use it as a point of aim.

My train of thought was that, in good optical conditions, using a precise line to sit a cross hair on may produce a tighter waterline than trying to consistently hold the exact middle of a black circle.

[williada]

Denis,

The fact you are not aiming at the small "x" in the centre we can see when its clear, and you say there is a black void implies bad light or mirage. That's how I interpreted the meaning behind your question.

We should aim at what can see best on the target and make the appropriate adjustments on the sights. So your idea is good. The original question can be addressed in the affirmative but your scenario as I understand it now implies a clear picture to do so. This is more often not the case over a day's shooting.

In the days of using a blade, Perce Pavey told me he aimed at the 44 gallon drums up closer when possible (that were used as rubbish bins on the Williamstown Range) when mirage got bad and made sight adjustments for the long range target. It was not uncommon for TR shooters to aim a whole target off in severe wind conditions when they could not get suitable windage on their sights too.

I think the key to our game is being adaptable and innovative because there are so many variables in it. That's the beauty of the challenge.

[AlanF]

I spent most of my working life as a surveyor, and saw a few different methods of sighting various targets. One principal that was taught is that the human eye is better at bisecting two lines with a cross-hair than covering a single line. So I always try to bisect the smallest ring I can see with the horizontal cross hair. The only time I wouldn't do that is if the vertical adjustments are too coarse (e.g. as with the 1/4" clicks on my Leupold), and I might aim slightly high or low rather than do a click which goes too far.

[XCALIBRE]

I understand where you are coming from. On small bore I found it easier to split the center into two halves by lowering the horizontal cross-hair rather than trying to hold four segments equally in the brain. Now shooting longer ranges I often "bracket" the center ring between the vertical cross hair and either right or left hash mark. With windage added on that "drift" distance may not give you many X's but does give quite a few 6's. We do have quite a lot of wind and mirage conditions up here in Qld. Especially Raglan.

[Tim N]

Someone was talking about this recently and they used this technique when shooting benchrest, which might be best when shooting for group not score at short range.
Pretty sure pistol shooters aim that way too.
If conditions were perfect it may produce a 60:10 instead of a 60:9?
Only one way to find out if it works for you.