Thread: How do you judge range?

How do you judge range?

I have found in the past that I have significantly under/over estimated range, especially over uneven terrain. Gullies seem to mess with my ability to accurately assess distance.

The obvious answer of course, is a rangefinder. Another one might be something specific, like a fully grown stag filling up a certain number of mildots at x no. of metres on your scope.

Not everybody has a rangefinder. Not every specific solution works for other situations.

Anybody found a quick and effective method?

The only quick and effective method is a rangefinder, too many other variables to use any other method.

Practice (lots of it), with a range finder. Another mental trick is to take a known distance (rugby field length is good) and estimate how many times it fits into what you are seeing.

When I walk the dogs in the hills I take a rangefinder. Estimate the range, and then confirm with range finder.

If you don't have a range finder, use a topo map and baseplate compass with romer scale (100m divider). Try to identify features at the same contour level and measure.

For angle values, a quick rule of thumb is that a closed fist is about 10 degrees. You can confirm this by checking how many times you can fit a closed fist with your arm extended into a 90 degree arc. It is close enough for using when shooting.

Haha...at the weekend I watched a clearing I thought was a bit under 300m. After a while I decided it must be over 300, maybe 320m. As my 308 is zeroed at 100m for bush work I duly adjusted and put 2 shots over a deeds shoulder. Estimating with the GPS on the map read 280m.

Muppet needs a rangefinder

Before rangefinders it was the eyeometer, it was ether a clean miss or a solid hit and pulled off some amazing shots with less than a hand full shots on wounded deer not recovered. Used paper Topo Maps then on GPS’s, Reticle hash marks for ranging isn’t reliable enough. Now running a 300 blackout using subs I won’t guess past 80m.

Going off subject here a bit,
Even with the advancement of rangefinders there’s a lot a of wounded animals being shot and not recover, New hunters still need basic marksmanship and animal anatomy/physiology. It’s easy for the newbie to get a rangefinder, Ballistic app and think he can shoot long range without putting in the range time and validation of ammo. Not knocking the TV shows and YouTube but they make it look too easy, there need to do a show on the theory behind the shot, accurate validated ammo, advanced ballistic, terminal ballistics for desired animals.

If you need to know the range, you need a rangefinder. Its that simple

Max an approximate but quick method is to use the known subtension in moa or mls between crosshair and the part where the crosshair becomes thicker. One one of my scopes if I zero at 200 on the crosshair, I can use the upper fine to thick junction of yhe verticle as an aim mark at 100, and the lower junction for 300. If you mark a target set up at 100 and clearly mark inch or cm gradations on it, then take scope back to 100 and take note of where parts of the reticle intersect your measured marks at various magnifications you can easily work out an approximate scale. A typcal red hind has a depth shoulder to brisket of about 18 inches, )18moa( at 100, or 6moa at 300, Knowing your subtensions relative to the object size you are aiming at can give you a pretty good estimate of range prett y quickly..

Originally Posted by Woody

Max an approximate but quick method is to use the known subtension in moa or mls between crosshair and the part where the crosshair becomes thicker. One one of my scopes if I zero at 200 on the crosshair, I can use the upper fine to thick junction of yhe verticle as an aim mark at 100, and the lower junction for 300. If you mark a target set up at 100 and clearly mark inch or cm gradations on it, then take scope back to 100 and take note of where parts of the reticle intersect your measured marks at various magnifications you can easily work out an approximate scale. A typcal red hind has a depth shoulder to brisket of about 18 inches, )18moa( at 100, or 6moa at 300, Knowing your subtensions relative to the object size you are aiming at can give you a pretty good estimate of range prett y quickly..

Only works if you work it out on a set power though unless scope is ffp.

Thats what mil dots were developed for, they still are a quick way of measuring range based on a few assumptions when you are experienced with one your estimates are typically within 10% of actual range.

I use the distance between power poles. Then just transfer this to the field. Works very well. It's a great game to play how far is that?
After a short while you do get very good at it. A rangefinder is a little bit like spell check. Only use it on the hard words, otherwise you forget how to spell. Now wind judgment is another story your shot is more likely to be a bust because of poor wind calls than range.

@Max Headroom

You don't need a rangefinder. Just don't shoot anything further out than 200 yds (182.88 metres)

Bush hobbit, so point and "bang". Would like to get into more open country/tops shooting so probably go with the range finder and then confirm with reticle.

The visualizing of "rugby fields" works ok but across gully or incline/decline etc can be a bugger.

... especially when it looks different from nearer the ground, kneeling or lying.

This gives the low down on the main methods of range estimation: http://www.benning.army.mil/Armor/31....pdf?13NOV2017

i get this guy to do it, he needs no help