Thread: How do you judge range?

well simply....faaark thats a long way away...better get closer....yip that looks to be sub 300yards BOOM dead deer. in the bush its a non issue a long shot is 75 yards and clearings have been measured with google earth at home...eg my one lookout point is 300 yards to near end of clearing and 350 to top end.....no problems with .270 but shit out of luck if I m carrying the x39.

If you've got a ballistic reticle in FFP, you can use it to estimate range assuming you know the approximate height of your quarry. I was glad of this on two occasions, when the battery ran out on my rangefinder, and when I lost my rangefinder in the river. On both occasions I was able to continue and make a good clean shot, was glad I'd memorised the equation and method.

Originally Posted by Flyblown

If you've got a ballistic reticle in FFP, you can use it to estimate range assuming you know the approximate height of your quarry. I was glad of this on two occasions, when the battery ran out on my rangefinder, and when I lost my rangefinder in the river. On both occasions I was able to continue and make a good clean shot, was glad I'd memorised the equation and method.

I've done it a fair bit with a SFP scope as well. The calculations are much the same as long as you know what magnification range your scope is calibrated for. You can always scale it for other magnification levels.

There is the old shut one eye and use ya thumb method (I got taught this in primary school many moons ago). Not replacing a rangefinder but gives you a ROUGH ESTIMATE only. Don't get put off by the website name below
https://www.mathsisfun.com/measure/e...-distance.html

Originally Posted by Hewie

There is the old shut one eye and use ya thumb method (I got taught this in primary school many moons ago). Not replacing a rangefinder but gives you a ROUGH ESTIMATE only. Don't get put off by the website name below
https://www.mathsisfun.com/measure/e...-distance.html

Well that's buggered the sales for mega buck range finder binos.

anybody got an old hunting magazine with advert for early tasco scope???? 30-30 reticle...went something like if it fills the part from thick x hair to thick xhair its close to 100 yards...from centre xhair to outer its 200 blah de blah de blah......... if it looks far enough to need hold over or dialing up....its probably too far to guesimate....stalk closer or leave for another day.

When you get out to longer distances its impossible to range distance by eye. 800 yards looks the same as 900 yards on the range, ballistically it makes a big difference.

I can judge reasonably well out to 200 yards by eye when Im looking at something I know the height (like a deer), and sometimes use the rugby field unit of measurement similar to the power pole unit of measurement. Further than that and I want to know the distance before hand or use a rangefinder.

Fence posts 1 - 1.2m high, everything is variable in height.

I admire the clever mechanical system of the US M-14 based M-21 sniper rifle of the 1960s, which adjusted for elevation by a cam/pinion connecting the tilting scope mount to the scope zoom ring. Zoom the 3-9x scope until the man-shape reticle fits your target... and voila!... bullet drop is roughly compensated for. If you are clever, compensate further for wind and the angle of depression/elevation. This would of course not work for NZ hunting as we have no deer the size and shape of a standard Viet Cong.



Notice the loops on the sling.

I reckon a small Fallow would make a good stand in for a Charlie.

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@Russian 22

Sh*t, thought you said small fellow. Never joke about that.

Originally Posted by Cordite

@Russian 22

Sh*t, thought you said small fellow. Never joke about that.

That'd work too haha

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British Army Manual, for Lee Enfield front sight post: _|_

Post height = Height of standing man at 400 yards
Post height = height of kneeling man at 250 yards

... From which you can helpfully deduce that as an average man is 170cm tall,
... a fence post 125cm tall corresponds to height of L.E. front sight post at 300 yards
...and a fence post twice height of the sight post is = 150 yards.

A fence post half the height of the sight post is ~600 yards away... and you'll likely miss at that distance with iron sights.

Yes, it's Christmas, and yes, I'm at work on call.

Normal hunting range (out to about 200 metres or so) was never a problem but there are lots of hills and gullies here in central Otago that makes it more difficult so I have invested in a Leica 1500 range finder. Lots of surprises at first but I love it. The 8x magnification also makes it a good spotting scope.

According to my wife I can't judge the range from the end of my dick to the toilet bowl......
I bought a pair of Swarovski EL Range binos and use them for everything (except having a leak which evidently I still struggle with!)

Originally Posted by duckdog

According to my wife I can't judge the range from the end of my dick to the toilet bowl......
I bought a pair of Swarovski EL Range binos and use them for everything (except having a leak which evidently I still struggle with!)

Sit down! Steadies your binoculars too.