JJHACK
Member
I'm not a rifleman loony. For every hour I spend with a Rifle, I probably spend 50 with a archery. I don't own a single fancy rifle, only three total now, .223 Hawkeye, 375HH and a 30/06. Pretty boring by rifle loony standards.
In my work I am often with very excitable guys (women and kids too) that have never seen the animal they are hunting, much less get to shoot one! The time change and the all new species of Africa can cause even very experienced hunters and outdoorsman to get a bit excited. Not to mention the 55" spiral horns of a Kudu stepping into an opening and looking at you in the sunlight!
With this, I needed something to help my hunters using my loaner rifle in South Africa. More times then I care to remember I have had hunters shoot game on the wrong left. Something happens to folks under these exciting conditions. Even a brilliant engineer, airline pilot, NFL quarterback, and surgeon gets right and left mixed up.
So my quest for simple began. If right and left were not easy enough to figure out, then doing complicated math counting clicks for MOA adjustments was probably the wrong direction too! Then I met a fella from Kenton Industries. He pitched me a great story and was quite convincing. That was several years ago.
I Remembered his comments and his seemingly great understanding of my dilemma. So I called them up and asked the questions again getting the same answers to inspire confidence. So what the heck, I've spent 100 bucks in worse ways in my life. What if this actually works as they say!
I had them build me a dial for the .308 dia 165grain TSX bullet going 2950fps. I wanted them to start the dial at 250 yards, my zero point. The dial came in the mail and was laser etched every 25 yards just as I asked them, from 250 to 700 yards. It has a built in Dead stop at 250 and another at 700. So I cannot over turn it and lose my original zero with a multi turn spinning knob.
Today I set out to check this little wonder and verify the 100 bucks was well spent, or wishful thinking. I have a great place to shoot out to as far as I care to shoot. I have "T" posts every hundred yards to 700 with a ribbon tied to the top of each to see the wind. Then I placed a 20" target at each on to 300, after which I used a sheet of corrugated cardboard 3' square ( so I could find the holes drastically far from the aimpoint!) if this didn't work. On those distant targets I made an 8" circle to better see with the 10x VXIII scope. I placed these to 600 yards. Really did not consider the 700 yard distance as even reasonable to try. I forgot my Caldwell forearm adjustable rest. I had a sandbag and a carhart Jacket to work with on the bench. Not exactly bench rest worthy, but at least as stable as a hunting situation would be.
First shot at 100, clicked off the first shot and it was dead center perfect.
At 200, I used the crosshair without any adjustment, the starting point for the adjustment is 250 yards remember. That shot was exactly 2.5" higher then dead center. It was as expected
At 300 I set the dial to the laser etched 300 yard mark, and it was another dead center bulls eye. No real surprise here, any decent centerfire should shoot this good to 300 yards. I'm no rifle or bench rest loony, just good equipment and practice should get you to this point easy enough.
At 400, the two shots I took were about 1.5" above the center line and about 1.5" apart. Now I don't care who you are, that was pretty darn good. All without holdover and shooting a simple 30/06
At 500 I could no longer see the 30 caliber holes with the spotting scope, so I shot 4 times. Two were above the zero line and two were below. All four could be covered with the palm of my hand.
So now at 600..... the barrel is getting hot, but it's a long walk out and back so I click off two more and then walk down to check. Set the nicely made laser etched dial to 600 yards, that 8" circle looks so small in this 10X scope now.
When I walked down to see the groups, I was in stunned amazement. The 600 yard groups were dead on the money for elevation, and only about 3.5-4" apart. There was a bit of wind, but not consistent. That may be why they are off, or more likely my shooting ability! This Kenton dial appears to be for real. I set it back to 100 when I walked back to my portable bench and shot a near hole touching shot to the first one I took at the beginning at 100 yards. The repeatability and the easy to use dial with stops is the simplest way to shoot longer shots I can imagine. This is easy to copy, I have simple equipment, Winchester Model 70, TSX bullets, leupold scope and rings. Nothing stupid expensive elite or complicated.
When I range a target now, I can just tell my hunter the distance and he can select it with the dial and there will be no holdover or under. Just use the center crosshair and squeeze slowly. No math for them,.......... just the complication of which right ( or left) do I mean?
In my work I am often with very excitable guys (women and kids too) that have never seen the animal they are hunting, much less get to shoot one! The time change and the all new species of Africa can cause even very experienced hunters and outdoorsman to get a bit excited. Not to mention the 55" spiral horns of a Kudu stepping into an opening and looking at you in the sunlight!
With this, I needed something to help my hunters using my loaner rifle in South Africa. More times then I care to remember I have had hunters shoot game on the wrong left. Something happens to folks under these exciting conditions. Even a brilliant engineer, airline pilot, NFL quarterback, and surgeon gets right and left mixed up.
So my quest for simple began. If right and left were not easy enough to figure out, then doing complicated math counting clicks for MOA adjustments was probably the wrong direction too! Then I met a fella from Kenton Industries. He pitched me a great story and was quite convincing. That was several years ago.
I Remembered his comments and his seemingly great understanding of my dilemma. So I called them up and asked the questions again getting the same answers to inspire confidence. So what the heck, I've spent 100 bucks in worse ways in my life. What if this actually works as they say!
I had them build me a dial for the .308 dia 165grain TSX bullet going 2950fps. I wanted them to start the dial at 250 yards, my zero point. The dial came in the mail and was laser etched every 25 yards just as I asked them, from 250 to 700 yards. It has a built in Dead stop at 250 and another at 700. So I cannot over turn it and lose my original zero with a multi turn spinning knob.
Today I set out to check this little wonder and verify the 100 bucks was well spent, or wishful thinking. I have a great place to shoot out to as far as I care to shoot. I have "T" posts every hundred yards to 700 with a ribbon tied to the top of each to see the wind. Then I placed a 20" target at each on to 300, after which I used a sheet of corrugated cardboard 3' square ( so I could find the holes drastically far from the aimpoint!) if this didn't work. On those distant targets I made an 8" circle to better see with the 10x VXIII scope. I placed these to 600 yards. Really did not consider the 700 yard distance as even reasonable to try. I forgot my Caldwell forearm adjustable rest. I had a sandbag and a carhart Jacket to work with on the bench. Not exactly bench rest worthy, but at least as stable as a hunting situation would be.
First shot at 100, clicked off the first shot and it was dead center perfect.
At 200, I used the crosshair without any adjustment, the starting point for the adjustment is 250 yards remember. That shot was exactly 2.5" higher then dead center. It was as expected
At 300 I set the dial to the laser etched 300 yard mark, and it was another dead center bulls eye. No real surprise here, any decent centerfire should shoot this good to 300 yards. I'm no rifle or bench rest loony, just good equipment and practice should get you to this point easy enough.
At 400, the two shots I took were about 1.5" above the center line and about 1.5" apart. Now I don't care who you are, that was pretty darn good. All without holdover and shooting a simple 30/06
At 500 I could no longer see the 30 caliber holes with the spotting scope, so I shot 4 times. Two were above the zero line and two were below. All four could be covered with the palm of my hand.
So now at 600..... the barrel is getting hot, but it's a long walk out and back so I click off two more and then walk down to check. Set the nicely made laser etched dial to 600 yards, that 8" circle looks so small in this 10X scope now.
When I walked down to see the groups, I was in stunned amazement. The 600 yard groups were dead on the money for elevation, and only about 3.5-4" apart. There was a bit of wind, but not consistent. That may be why they are off, or more likely my shooting ability! This Kenton dial appears to be for real. I set it back to 100 when I walked back to my portable bench and shot a near hole touching shot to the first one I took at the beginning at 100 yards. The repeatability and the easy to use dial with stops is the simplest way to shoot longer shots I can imagine. This is easy to copy, I have simple equipment, Winchester Model 70, TSX bullets, leupold scope and rings. Nothing stupid expensive elite or complicated.
When I range a target now, I can just tell my hunter the distance and he can select it with the dial and there will be no holdover or under. Just use the center crosshair and squeeze slowly. No math for them,.......... just the complication of which right ( or left) do I mean?
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