Range estimation tricks anyone?

[bcochran]

range estimation

Humans have a limitation. Most cannot estimate distance over 100 yards.

Tricks :

Measure common, uniform things like:

car wheel diameters, stop signs, speed limit signs, length of a human torso, length of a long truck (90 feet), the diameter of traffic signals, length of an ar15.


Take measurements on imprecise things, like distances from store front to storefront across a two lane street with parking; distance from the front of a house to the front of a house across the street (remember in locations other than rural America, there are minimum required building set backs.

Understand that the width of most residential property is about 70 feet. This means that from center of one house to center of another house on the same block will be about 70 feet.

 

[Bwana John]

On my 7mm Mauser deer rifle I have a 4X scope. It the deer looks too small (>250 yds)in the scope I need to move closer. I dont "hold over", I put the X-hairs where they are susposed to be, and from 0-250 yrds the deer is in the freezer.
I dont like big magnification, or variable scopes for my deer rifle, they tend to mess up my distance estimations.

 

[TC66]

I personally like using a Mil-Dot scope. Takes some getting use too but it does work.

 

[Powderman]

Range estimation? Very, very simple.

Just read the name designation as it comes from the manufacturer. Usually, they are clearly marked; Kenmore, Whirlpool, Speed Queen......oh, wait a minute. Wrong type of range....never mind.....

 

[Joejojoba111]

The two best methods, just a raw opinion, are #1)100m method and #2)appearance of objects method.

#1)You figure out what 100m looks like. Then you figure out how many 100m chunks are between you and target - out to 500m. from 500m-1km you pick a halfway point. 'That bush is halfway between target and me. How many 100m chunks out to that bush?' Then, of course, you just double the number of 100m chunks and you have distance.

#2)Appearance of objects is where you see and learn and remember what things look like at what distances. What details can you see on a deer at 100m? 200m? 300m? etc. This is the stuff about the whites of their eyes, and so on.

Both are great for golf, but I can't lie I'm still just learning. I take a guess, then look at the golf-flag rangefinder, and see how far off I am. The 100m chunk method is pretty good, weakness is that uphill looks longer and downhill looks shorter. Appearance of details method I'm not good at, light conditions seem to effect a lot, I think. Plus my eyes aren't 100%, so maybe my focusing muscles are tired or something. If you could put both techniques together you would be expert.

Thanks for bringing this stuff up I've not been even thinking of practicing, now I will.

 

[roo_ster]

sscoyote wins the prize!

Civil War Living History Institute
CWLHI used to have online some courses in Civil War Arty, to include stadia range estimation.


Civil War Stadia Arty Sites

FM for 90mm RR

Also check out the attached file (it is a zipped pdf).

 

[Joejojoba111]

awesome site. I hope the links on the civil-war site get working too, those categories sounded interesting.