2015-12-09
2030-2100
50F
12 MPH S
Goal: Check .308WIN at 30yds and 50yds.
Environment: Cloudy, no moon. Some stars visible. Like Orion completely visible through a gap in the clouds. Wind from the S, at least 12 MPH gusting to at least 15 mph.
Equipment: .308WIN bolt gun with Bushy 4.5x monocular, Bushy TRS-32 dot sight, T-20 ir-illuminator.
Activity:
G04 - 1 rd - 30yds - aimed dead center.
Result a bit high and a bit right. I wonder if I cranked too far to the right after G03. I cranked 4 clicks which was 16th of a full turn.
The dot is huge. Almost obscures the target. The 4.5x magnification is too much for anything resembling precision shooting. Also the "cheap" TRS-32 dot sight is not optimal either its dot is large to start with.
The internal ir-illuminator did not illuminate the target. There was too much wash out. This could be due to the internal illuminator bouncing off either the TRS-32 sight or the T-20 or both. I can try moving the T-20 to the other side of the gun. I will have to reverse the T-20 in its mount to do that, but it is doable. I might remove the T10 in order to be sure to minimize possible blocking objects. But I fear the windage knob on the TRS-32 is a blocking factor as well. Turning the internal ir down to ir-0 and turning on the T-20 illuminated the target just fine and then I was able to focus and get a clear picture. But once I turned on the TRS-32 dot, on the lowest power ("1") the dot obscured the target. But I tried to aim the center of the giant dot at the center of the target and got the result shown.
The gineas were in the tree right over my head and they flapped their wings when I fired. So I moved to 50 yds firing position.
G05 - 2 rds - 50ds - aimed at right edge of paper but level for elevation.
Result I was very well centered but 4.5 inches high. The wind was blowing from right to left (about 45 degrees off bullet path).
AB says to hold 4.3 inches down and 3.9 inches right.
The "dot" covered the entire target from left to right, but I could see the top and bottom of the paper. I fired off PRS tripod at 50yds, standing. At least we got something that looks like a "group" ... and the numbers make sense.
Until we get the gineas into their winter quarters, I will have to head out to the pasture to continue this testing so I can shoot without bothering the critters. But I am generally encouraged that this is a viable system, though there are issues:
01 - the dot is too big.
This can be mitigated by two means I can think of: (A) using a different dot sight with a finer dot. (B) Using the 3x Bushy instead of the 4.5x.
02 - The internal ir-illuminator can't illuminate the target even at 30yds.
I will try moving the gear around to clear the path for the internal illuminator. I am actually fine using the T-20, but for theory purposes, would like to know why the internal illuminator cannot illuminate the target when mounted on the gun.