Old Hickory 45
Well-Known Member
Exactly what I am thinking.
Help....my wife cant see consistently through th scope.
- Thread starter DSMITH1651
- Start date
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A scope mounted too low or too high creates issues just as if it's too far forward or back. A scope too high and she will be trying to hold her head up to get full field of view. There a simple solution which is a cheek rest ammo pouch. I fixed my wife's same issue with this. It allows for up to about 1" of additional height to the cheek weld. There is a pack of 6 piece Velcro wedge strips that come with this to increase the height. They attach on the underside out of sight. I only used 1 in this example. This also allows for 10 rounds to be stored on the opposite side of the cheek rest. Cost about $25 on MidwayUSA? This the is left handed version.
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Heres what we used to fix the issue. ^^^ Based on the 120 reviews it seems numerous others solved similar issues. The ammo strip on the outside removes and can be put inside a zippered pouch. She does also appear to have her head tilted in a downward position towards the floor which would make her looking down as opposed to forward on the same plane as the rifle/scope.
www.midwayusa.com
MidwayUSA Pro Series Rifle Cheek Rest Ammo Carrier 6-Round Fixed Stock
Wield your rifle confidently with the MidwayUSA Pro Series Rifle Cheek Rest. This cheek rest has a series of hook-and-loop straps for a secure and...
www.midwayusa.com
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It's a complex problem setting at your table the chair makes her set too high for one part of it . If she is comfortable with the mount she has on her shoulder you work from there figure out how much cheek riser you want to get a good cheek weld for her style of shooting . next have her mount the rifle , close her eyes then move the scope back as far as you can , have her open her eyes and see if she can see through the scope . do this till she see's through the scope every time she opens her eyes . Now you can level the scope with the action and tighten it down what fits me most likely will not fit you as well as it does me . I use a plastic 5 gallon bucket turned upside down to set on so that I'm not setting too high at my table to get properly on my rifle . Make adjustments and work calmly with what you have to work with no one thing works for all of us we have to make slight adjustments to fit each of us .
Craveman85
Well-Known Member
First I'd try to throw a low power shotgun scope on there just for her to get used to. Use that to play with cheek weld and eye relief. I have a 243 with a cut down stock I made adjustable. It's got a rail and with a variety of rings I can make it fit anyone. It has a 1.5-4 shotgun scope with a thick reticle. I usually let someone borrow it for summer and their first season. Then it moves on to someone else the next year. I can't remember the last time someone didn't try to buy it from me though. As of this year it's taken 12 of people's first deer.
Is the scope set upon the rifle with proper eye relief for her? As already stated by skimbleshanks, it's not much time to resolve this problem.
IMO, it doesn't look like the scope mounting solution is correct (for her).
And, she does look to be far away from the eye box.
I know ammo is hard to come by right now. Get her down for as much range time as you can from now till your hunt.
Part of becoming a good shooter is learning to deal with some adversity.
Not the best of situations here. But, seems time is too limited to get it done before your hunt.
Best of luck on this hunt.
Where do you hunt? By chance OR or WA?
How far are your shots?
Do you stalk, blind or tree rest?
7LRM suggests shots out to 1K.
AR15 in 6.5 Grendel, or AR10 in 7mm08, equipped with a scout scope. The eye box on those can vary by up to 2". Without a muzzle device on either, recoil is 1/4 to 1/2 your 7LRM with brake.
Some folk are naturals at sight acquisition and pointing. Shotguns are very different than rifles.
As cliché as it may sound, collect info on ladies shooting schools, & she select one as a present. Thunder Ranch?
How far are your shots?
Do you stalk, blind or tree rest?
7LRM suggests shots out to 1K.
AR15 in 6.5 Grendel, or AR10 in 7mm08, equipped with a scout scope. The eye box on those can vary by up to 2". Without a muzzle device on either, recoil is 1/4 to 1/2 your 7LRM with brake.
Some folk are naturals at sight acquisition and pointing. Shotguns are very different than rifles.
As cliché as it may sound, collect info on ladies shooting schools, & she select one as a present. Thunder Ranch?
375Shooter
Member
This may sound ridiculous, but it has worked for quite a few people I have taught - get her to mount the rifle without worrying about the sight box (usually I take the scope off for this) and put a piece of tape on the stock where her cheek touches. Mount and remount several times to see if the mounting point is consistent...it will change from bench to shoulder, so for a hunting rifle make the check from a standing or prone position...whichever you think will be more likely.
Once you can determine the mount consistency, then you can determine scope position, etc. The tape piece can help you with the scope position, as the eye box is a known distance for each scope, which helps minimize the adjusting you need to do when the scope is on the rifle. You are chasing the wind until you know this for certain. The first picture of her makes it appear that she is well back on the stock, which will be hard to fit.
Once you can determine the mount consistency, then you can determine scope position, etc. The tape piece can help you with the scope position, as the eye box is a known distance for each scope, which helps minimize the adjusting you need to do when the scope is on the rifle. You are chasing the wind until you know this for certain. The first picture of her makes it appear that she is well back on the stock, which will be hard to fit.
Yes: first, did you check for eye dominance. It isn't necessarily the same as her hand dominance, and she NEEDS to use her dominant eye.
Secondly: with the butt resting low on her shoulder, her eye may be hard to line up with the scope axis. So in addition to adding a comb riser to the stock, think about taller scope mounts, to raise the scope so it is in line with her eye.
A rifle should be setup for ONE person.
Mount the rifle in the position you plan to hunt (on sticks, standing, prone, etc) WITH YOUR EYES CLOSED.
Once fully mounted and comfortable, open your eyes. This the the position you need to adjust your optics to fit.
The key is to fit to the rifle, then the optics to that position.
If she is smaller, she may need a shorter stock too.
As others have mentioned, the only adjustment to make to the position would be if she has such a low position that she needs to get her cheek up for low or x-low rings to fit the optic to the rifle. Don't add a 3" cheek riser to match an optic in high or medium rings that only needs low or x-low rings. Make sure your optic is as low to the barrel/action as possible.
Also agree that lowest magnification is where you want to start.
Read about exit pupil and eye relief. If you can't adjust to the maximum eye relief you are already starting with an optic that will never fit.
Also, check her eye dominance. My wife is right handed but left eye dominant. Makes things real tricky. With both eyes open, have her point at something 10-20 ft away. Close left eye. Is she still pointing at the item? Do with the other eye only open. Did the object move? If so, that is her non-dominant eye. The eye that is open that matches to when you have both eyes open is your dominant eye. You want to adjust shooting position for your dominant eye.. Which may mean a lefty rifle and learning to shoot lefty. Or finding a way to compensate from the right side.
There is quite a bit to making your rifle an extension of yourself. Get one good rifle and put the time/money into that single gun first.
Good luck!
Mount the rifle in the position you plan to hunt (on sticks, standing, prone, etc) WITH YOUR EYES CLOSED.
Once fully mounted and comfortable, open your eyes. This the the position you need to adjust your optics to fit.
The key is to fit to the rifle, then the optics to that position.
If she is smaller, she may need a shorter stock too.
As others have mentioned, the only adjustment to make to the position would be if she has such a low position that she needs to get her cheek up for low or x-low rings to fit the optic to the rifle. Don't add a 3" cheek riser to match an optic in high or medium rings that only needs low or x-low rings. Make sure your optic is as low to the barrel/action as possible.
Also agree that lowest magnification is where you want to start.
Read about exit pupil and eye relief. If you can't adjust to the maximum eye relief you are already starting with an optic that will never fit.
Also, check her eye dominance. My wife is right handed but left eye dominant. Makes things real tricky. With both eyes open, have her point at something 10-20 ft away. Close left eye. Is she still pointing at the item? Do with the other eye only open. Did the object move? If so, that is her non-dominant eye. The eye that is open that matches to when you have both eyes open is your dominant eye. You want to adjust shooting position for your dominant eye.. Which may mean a lefty rifle and learning to shoot lefty. Or finding a way to compensate from the right side.
There is quite a bit to making your rifle an extension of yourself. Get one good rifle and put the time/money into that single gun first.
Good luck!
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redneckdan
Well-Known Member
All the tech info here is good.
I'll jump on the band wagon about getting 3rd party instruction. When I was a ski patrolled I taught several spouses to telemark ski. I was no more qualified than their significant others, but it just works better.
When my wife started hunting, I tried to go the precision rifle route. It didn't work due to an issue with her eyes. I encouraged her to seek outside help and she ended up with a Grendel upper and an eotech. It works for us. She takes anything under 200 yds and I bring the long iron. Not saying that's what you need to do, but I was flexible in my expectations and it worked out.
I'll jump on the band wagon about getting 3rd party instruction. When I was a ski patrolled I taught several spouses to telemark ski. I was no more qualified than their significant others, but it just works better.
When my wife started hunting, I tried to go the precision rifle route. It didn't work due to an issue with her eyes. I encouraged her to seek outside help and she ended up with a Grendel upper and an eotech. It works for us. She takes anything under 200 yds and I bring the long iron. Not saying that's what you need to do, but I was flexible in my expectations and it worked out.
redneckdan
Well-Known Member
One other thing.
Women are EXTREMELY sensitive to criticism. Avoid it or anything that could be mis interpreted as criticism. That's not a slam. Its just their brains are wired different than mens. Be careful how you work through this issue.
Women are EXTREMELY sensitive to criticism. Avoid it or anything that could be mis interpreted as criticism. That's not a slam. Its just their brains are wired different than mens. Be careful how you work through this issue.
