shepard scopes
- Thread starter hapycapy
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eshell
Well-Known Member
My shooting partner sold off his 3-4 Shepards, and I had two custom reticles (Premier converted Leupolds) for a couple of my own long range rifles that proved to be inappropriate for really long range and I got rid of the one that I had hoped to use for really long range. I kept the one that matches my .22-250 because I use that at closer ranges and it's fine.
Assuming you have one that matches your trajectory curve correctly and you're inside 500 yards or so, where altitude density effects on trajectory are less severe, they're fine and you can't beat the Shepards for speed. Beyond that, air density plays such a critical role in bullet drop, and animal size variations are so important to range estimation, they lose their advantages, and I'd much rather laser and dial/holdover.
Assuming you have one that matches your trajectory curve correctly and you're inside 500 yards or so, where altitude density effects on trajectory are less severe, they're fine and you can't beat the Shepards for speed. Beyond that, air density plays such a critical role in bullet drop, and animal size variations are so important to range estimation, they lose their advantages, and I'd much rather laser and dial/holdover.
i havent personally had one but my cousin put one on a .308 build about three years ago and now the scope has been replaced and is sitting alone in the safe by itself.they only compensate out to around 8-900 max if i remember right.i would say if you arent going to shoot any farther than that go agead and get a $250 bushnell or something if money is the issue.if you don't shoot much and shooting is limited to deer then go for it,but i just believe that a couple years down the road you will be wishing u had that rangefinder!
rooster740
Well-Known Member
I have one on a 308 Winchester. I like the Idea of the reticle but the distance has to be ranged with the leica. The problem is the thing is sensitive to abuse, it easily loses zero. You can not put it in a saddle scabord. As a truck gun it is fine, I have reticle number three, and shoot 180gr. nosler bt or accubond at 2500fps. Very fun to play with busting rocks. As a guide I have witnessed this gun kill elk at impressive ranges, in the hands of others. Most were cripples when the ol' magnum was putting up too much of a beating, or out of lead.
yobuck
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its easy for those of us owning rangefinders to be giving advise to those who dont.
ive owned a barr&stroud for many years. recently, ive been using a swaro. lazer also.
both are fine rangefinders. however,depending on how you hunt, it would be easy to get by without any rangefinder.
especially, if you are a stationary hunter. simply go to the locations you intend to hunt. draw a scetch of the area you will be shooting at. pick out some prominant rocks etc. and mark their location on the scetch.
guess the yardage, and shoot at each one untill you hit it. mark down the elevation, and your set.
it takes some effort, but the experience is good. it will give you a very close estimate of anything from that location.
we have numerous spots weve marked just that way with the barr&stroud. we carried it in there just 1 time.
keeping the distance down is also very important.
3 years ago at age 70, i got my first pa. black bear using that method. using a 7x300 wby. custom sporter, we used a nearby reference to establish the distance. 700 yds. and he dropped on the first shot. any luck involved? sure there was, but that scetch, made it all possible.
ive owned a barr&stroud for many years. recently, ive been using a swaro. lazer also.
both are fine rangefinders. however,depending on how you hunt, it would be easy to get by without any rangefinder.
especially, if you are a stationary hunter. simply go to the locations you intend to hunt. draw a scetch of the area you will be shooting at. pick out some prominant rocks etc. and mark their location on the scetch.
guess the yardage, and shoot at each one untill you hit it. mark down the elevation, and your set.
it takes some effort, but the experience is good. it will give you a very close estimate of anything from that location.
we have numerous spots weve marked just that way with the barr&stroud. we carried it in there just 1 time.
keeping the distance down is also very important.
3 years ago at age 70, i got my first pa. black bear using that method. using a 7x300 wby. custom sporter, we used a nearby reference to establish the distance. 700 yds. and he dropped on the first shot. any luck involved? sure there was, but that scetch, made it all possible.
yobuck,
We had our dis-agreements on a previous thread, I thought it was just because you were the "distance Police" or a malcontent trying to stir the pot, after reading this post and a few similar I realize that I misjudged you and I apologize. I understand now that you are just a lunatic a couple curly fries short of a value meal, you really need to have your great grand son edit your reply's before you submit them or quit a fifth of vodka earlier.
UB
yea im going to have to agree with unc on that one.the deer i hunt don't usually hang around when shots start flying.if u have your deer in a high fence where they dont have the choice of leaving when u are practicing shooting rocks and drawing them on paper then i guess that would be okay if that is the best idea u can think of.spend a little money get a rangefinder.way more versatile.u arent limited to hunting in places where u have already drawn out ur landscape on paper.
sscoyote
Well-Known Member
The nice thing about the Shepard system is that there are so many stadia points that u could use for rangefinding/zeroing. U could use the system that's developed for it, but if u understand the mathematics behind it, it opens up a world of flexibility with the simplest of rangefinding reticles (the plex reticle) to the most complicated multi-stadia reticle.
There is only 1 problem with reticle-ranging game and that is the tgt. size variable in the equation is no longer a constant...BUT it is better than guessing.
There is only 1 problem with reticle-ranging game and that is the tgt. size variable in the equation is no longer a constant...BUT it is better than guessing.
rooster740
Well-Known Member
I really do not want to get into a uninating contest here. This post was about the Shepard scope, not sketching 200 square miles of Montana real estate. I get on my horse in the dark of morning and hunt where the elk are, savy? What ever kind of range finder you use is your business, I have a Leica 1200 yarder which I think sucks, the point is a Shepard scope is the nuts with a range finder..... just me three cents.
yobuck
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DAHUNTA,
i dont think many would disagree with your opinion on owning a rangefinder. i certainly dont, i guess thats why i own several of them.
but HAPYCAPY was looking for an alternative to buying one.
part of the problem as i see it, is we all live and hunt in different parts of the country.
what will work well in the steep tree covered mountains of pa., wont work in many parts of the west.
what i described has worked well for us. its possible it could work for others also.
f.y.i. we did all the prep. work before season. i didnt tell that bear to wait till i shot at a rock.
there are no fences where i hunt, just steep hills.
deer rarly run off after shots are fired. so you see, thats different also.
i dont think many would disagree with your opinion on owning a rangefinder. i certainly dont, i guess thats why i own several of them.
but HAPYCAPY was looking for an alternative to buying one.
part of the problem as i see it, is we all live and hunt in different parts of the country.
what will work well in the steep tree covered mountains of pa., wont work in many parts of the west.
what i described has worked well for us. its possible it could work for others also.
f.y.i. we did all the prep. work before season. i didnt tell that bear to wait till i shot at a rock.
there are no fences where i hunt, just steep hills.
deer rarly run off after shots are fired. so you see, thats different also.
Bravo 4
Well-Known Member
A range card/sketch is a great way to have fast reference points. I make one for LR hides. Make it for points of interest, like where trails come into fields, certain trees or rocks your quarry may pass, etc. It doesn't have to be elaborate. I mark a spot, range it and figure in cosine, sketch it, and add on the adjustments for range/windage under it. Then you also have it for future reference. It doesn't take the place of a range finder, just faster for key spots.
