Shepherd Scope

[trailrunner]

Has anyone had a chance to use a Shephard Scope?

http://www.shepherdscopes.com/

[The Reaper]

I have handled them, they looked pretty cheesy to me.

TR

[longrange1947]

Too restrictive and you have to hold into the lower section of glass for longer shots. That is the section that will have the most abberrations and requires the clearest glass for a good shot. Hard to hold for wind. Second the opinion of being cheesy. Too many do dads.

I do know a 'yote shooter that loves them, he is the only one that loves them though. :D

[trailrunner]

Smile...

I was interested in the range finding help that the reticle may offer for med/long range hunting. I understand it works well from speaking to others who have had success with it in estimating and hitting targets at various unknown ranges. I would have to agree with your observations though in what I have seen first hand in comparing it to other scopes in fit and finish. I think a Leupold or Nightforce with a range finding reticle will be the direction I will be heading. I will have to fire up the range finder back up and do a little extra work to dial it in for the future. Thanks for the opinions on the scope.

?- With Range est. Has anyone tried the Nightforce NP-1RR reticle for the same concept?

[Peregrino]

Military marksmen are taught to use mildot reticles. Nowdays we don't normally screw around with reticles/technologies developed for hunting. Personally I believe in laser rangefinders whenever/wherever possible. (And a quality shooting partner who'll do all the work so all I have to concentrate on is sight picture and trigger control.) My .02 - Peregrino

[The Reaper]

If you are hunting from a stationary position on anything other than a featureless plain, you can build a little range card, using the laser rangefinder to scope the distance to significant features in your "kill zone".

If and when a target appears, you can recall the range data to a nearby reference point and apply holdover faster than you can estimate the range through a complicated scope without a lot of practice.

Just my .02, YMMV.

TR

[trailrunner]

Thanks for the helpful information and the $.02.

I will look into learning more about setting up my shots, per your comments.

- Slainte!

[brianksain]

Ditto Peregrino's / TR's comments.

Lase it ... dial it ... dope it ... dump it.

Batteries are cheap and there are always the dots if you need 'em.

But that's just me.

[Peregrino]

Lase it ... dial it ... dope it ... dump it.


I'm stealing it. Very succinct. If I ever have to teach it again, this'll figure prominently in the "get 'er done" comments. Peregrino

[longrange1947]

Hmmmm, lasing is great in a permissive enviornment, but it is a pain through foliage in a hide or a drop cloth, drapiery, etc. Just a thought. :D

How goes it Brian?

[Tacticalinterve]

Brian, the saying is and has been "Dope it. Dial it. Dump It."

Of course I also like "Hostage Negotiation. Just get him to the window"

[Buffalobob]

Ranging with a reticle is a useful skill to have, but with that skill you need several others. Animals and people come in many different body sizes. There are fat tall ones and short skinny one, ones with big rack and small bodies, and small bodies and big racks which makes ranging with a reticle on a lone isolated animal a difficult feat. You cannot just use the "average size" for long range shooting.

The advice about a range card is great advice because lasers don't like early morning fog nor light mist nor too much sunlight. In other words, when you get the correct conditons you build your range card so that when the animal comes you can hit him with the laser and then check your card as a back up to make sure you didn't under or over shoot him with the laser beam.

Most of the people I know are going to the NP-R1 recticle which is a finer graduated version of the NP-R2. It will range just as well as the more cluttered 1RR and allows for simple hold overs without the need to dial if the animal is close enough - 800 yards for moderate magnums and 1000 yards for extreme magnums. Many people who start off with the NP-1RR, wind up sending it back to have the reticle changed once they get some experience with it. Other option is a straight mildot which is hard to beat if you want to work in mils. A great feature of the simple graduated reticles is the abilty to make a quick second shot using the grid if the first shot is off. Some people (not me) are good enough to use the grid to develop a lead on a running animal and make a hit. In other words, the graduated reticles like the mildot or NP-R1 have multiple uses while still being uncluttered and simple.

One thing to look for in a scope for long range is total elevation adjustment available
In Luepold you will need to go to the VX3 Long range or the Mark4 to get the amount you need. Nightforces come with plenty of adjustment. Canted bases or Burris signature rings with offsets wiil get you down low in the adjustment so you can have more room.

Life is full of compromises and adjustments and the most irritating of those is getting older. At about age 40 or so you begin to lose your night vision and start needing scopes that will gather more light. Consequently, you need to move up to 50 or 56 mm objectives which is a real and literal pain in the neck unless you get an adjustable cheekpiece.

[longrange1947]

Buffalobob - Just as a quick note, the height of most humans are determined by the long bones of the legs. The groin to top of head is almost always within inches of 1 meter. I used to have a marked wall where I had the tallest guy in the class and the shortest guy stand against the wall and we marked their trunk height. Yep they were each within one inch of 1 meter and within two inches of each other even though one was 6 foot 4 and the other was a tiny 5 foot 6. Those dam mils work like a champ. :munchin

I agree whole heartedly on the fact that the normal stadias for 18 inch targets or the full height of a man do not work worth a crap. 18 inches, which will cover shoulder to shoulder and nipple line to top of head, is to small for any accuracy past about 550 to 600. Too easy for an error to creep in that puts you out side the ballistic trajectory of the round.

Mil dots are great as they will also allow holding for wind, range, and movers. :lifter

[kgoerz]

If you are hunting from a stationary position on anything other than a featureless plain, you can build a little range card, using the laser rangefinder to scope the distance to significant features in your "kill zone".

If and when a target appears, you can recall the range data to a nearby reference point and apply holdover faster than you can estimate the range through a complicated scope without a lot of practice.

Just my .02, YMMV.

TR

Wouldn't this required, just Pencil and Paper? Surely, there must be some other way. A technique more involved. With a higher probability for complications. Possibly involving non standard Batteries;)

[60_Driver]

I have a Shepherd I use for 'yotes and north Texas deer in cross-timbers country, and I like it. The farthest animal I 've used it on has been a coyote at a tad over 300 yards, but within that range it's always been a quick acquisition and first-shot kills. It works great for me, ymmv...

[Buffalobob]

Longrange

I wondered about the human factor being as all of my personal long range work involves animals only.

Here is a humorous picture that illustrates the differences in body sizes of animals.

[longrange1947]

One of the problems with those "special scopes" is that, as you said 18 inches is an average with a spread that puts you right out of ballistic capability. You are holding fine example of not 18 inches in the chest.

Also a bit smaller then you. ;)