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Hardware
Hardscrabble Mountain Custom Leather Silhouette VestContributed by
This is going to be an ongoing article about the wear and use of a Silhouette vest for Smallbore and High Power. I've only been shooting this discipline a few years and have decided to take the plunge on a shooting vest.
Do I need a vest?
The only thing you certainly need is a rifle and some cartridges, but I've gathered enough evidence that a nice shooting vest is probably worth the expenditure. Besides the normal organizational benefits of such an article (pockets, five-in-a-row pins, name tag, pens, magazine pockets, etc.) I think a vest offers a few other advantages. The one I'm most interested in is a repeatable position. I find myself gaining and shedding clothing throughout the year and throughout some matches. A vest should allow the shooter to position the rifle and maintain a stance that is unaltered from bank to bank, relay to relay and hopefully match to match.
The rules for vests have the intention of keeping them from being a shooting jacket where your limbs and extremities are tightened down in an attempt to lock up your joints and minimizing the effects of normal muscle twitches. This doesn't mean the vest doesn't have some positive influences. Certainly the weight of a leather vest helps pull your center of mass down which could translate into improved stability.
Then there's the psychological aspects. You have the involved-shooter's trappings. You feel as part of the fellowship. You get to further participate in the great equipment arms race! (Joke intended).
Let's not forget the cool factor. I mean, you get to choose your colors, display your flair, dude yourself up, and generally add to the camaraderie of the whole experience. Ok, I might be stretching on this one but who doesn't love finding new ways of personalizing their sport?
Which Vest?
I opted for a well-known vest in the Silhouette world made by the famed Winsteads at Hardscrabble Mountain. Chris Winstead can generally outfit you right over the phone or, if you're fortunate like I was and ran into him at a regional match, he'll measure you out on the spot. My order was promptly produced and received and I intend to wring every ounce of use out of it this year and will report back about how it's going. Stay tuned...
After being pleased with standard BKL rings and risers but disgusted with having to shim I chose to try their sloped riser block. Here is what I found.
I had a month between matches. I ordered the rings and risers two days after one match hoping to have my rifle reassembled before the next. The rings were available immediately but it turns out the riser block is a special order part. The website did not make it clear to me that this riser block would be a "Custom Shop" part. My wait turned out to be significantly longer than one month.
The riser block I ordered was BKL part number 258. I ordered it with the .004 inch compensation and in matte black. The rings, which were off the shelf items, were part number 263 and also in matte black. These parts are aluminum and the matte black is actually black anodizing. Because the riser block is a custom shop part, the anodizing does not perfectly match the rings.
Installation was straight forward. It turns out that the short 4 inch riser block nearly kept me from correctly positioning my scope. I have it slid nearly as far aft as I can get away with. Had I done my homework I would have ordered the offset rings. The distance between the bottom of the scope and top of the receiver is aproximately 1 and 5/16 inches.
Now the good news. My scope sits near the center of its adjustments. The double pinch rings hold the scope with authority. I need never worry about any movement with this setup.
The Verdict
BKL did not offer the best customer service. The rings are not such high quality that I would call them works of art. They are, however, a good value for the money and 100% functional.
Editor's Note: This article was submitted by one of our newer readers recently. I was intrigued by some of the ideas. It hit home, too. I started with a 10/22 with a similar, but not nearly as successful, approach. If you think you have something other silhouette shooters would like to read about drop us a line at webmaster@steelchickens.com.
Not being in a position to afford a top of the line scope with dependable repeatable adjustments needn't keep you out of the running. By experiment, I found that my 10/22 with high mounts, Fajen Stock (Epoxy bedded at the barrel clamp), Adams & Bennett Barrel, and a Simmons 3-12x40 AO Airgun scope could compete with far costlier equipment by using one setting and a range card.
The rifle put 10 rounds inside 1/4" at 25 Yd.s indoors, off a rest, but the repeatability of the sight adjustment was not dependable.
The card (Range : Point of Impact) reads like this for my gun: 25Yd.s : 0, 50Yd.s : +1", 75Yd.s : -1 1/4", 100Yd.s : -7 1/2". Its written on a piece of masking tape applied to the scope bell.
You can see that hold adjustments for chickens - 0, pigs - low body, and turkeys - top of body, are no problem, but that estimating hold-over for the rams could be dicey.
Simply choosing a magnification that places the thick point of the bottom leg of a two thickness 'multiplex' reticule at the point of impact at 100Yd.s solves the problem, and is no big loss as the 6-7x it takes is, for me, a good working magnification for offhand shooting.
At the range, you mark the 100 Yd. center of impact on the target, and set the magnification to match it with the reference point on your reticule with the crosshairs on the target.
In making up your range card I suggest 10 rounds from a rest and 10 rounds offhand at each range fired at an 'X' target. The centers should agree pretty closely between 'offhand' and 'rest', but it is advisable to allow for difference in impact due to 'hold', and we all need the practice. (The spread you get from 10 rounds versus 3 or 5 can hurt your ego a bit but it's best to know how much you need to sharpen up.)
With this method, in preparation for a match, all you need to do is check your zero at 25Yd.s and you're good to go. Also knowing your trajectory translates to success in the hunting field.
After hearing various reports about aftermarket magazines for Anschutz rifles we decided some first hand research was in order.
The main benefit of an aftermarket magazine is it's price. The ones procured for this evaluation were about a quarter of the list price of a factory Anschutz magazine. They are probably easier to find, too, as they fit more than just the Anschutz rifle. The mags evaluated here were procured from Brownells and were listed as fitting 6 different Savage models in addition to the Anschutz action.
The downside may be the quality of the magazines. We cannot confirm or deny this. A difference that we did notice is the size and shape of the magazine floorplate. The aftermarket magazine has a simple stamped steel floorplate. If your hold is under the magazine, the difference in profile of the floorplate could be a deal breaker.
We heard this magazine would work with no modification. We also heard modification of the feed lips would be required. Our results confirmed neither.
The general shape and size correct. The hang up was that the clip did not lock into the rifle in exactly the correct position. The notch at the rear was located about a millimeter too low. If the magazine was pushed far enough into the well to lock in it would interfere with the bottom of the bolt. Our solution was to move the notch at the rear of the magazine upward approximately one millimeter.
It may be difficult to see in the image, but the magazine's original v-shaped notch has been modified by filing the upper side of the notch only. A scratch caused by the file can be seen in the aft side of the magazine. Little material needed to be removed. We filed only enough to allow the magazine to lock into the well without causing the bolt to hang up.
We'll keep using our aftermarket magazines. They work, after modification, as well as a factory magazine. If you are comfortable with a small file, and have an extra 10 minutes, we say go ahead.
Not every shooter has a scope with target turrets. Some even have cheap hunting style scopes (See Cooter's article here). If you fall into one of these categories you may be interested in Stoney Point Target Turrets.
These turrets screw onto the threads revealed when the elevation and windage adjuster dust caps are removed. The shaft inside the turret is shaped to engage the scopes adjuster. Rotating the cap turns the scopes adjuster. The cap has set screws that fasten it to the shaft. After finding zero you can loosen the set screws and reposition the cap so that the zero on the cap lines up with your shortest range.
Before we received our set for evaluation, we had heard some negative reports. We split the pair up so that two staffers could evaluate them seperately. When the dust had settled the news wasn't all bad. Both staffers would rate them as good. Numbers in the cap are etched and are very readable. The design allows the user to hear or feel clicks if the scope is so designed. The downside is that these caps actually limit your scopes adjustment range. When the elevation or windage adjuster is turned on some scopes it will move up or down. If it moves far enough up it could bind the adjuster. If it moves far enough down it may cause the shaft to disengage from the adjuster. They easily accomodated the ranges involved in smallbore silhouette.
The rumors were wrong this time. The Stoney Point Target Turrets perfomed well. They have their limitations. They probably would not replace a scope with factory target turrets but are definately good enough to get the job done for most smallbore silhouette shooters.
Slope, lookdown, whatever you want to call it, in a perfect world the bore of our rifle and center axis of our scope should not be parallel. They should, instead, converge a certain distance downrange. For shorter ranges and flatter shooting cartridges, slope can usually be ignored. But when we shoot slower cartridges or longer ranges we may have to pay attention to scope slope.
Our goal is to keep our scope in the middle of it's elevation adjustments. If there is a 40 click difference between our chicken and ram settings, we want the scope 20 clicks above the middle of the adjustment range when we are on rams, and 20 clicks below when we are on chickens. The question becomes how much slope is required to get our scope positioned so it is working in it's most efficient range; the middle. We will attempt to answer that question here today.
This is two part article. You get both parts today. And for the impatient or math intolerant we will get straight to the solution. The second part is for the mathematically curious. We will explain how this is computed.
When considering 22 Long Rifle ammunition velocities and smallbore silhouette ranges, the math works out to about four thousands of difference between the height of each ring for every inch of ring separation. If we have rings that are 4 inches apart we would want the rear to be aproximately .016 inches higher than the front. BKL offers a riser block with this same slope.
But how did we figure this out? First we need to get a picture of how everything is laid out. Let's assume our scope is mounted on our rifle with the center of scope 2.5 inches above the bore. If the scope is in the center of it's adjustments then our line of site throught the scope should be parallel to the bore. If we image the rifle in a rest with the dot on the center of a ram 100 meters away, then the bore of the rifle should be pointing 2.5 inches below our point of aim. But the bullet will be even lower. My trajectory software estimates it will drop 18 inches in 100 meters. That puts our point of impact 20.5 inches low. To 'sight in' this rifle we would tilt the scope down until the dot was 20.5 inches low of it's previous point of aim. This is maximum slope for our uses. High school trigonometry class taught us that tangent of the angle in question will equal the height divided by the length of our triangle. This is good calculator work.
So now we know the maximum slope. The next step is to repeat the process for the minimum slope we will encounter. In smallbore silhouette this will be at the 40 meter range. The math is similar. Trajectory software will again be needed to estimate drop at this shorter range. When we have both angles we have our extremes and we take the average to find a suitable slope angle for our scope. Tangent of this average angle multiplied by the amount of separation between our rings gives us the amount we should shim our rear scope mount or ring.
Armed with knowledge it's time to slope that scope. Shims work but are likely to slightly distort the scope tube when the rings are tightened. Rings or bases that have slope built in are desireable. Getting those parts just might be another story. Stay tuned.
Here is a link to an article we found interesting http://www.lasc.us/RangingShotBarrelMakingFeature.htm. We must give credit where it is due. Todd Spotti authored this and many other articles on The Los Angeles Silhouette Club website. Enjoy.
Not everyone can afford a buy a high quality scope. Not everyone is convinced they need to. I used a Simmons Prohunter variable for a year and here are my observations.
The model was Prohunter by Simmons. It was manufactured in the Philippines and was a variable power from 6 to 18 power and featured an adjustable 40mm objective. It was purchased new in the late 90's for $100. The scope was not new when it was mounted on my Anschutz Hunter Class rifle. It had spent a few years on a heavy barrel .223 target rifle. I don't believe the mild recoil of that rifle had any negative affects on this scope.
When I mounted the scope I didn't add shims and my bases did not have any slope built into them. The scope easily accommodated the large amount of elevation adjustment that was required to zero at 100 meters. The rifle was sighted in from the bench for the various ranges. It was given no more attention for the next year.
One of my challenges was elevation adjustment during the match. Remember, this was a hunter style scope without target turrets. I settled on a system where a mark was made on the dial that corresponded to zero at 100 yards. All ranges were then calculated as a certain number of clicks up or down from this 'zero'. These clicks could be felt as well as heard as I turned the turret. I found it was still easy to make an error changing zero between animals. I would than have to return to zero and start again.
The cross hairs were thick at the ends and tapered in the center. Even the tapered center section was to large for silhouette use. When the magnification was at maximum, I found that the eye relief became too critical. Small changes in position would cause my sight picture to deteriorate. The optics were good for a cheap scope unless I was near maximum power. For these reasons I generally left it at 15X or below.
The rifle was also being loaned out to a friend who was in the market for a hunter class rifle to match his standard rifle. After being briefed on the elevation adjustment process, he was able to produce scores that equaled his standard class rifle. Despite what we had read, we believed that this hundred dollar scope might go the distance.
If this article had been titled '9 Months with a Cheap Scope' it would have had a happier ending. Around month 10 or so, I detected a problem. I am not sure if this had been a slowly developing problem or occurred all at one. I noticed that the point of impact had dropped at all points of aim. It may have been as much as 1.5 inches at 100 meters. Had I shot off the bench I could have been more sure. This hunting style scope may not have been designed to be adjusted as frequently as a target scope. Maybe the 9 months of silhouette shooting were all it could handle. Either way, the tracking had gone awry.
The next time I loaned the rifle I warned my 'standard rifle only' buddy and he came back with similar findings. So it seemed that the tracking system had started to wear. I thought this might just mean I need to check my settings more often than every 12 months. I thought I could live with this. I still had one more discovery.
At about the 11 month mark I decided to swap for slightly higher rings. The rifle was in the vice and I took a look through the scope. What I saw was disheartening. As I adjusted the objective from one extreme to the other the cross hairs described a small circle. When adjusting between 40 and 100 meters the cross hairs described an arc. The deviation was not large, but was certainly noticeable. Although I am no engineer, I believe this was caused by the objective lens being out of square with the scope centerline.
So what did I learn? I needed a high quality scope. The issues with this scope were not so great that we saw immediate negative affects on our scores. I bet a Master shooter would have. The shortcomings of this scope would not have stopped me from improving either. But with full knowledge of it's inadequacies, I would never know whether I made an error or my scope did. I guess I am willing to pay a little more so I can take credit for every miss.
There is no denying the appeal of CZ's 452 bolt action line of smallbore rifles. They are considered by some to be _the_ entry level rifle for Smallbore Metallic Silhouette. Our local range even uses them as loaner rifles to get first-timers interested.
We aren't going to tell you all there is to know about this rifle. Eric Brooks has already done that. If you are curious, take a look at the FAQ on www.cz452.com. What we are going to point out is some information we nearly missed.
Since budget minded CZ452 silo shooters might be looking for some budget accuracy improvements, we think we should point out this page. We found a link to this article on www.cz452.com. Using some ingenious but low tech ideas the article describes and shows (with large images) how to make a better trigger for target use. Since it was written, Eric has developed an inexpensive kit to help the DIY'er. The article involves modifying the trigger so due caution must be observed. Our disclaimer is as follows: if you don't know what you are doing, stop.
I'll be honest up front - I do not know everything there is to know about rings and bases. As a matter of fact, I probably don't know half, but I have gleaned enough to help the beginner over a few pitfalls that yours truly has experienced first hand.
First - What's a ring and what's a base? Well - a ring is the device used to hold a scope in place above the rifle. Sometimes these rings will incorporate an integral mount on their bottom that can attach directly to the rifle. A base is an interface device that is securely fastened to the rifle and allows the addition of rings with the same mount-type (Weaver, dove-tail, turn-in, etc.).
Typical beginner's rifles will have some sort of ability to take a scope. Most often, smallbore rifles will have at the very least a set of grooves, called a dove-tail, down the length of the receiver top. This is intended for use of a clamp-type mount. Most American rifles have this dove-tail at 3/8" wide. Many European rifles will have it at 11mm wide. Actually, these grooves are usually 11mm wide at the top and 3/8" wide at their bottom. The difference is in the angle of the cut. American rifles are approximately cut at 45 degrees and the European at 60 degrees. This means that, depending on how the mount or ring base is made, it may work on one dovetail type or it may work on both.
As with any rule, there are always exceptions. CZ-made rifles, for instance, have the groove set up above the receiver and with a flat top instead of cutting it directly into the typically rounded receiver. Ruger-made rifles have a proprietary mount type similar to CZ.
Beyond clamping-style mounts, you have the option of using other mounts such as Weaver-style and turn-in-style. By and large, it's pretty irrelevant which type you choose in smallbore since the recoil is negligible and base or ring movement is highly unlikely. That said, you can get adapters and base mounts for any ring you like. The question becomes how you secure it to the rifle. If it's not a dovetail or similar clamp-type adapter, you're going to have to screw it to the top of the gun. This involves the "drill-and-tap" method. This should be done by a competent gunsmith and is usually achieved for a nominal fee - expect $30-60 depending on your desires. It can be done by the Do-It-Yourselfers so long as care is taken to drill squarely and progressively, and tap slowly with lots of fluid like the instructions say.
The drill and tap method is probably the best for securing anything to a receiver but you're obviously making permanent alterations to your rifle. You'll have to decide what's available as a method of securing and how well it works for your application.
One-piece or Two?
One-piece bases offer rigidity and a straighter platform to mount from. They can also offer built in "slope" if desired to help compensate for really tall mounts. The taller the mount, the farther the bore-axis is from the scope-axis. The farther these are apart, the more your scope has to work to get "in line" with the bore. For high power cartridges, this is less of an issue, but for rimfire smallbores, it's a considerable problem you shouldn't under-estimate. Being able to compensate for this with the mount is a distinct advantage.
Two-piece solutions offer better weight reduction, easier installation, better action clearance and more flexibility in mounting different scopes or coping with a restricted mounting area.
Should you decide to use a clamp-style mount, understand that the more surface area the clamp provides, the better it stays put. This is going to be enhanced with a one-piece solution.
Clamp-type are a pretty typical installation for beginners to the sport of Smallbore Silhouette. They're easy to use and easy to find and the beginner' s rifle typically comes ready to use them. However, you won't likely seem them on Master-Shooter's rifles. Why? Because they have decided to spend the bucks on a serious rifle and want serious bases and rings that absolutely will not move. They have spent the dough to drill, tap and screw down their scope mounting solution.
Screw-Down Base Mounts
If you decide on Screw-Down Bases - the most often repeated solution is the typical Weaver where a small contoured base (made for your make and model of rifle) is screwed down to your receiver top. These bases provide a large clamping profile with the addition of a key slot at regular intervals along its length. Weaver-style rings are then used to clamp into and on the Weaver-style mounting rail. Some rings, like Millet Angle-Loc's can be used here that even allow for some adjustment in windage during the mounting of your scope.
You do have the option of turn-in style bases. With these, the rings are attached to the scope and the scope is turned in a slot in the front base and screwed down in a clamp on the rear base. While there is nothing wrong with this solution, it is typically intended for the frequent or expected removal of the scope for open-sight shooting or packaging the rifle. These type of mounts have been designed to try and return the point of impact back to the same zero but this is hardly guaranteed, which is completely counter-productive to Silhouette shooting. If you choose this method, you're also likely to expect to leave the scope in place. It should be noted, as above, that many Masters have decided to screw-down their mounts but they likely have a silhouette-style mount made for their particular rifle which is screwed to the receiver top - often in the same "hole pattern" as the Weaver mount.
Height
The dictated rules for Smallbore Silhouette currently specify two different heights for scopes, depending on the type of rifle. The Standard rifle class can have a (2") two inch height. Hunter rifle class may have a (1.5") one and a half inch height. This is measured from the top of the receiver to the bottom of the scope tube.
Why so much leeway in allowed scope heights? Well - generally in the normal application of rifle optics, you want the scope axis as close to the bore axis as physically possible. This keeps your line-of-sight closer to the intended path of the bullet and keeps the angle of the barrel down as much as possible. In Silhouette, however, since the range is limited - having a better rifle holding position is more important. If you are able to keep your head up, neck straight and plant the rifle lower in your hold, you'll be more stable and shoot more consistently. Try this - take a typical rimfire rifle and put it at eye level with your neck straight. The butt of the rifle almost sits on top of your armpit or even your shoulder. You need to be able to bring the rifle down. This is accomplished by raising the scope up on as high of mounts as allowed and can be used by your physical frame.
I have searched long and hard for anything suitable to lift the scope the necessary height. The best solutions are one-piece ring mounts (if you can find them) or silhouette-style riser-blocks used with normal scope rings.
Part II of this article will detail some of these combinations.