In this article we’re going to look at the two main methods of making adjustments so that your shots will fall on target in spite of changes in range and environmental conditions.
Let’s look at Dope first because it’s perhaps the easiest to explain. D.O.P.E is actually an acronym, and although opinions on its meaning vary, it is for the greater part taken to mean Data of Previous Engagements, although more recently, it has become a word in its own right. In simple terms, DOPE represents a collection, or table, of reference information gathered from previous shots, which the shooter can use to adjust point of aim to allow for varying distances or wind. This data is then put into the scope, giving a better chance of getting the first round on target. This data can be a small pocket book, but is more usually collated on a single piece of card that can either be attached to the rifle, or worn around the neck, for easy reference; it is usually known as a DOPE or range card.
ZERO REFERENCE
To build a DOPE card you must first start with a good zero. This will serve as your reference point for all adjustments. Opinion varies on the best distance at which to zero your rifle, but general belief is that it should be somewhere along the flattest part of your pellet’s trajectory because this will mean less adjustment within the sweet spot. This flat spot will vary depending on the make, power, and caliber of your rifle, along with the weight of the pellet used. Those who shoot FT will know that they have some very exacting reasons for the range at which they zero, but it’s not the aim of this article to get too deep into the whys and wherefores of this. If you’re hunting, as we know a lot of you are, and the majority of your shots are going to be taken out between 20 and 40 yards, then it makes more sense for you to zero at 35 yards for a .177. If they’re taken at closer ranges, then set your zero at a closer range.
After arming yourself with a tape measure, pencil and paper, a fistful of targets, and with prayers for a calm day answered, the first job is to create a sturdy mount for your rifle. The goal at this point is not to determine how good a shot you are, but to remove all human elements from the equation. There are many ways of doing this, the most popular being either sandbags or a decent-quality gun rest. With everything set up, it’s time to get the tape out and measure the exact distance to the target. This measurement can then be recorded on a notepad and referenced on the parallax adjustment of your scope.
MOVING TARGETS
After several shots downrange to assure yourself of a good base line zero, it’s time to move the target. At first, we’d suggest moving in five-yard intervals, but if you’re feeling brave and are more confident in your abilities, then you can make smaller adjustments. Moving the target will require that you make an adjustment to your scope to bring the pellets back to the point of aim, and it is this movement, usually referred to as ‘clicks’ that are recorded in your book alongside the distance. Within the flat spot, you’ll probably notice that only small adjustments in the elevation turret of your scope are required to bring the pellet back to the center, but as you push the target further out, it’ll be evident that things change quite rapidly. The turrets appear to require, exponentially, more adjustment for each small increase in range. By the end of the day, you should have yourself a table of distances with the corresponding number of clicks required, either up or down from zero, to bring the pellet on target with the first shot. Having gathered the data, you can then write it out neatly, or if you’re feeling flash, draw up a tidy spreadsheet. The level of detail you choose is entirely up to you, of course, but be warned; building a range card can be an extremely addictive pastime.
KENTUCKY
The second method of making adjustments is referred to as Kentucky windage. More specifically, this term relates to making visual adjustments to the point of aim to allow for the effects of distance and wind, as opposed to adjusting the elevation and windage turrets of the scope. It can be used as a more general term, in conjunction with holdover and hold-under, to define an estimated correction based more on experience and ‘feel’ than numbers. This means that rather than adjusting the scope, the shooter uses experience to aim off from the intended point of impact, with the degree to which they aim off allowing for wind and distance.
It was once said that reading a book on how to swim will not enable you to swim, and by this token, Kentucky windage is not really something that can be taught, neither can it be learned in an afternoon, but it can be learned, and eventually mastered, after many hours, days and months of practice. Thankfully, there are still a few aids to help you along your way, not least of which are the little dots and bars that feature as part of the sight picture in most scopes. More accurately known as mil-dots, these increments act as visual reference points in the sight picture which, when combined with experience and memory, will allow the shooter more precisely to pick a point of aim which is away from the center of the cross hairs.
Although the information will be committed to memory eventually, if you’re anything like me, to begin with it may be helpful to record the amount of holdover/under required as multiples of mildots.
RANGE ESTIMATION
Having determined how to compensate for changes in range, the real trick lies in determining the distance in the field. Again, there are a few aids to help you along the way, the main one of which is the use of a scope with a parallax adjustment. With most scopes having quite a narrow depth of field, the parallax adjustment can be thought of as analogous to the focus ring on a DSLR camera lens, in that the point at which it focuses on an object actually represents a definable distance, this distance being displayed in increments on the parallax adjuster on the scope.
The majority of scopes favour a side-wheel parallax adjustment, but few out there that have the adjustment on the scope’s objective lens. The amount of detail on the scale of these adjusters is usually quite limited, for those requiring more accuracy and detail, to overlay the factory increments with data of their own. Indeed, you can even buy packs of numbers specifically made to add to your parallax wheel.
ADJUSTING FOR WIND
So, we’ve worked out how to allow for changes in range, but how do we compensate for wind? The ‘how’ is easy, the ‘how much’ is a different matter. If you’re using the DOPE technique, then you’ll calculate an adjustment to the windage turret of your scope, based on previously gathered reference data. If you’re using Kentucky, then it’s more a matter of aiming off into the direction of the prevailing wind. How much you do of either will be determined by the strength of the wind and the angle at which it is coming at you, not forgetting, of course, that a strong wind at the muzzle will have much more of an effect on the path of a pellet than a wind further downrange, or even at the target. Then, of course, you have to factor in whether or not the wind is gusting and if it changes direction and strength downrange.
GET OUT THERE
With the weather improving and summer fast approaching, the only real way to accomplish any of the objectives we’ve outlined is to get out there in the field and start relocating some lead. The OCDs among you, or those of you shooting FT, will no doubt be drawn more to the DOPE method, but with HFT not permitting scope adjustments, and hunting in the field often not allowing time for fine adjustment or reference to data sets, then most likely, good old-fashioned Kentucky will be the method for you. As always, the most important thing is to have fun.