Optics Are In The Eye Of The Beholder!!!!

            Choosing a gun sight, can be fun, exciting,  and complicated.  There are SO MANY TO CHOOSE FROM.  They range from under $100 to well over $2000 , so how do you know which one to select?  You need to ask yourself a question.

What kind of shooting am I going to do?

The question is simple, but the answer is not. Like, many other parts of shooting, a lot of things come into play.

So, I am going to break down the 3 most popular sight types.

Iron Sight System

 The most common of all the systems. Almost, all firearms come stock with some form of iron sights. These sights are normally secured to the weapon directly. They come either fixed or removable. Most, are adjustable.  This system can be used for both short range and long range shooting.

They work, by lining up a rear sight with a front sight.

Example 1

Example 2  

As you can see in the images above, there are different styles of iron sight combinations.   All of them work in the same manner.    

Iron sights do not offer magnification.  In other words, if you can't see your target with your naked eye,  you have passed the effective range of your sights.


Red Dot System

This system is designed for close quarter shooting and rapid target acquisition. Red dot systems are secured to a rail mounted on the weapon. It work by lining up a dot (red or green)with your target.

The system  requires batteries to illuminate the dot.  Red dots are ALSO  limited to what your naked eye can see to be effective.  Unless!!!, you add a magnifier.

Pretty cool huh?

The magnifier, does just that. It magnifies the red dot, so you can see farther than the naked eye.


Scope System

Scopes are meant for long range shooting.  You can hit a target over 1 1/2 miles away, with the correct scope. This system uses cross hairs to be placed on the target.  Some are fixed magnification and other are multiple magnification.  Rings are used to secure the scope to a rail system on the weapon.  Scope rings come in either a set of 2 individual rings or in a 1 piece style mount.

                                                                       Scoped Rifle

                                                                   Basic scope crosshair

                                                                      Single Magnification

Example Of Multiple Magnification

scope mount

                                                                          scope rings

Some shooters combine 2 systems together,  so they have a "back up sight".  Many use offset sights or flip up sights, with there scope or red dot.  In case your primary system fails, you still have something to aim with.

                                                                    Offset Red Dot

                                                                   Offset Iron Sight
                       

Flip Up Iron Sights

ALL 3 of these systems require adjustments, also know as "Zeroing" or "Sighting In" to be dead on accurate.  (That is another post)

Figure out the range you will be shooting the most, then select the appropriate optic. Or use a combination of them.

First Shooting Day of 2015

Our 1st shooting day of this year is next Saturday.

Skeet shooting, contact me with any questions

Don't Get Your Panties In A Twist!!

OVER BARREL TWIST, THAT IS.

The last few days,  I have been getting  a lot of questions about barrel twist ratios particularly AR 15 rifles.

Here is my attempt to explain barrel twist in a not so technical manner.

First, there are two kinds of rifle barrels:

Smooth bore and Rifled.

What is a Smooth bore barrel?

   A smooth bore barrel is completely round and smooth on the inside of the barrel.  A good example would be a canon on a pirate ship or in most shot guns.

What is a Rifled barrel?

  A Rifled barrel,  has small  grooves inside the barrel, called Rifling.   What is rifling? The grooves inside the barrel make the projectile spin, which makes the projectile stabilize. Which means more accuracy.

Now that you understand rifling, let's get into rate of twist.

 Rate of twist is measured in inches.  Example  1:9  = 1 complete  revolution  in 9 inches. So, a rifle with a 1:9 twist, means the projectile  has to travel 9 inches to make 1 full turn.  A 1:12 twist barrel, means the projectile  has to travel 12 inches to make 1 full turn.  1:7, 1:8, 1:10, etc..... you get the point.


Are you asking yourself "What the heck does all this stuff mean?"  I will  break it down for you.

1:7 is a fast twist
1:14 is a slow twist
1:9 is a compromise between the both


Confused yet?

1:7 twist will stabilize a 62gr and higher bullet best
1:14 twist best stabilizes a 55gr and under best
1:9 twist will stabilize anything up to 70gr best
There are many more twist out there (I am using these 3 for this example)
I am using an AR 15 in 5.56 for this example.

It is possible to over-stabilize and under-stabilize

over-stabilize; light bullet in a fast twist barrel.  The projectile can disintegrate or fly with the the nose of the round pointing up. Affecting accuracy.

under-stabilize; heavy bullet in a short twist barrel. The bullet will fly through the air sideways. Again, affecting accuracy.

*Rule of Thumb*

• Bullet weight influences length
• The longer the bullet, the faster the twist needed

Remember:      Different caliber rifles require different twist.

For 95% of AR 15 owners 1:9 twist is more than good enough for the shooting they do.  Unless you are shooting Varmints then you would want a slower twist (1:14), or if you want heavy bullets at long range (1:7) would be a better choice.

Check the manufactures recommendations for bullet grains and twist rate, and find the one that best suits you!

AR 15 Build or Buy?????

This is a VERY COMMON QUESTION!!!!

          There is no simple answer for this question.  It  ALL boils down to what You want to do...

Price wise you would probably break even.

The comparison:

Building:

100% customized to your liking as you go
You control the speed of the build
A lot of resources to help
A lot of parts to choose from


Buying:

Instant gratification (after 10 day waiting period of course)
Money up front
Many models to choose from


So, it is TOTALLY up to you which path you take.  Your need for the rifle may determine your AR path.

Plans for 2015

I hope everyone had a great holiday season.

This year; the Vanguard Shooting Club is going to take the club to the next level.

We are having a logo made, so members can have apparel.

We will have more steady post on the blog. (I will try to post every Friday morning ) other writers  will post whenever their  schedule allows.

We are also holding  more shooting day's.

As of right now we have 3 for sure scheduled

31 Jan 2015       Skeet shooting @ 3B's
28 Mar 2015.      Range 1B @ BC (about 90 yards )
06 June 2015.    Range  E1 @ BC  ( longest range they have (210 yards))

More are in the works now.

My first post will be this Friday, so check it out.