Printable target with guide dots for low mag scopes

[oaken]

I think I may have stumbled across a useful aid to forming more meaningful, longer range groups on paper while using a low mag scope or scopes with a thick reticle like the Bushnells have. It will also work for FFP scopes where the reticle can be cumbersome at higher magnifications.

 

Load development for my .243 at Bisley yesterday. The plan was to ladder test some new loads at 300yds but being more accustomed to using higher mag target scopes I completely underestimated how much of the aimpoints on my target would be obscured by the reticle in a lower mag scope. I have a little Bushnell Legend on this rifle and at this distance the reticle literally covered the aimpoints on my paper targets making testing a complete waste of time so back to the butts for adjustments.

 

What I tried was groups of 4 of the black patch-up stickers with a view to creating a pattern that would “fit around” rather than be obscured by the reticle. By getting each of the 4 points at just the right spacing, they can be used to center the reticle very precisely and more importantly for load development, in a consistently repeatable way.

 

This drawing shows what I mean.

 

The reticle is completely obscuring the aim point but it doesn’t matter because the central cross can be aligned precisely between the dots enabling precision aiming and at much longer ranges.

 

I knocked this one up in Adobe Pagemaker but cant convert it to any meaningful format so I printed then photographed it.

Try printing it off, it should be easy to enlarge. Give it a go, it really works!!! If you can read old Pagemaker files I would be happy to send anyone a copy of the original file.

 

I hope you find this useful, it certainly enabled me to produce some quality results.

Rup