who cranks on their scope when hunting?

[gasmitty]

There's a lot of interest in long-range shooting, which has spurred the availability of really great rifle scopes with features like a wide range of adjustment and target/'tactical' adjustment knobs.

My question to the hunters here is - do you adjust your scope when hunting in the field? I don't mean tweaking the zero before heading out, I'm talking about the situation where you have your game in sight - do you crank in windage and elevation?

None of my hunting has been beyond 200 yards, so I've never felt compelled to dial in any clicks in the field. Just wondering what the rest of the hunters out there do in actual practice.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[atctimmy]

Nope no cranking here. 225 yds is the longest shot I have taken at a game animal. I practice at the range out to 300 and know where to put the cross hairs for 300 or less.

[WHEC724]

No cranking here either. I'm not starving to death, so past 150 yards, the brumby is probably gonna get a free pass from me.

[luvmy40]

Ditto.
The few times I actually get to hunt Bambi with anything other than a bow or slug gun, I rarely get a shot beyond 200 yds.

[oneshot]

I say Nay Nay.
All my hunting falls under 100-150 yd. MAX, so I have no need to fidget.

[surefire7]

Nope, even here in CO where you can get longer shots, we don't tinker with the scope. Its dead on for 200yds. and we know the drop for 300yds. IF we decide on that long of a shot. Ususally, sneak in for a better shot rather than take a less certain long shot.

[Jackle1886]

Don't touch mine, even the zoom. Set it at 3x and leave it. If I happen to be in a wide open field, I MIGHT move it up. Unless I am going to take a very long shot and have plenty of time to zoom, it's not getting adjusted. Since I hunt in MI, the odds are about zero. Know your rifle, your load, and where it shoots.

[Janq]

100 yds. might as well be a mile here in the Northeast.
Average opportunity is going to be well inside of 50 and that's if you can get a clear shot among brush.

I'm iron sights and reddot exclusively.
I've found key is to know your gun, ammo and own ability to range as related to shooting skill, along with ability to red wind and through this all know what holdover or under to apply.

I'd love to do some long range hunting that would involve magnification for anything other than positive target ID. : \

- Janq

[sniper58]

I'm with Surefire. I use the "Maximum Point Blank Range" principle. My scope is set so my shot will never be above 4" (from center) or below 4". The boiler room for most big game animal vitals is around 8". As long as I am within 300 yards, I hold dead center and squeeze the trigger. I know my load and my rifle and know exactly where the bullet is going. I'm getting too old for guess work. My longest kill shot was a deer in Colorado at 325 yards. One shot with my .30-06 and Hornady 165 grain SST.

Another problem with "cranking" is a missed shot. Now the animal has moved and you need to move too. You move another 400 yards (or a half mile) and climb/descend 1500+ feet. Can you remember what your last sight setting was or will you have to recalculate and "re-crank"? No thanks - I like constants more than variables.

[bmcgilvray]

Nope. No cranking is required. I've never even found the need to mess with the power setting on variable power scopes.

Many years ago I took a deer out from under a hunting bud, later regretting the deed. He had acquired a new fancy, high-dollar bolt action rifle, a Nikko Golden Eagle in .270 Winchester and had equipped it with some fancy-Dan scope. He had proudly rattled off all the scope could accomplish:
variablepoweradjustableobjectiverangecompensatingb allisticcalculatingilluminatedreticule ... and so forth. Why it did everything but batter and fry the venison!

It was the last day of the hunt and he badly wanted to take a deer with the new rifle. I had taken a couple with a Savage 99 .300 Savage equipped with a plain ol' Weaver K-4, one at 30 yards and one at 170 yards. We were driving through the ranch after the morning hunt and stumbled on a group of does browsing in an opening in the scrub, spotting the deer from a '69 Ford 3/4-ton pickup on a rise. They were at a lower elevation from us, 200 yards out. We both got out and he shouldered the new rifle, bracing his left elbow on the pickup's bed. I watched the does, awaiting the crack of his rifle which was never forthcoming. Looked over at him and he was fiddling with the scope, running the variable power ring in and out. Looked back to the deer who were well aware of our presence and nervous about it. No shot yet so looked back at him. He was fiddling with the scope's adjustable objective or something else now. When he peered through the scope once more and yet again started cranking on things I wadded my coat into a ball as a rest, stretched out across the hood of the pickup and dropped the best looking doe with a .30-40 Krag Jorgensen rifle I had taken out that morning just for fun. It had no scope but only the original military sights with which the rifle was originally equipped.

Seems like the doe was 207 steps from where I took the shot. I'd been working with the Krag and was familiar it as I had taken it high-power shooting at a couple of matches the previous season, just for fun. The long .30 caliber 220 grain round nose soft point dropped her in her tracks even though only the lungs were hit.

The hunting bud wasn't too happy with me but he did get a deer while hunting over an oat field that evening just before dark. I was wrong to shoot the deer that morning. He was enjoying his new equipment even if he was about to let the deer escape. It wouldn't have mattered in the long run. Besides, I found out the guy was completely colorblind and couldn't really spot game. That made me even feel worse.

[hogdaddy]

I Might crank the Power, To get a good look at the antlers ; )
H/D

[OldVet]

I sighted my Rem 700 .30-06 to shoot point blank out to 300 yards, meaning anywhere from muzzle to 300-325 yards would guarentee a hit in the vital zone if the crosshairs were held in the center of the chest. Dropped a caribou at 350 yds with one shot aimed a few inches above center-chest. Beyond that would have required a bit of "Kentucky windage," and frankly, I'm not that good at range estimating. Reliable and accurate pocket rangefinders didn't exist in those days.

[Janq]

Agreed Sniper...i follow the same rule in that if I can't at the absolute worst hit an 8" diameter circle (paper plate) consistently at X distance then tht gun and/or loading is not one I would take to the field.
In fact I aim for 4" or less accuracy at X distance and allow myself 8" only because as you state in general and to averages that is the size of most any North American games boiler room (heart, lungs and liver).

- Janq

[usmc3169]

My last two kills where with my 7mm Rem Mag, a moose at an upward angle of about 30* was 340 yards, and a mule deer in Idaho at 365 yards - did not make any scope adjustments for either one. hold about 18" high and BANG.

[sniper58]

If anyone hasn't tried Hornady's SST (in your caliber of choice), may I recommend you do so (for thin-skinned critters). Incredible accuracy (if properly loaded) and flat-out lethal results. Two deer - two bang-flops, minimal meat damage. My 165 grain load groups (printed) 1.2" at 300 yards. The 180 grain SST groups 1" at 300 yards. At 100 yards, both are sub-dime sized groups. I push the 165 at 2925 fps (MV) and the 180 at 2694 fps. I only get 2.4" groups with Hornady's Interbond at 300 yards (MV 2650 fps), but still within margins.