Dirty secret, spotting scopes are for your friends... not for you. Either your friends are using them, or you’re using them while your friends shoot. ?
Most valuable piece of equipment you have purchased
- Thread starter Skimafia
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Dirty secret, spotting scopes are for your friends... not for you. Either your friends are using them, or you’re using them while your friends shoot. ?
I primarily shoot steel out at distance, not much paper other than 100 yards. I guess it would be useful for that.
I would agree that a scope has been the most valuable, I am still a novice but what has had alot of value for me was a good bipod that has a cant feature (used harris) and a shooting mat from midway with front straps that allow you to load a bipod. I've spent a decent number of hours over the past developing a load for my rifle and these have been well worth what I paid for them.
Unless you know how to set one up to sit right by your side when in prone so you can just shift your off eye to it and see mirage better than you ever could through a rifle scope.......
For me, my reloading stuff has been my best purchase. Spending the time to do it makes a big difference, especially in the cost over time.
Take a good look at Vortex glass... the Razor HD Gen II comes in moa... I believe others here will tell you that’s excellent glass.
I'd have to say a range finder, I dont shoot at ranges and I carry all my steel out when I shoot. Targets are smaller and near impossible to range past 700~, did that for years and got fed up. Everything fell into place when I knew my distance and started getting first round hits.
Which one? If it's your steel and you know the size are you using the reticle or a range finder?
Yeah sorry I couldn't figure out how to edit but I was wanting to write "mil past 700~" do the math and see what the difference of being off .1 mil on a 12" target looks like distance wise (about 700 is the cut off distance where I stop being within my danger space). It makes it very hard to trust your dope because you're giving your best guess at distance.
The range finder I've got is a sig kilo but kinda wished I had waited and saved up some more to get something with a tighter beam. It does great on berms and reference points, I do have some larger targets I use for dope now and have no problem ranging those.
Well it seems like everyone has thrown out lots of great “ that’s what I was gonna say” suggestions so I’m gonna go with a beer coozy, cause I hate it when my trigger finger gets cold...
oh and a strong second on the building a barracade because yes prone is easy and it will help you with multiple skill sets like changing positions and target acquisition, plus in doing so you’ll send more rounds downrange leading to more reloading and and so on... also a friend video taped my first barracade stage and while in my head I was quick as lightning but in reality was slow as shit...
oh and a strong second on the building a barracade because yes prone is easy and it will help you with multiple skill sets like changing positions and target acquisition, plus in doing so you’ll send more rounds downrange leading to more reloading and and so on... also a friend video taped my first barracade stage and while in my head I was quick as lightning but in reality was slow as shit...
Reloading equipment. Would much rather roll my own than buy loaded stuff at the store, and it’s a good getaway from the everyday grind
This is going to sound so Cliche' but it was finding this site, I have been able to purchase all of my stuff way below retail, I have logged 100's of hours of information, I have gotten to cheat time, looking at load data, and learned from other peoples mistakes, and correcting mine all the way. I learned to be humble and have extremely thick skin, when first getting on this sight.
Badger Ordnance Dead Level.... the most idiot-proof scope leveling tool on the market. No guessing.
You set it...... and forget it ?
You set it...... and forget it ?
A good rear bag.
I have a nice chronograph, don’t NEED it. I have a nice spotter, don’t NEED it. I have a kestrel, can do without it if I have to. The bag though? I need the rear bag.
I have a nice chronograph, don’t NEED it. I have a nice spotter, don’t NEED it. I have a kestrel, can do without it if I have to. The bag though? I need the rear bag.
I got myself a Giraud trimmer for Christmas. I can't say it's my most valuable piece of equipment but its damn near close. I did 240 pcs of brass the other day and it took me 20 minutes which included some adjustment time. Using my old Wilson, it would have taken me at least 2 hours to hand trim, champfer, and debur that same amount of brass.
Reading this thread is like watching this.
You had me at hello until I found that the barreled action alone is more than my Tikka TacA1. I still want.
After the rifle I’d say the next most critical component is ammo...just can’t shoot at all without ammo...but in all seriousness it’s hard to narrow it down to a single thing.
-Magnetospeed
-Good rangefinder
-Ballistic calculator
-Steel to shoot at
-Rear bag
-Reloading equipment
-Place to shoot extended distances in whatever position, off whatever obstacle, in whatever weather, whenever I can.
-Magnetospeed
-Good rangefinder
-Ballistic calculator
-Steel to shoot at
-Rear bag
-Reloading equipment
-Place to shoot extended distances in whatever position, off whatever obstacle, in whatever weather, whenever I can.
A high quality spotting scope with an angled eyepiece and the correct tripod (NOT a photographer's tripod) so that you can use the scope by merely turning your head to the offside a few degrees (or even better using your off eye) is the single most important tool to learn how to read wind.
If you're a prone/F-class kind of guy who shoots on a square range. I'm almost never shooting on a square range, and I'm almost never shooting prone.
I can't remember the last time I went to a square range but I take my spotter and short prone tripod to almost every practice session I do.
Maybe you have nothing left to learn about wind reading but most of us do.
No illusions about being a master wind reader, it's just not something that fits into where/how I train. Cross canyon shooting for anything long range so there's not mirage in the traditional sense. 98% of my practice is on a barricade.
Going to assume you consider the optic, trigger, bipod and all as the rifle. Here’s my list, really in no particular order:
Good front bag (gamechanger,fortune cookie, etc)
Chronograph
Kestrel 5700 elite (or an app on phone)
Barricade to paractice
The biggest (best?) upgrade I made was the kestrel. Made life much easier than connecting a windmeter to phone and messing with phone. Especially in the rain when the touchscreen doesn’t want to work well.
Good front bag (gamechanger,fortune cookie, etc)
Chronograph
Kestrel 5700 elite (or an app on phone)
Barricade to paractice
The biggest (best?) upgrade I made was the kestrel. Made life much easier than connecting a windmeter to phone and messing with phone. Especially in the rain when the touchscreen doesn’t want to work well.
Most Valuable Piece of Equipment: Rear Bag
Your sand sock/happy sock/rear sock/rear bag is the most important piece of equipment you have. If can be used as a rear bag and front bag. It can stabilize your spotting scope (keep from wind vibrating it) when spotting trace for another shooter or when training/practicing wind and mirage calls, observation exercises (training for an upcoming hunt or keeping yourself sharp), or a pillow when you're forced to sleep in the bed of your truck after your wife finds out you bought a new rifle.
Best part? Its dirt cheap. lol like an idiot I forgot mine in another LR bag at the house and just took my sock off at the range and filled it with dirt. Doneski. But if you aren't all about sweaty feet and actually remember your kit, then grab a dress sock and some poly filler (think beanie babies) from an arts and crafts store.
Most Important Investment (besides the rifle/optic/ammo): Spotting Scope
Your sand sock/happy sock/rear sock/rear bag is the most important piece of equipment you have. If can be used as a rear bag and front bag. It can stabilize your spotting scope (keep from wind vibrating it) when spotting trace for another shooter or when training/practicing wind and mirage calls, observation exercises (training for an upcoming hunt or keeping yourself sharp), or a pillow when you're forced to sleep in the bed of your truck after your wife finds out you bought a new rifle.
Best part? Its dirt cheap. lol like an idiot I forgot mine in another LR bag at the house and just took my sock off at the range and filled it with dirt. Doneski. But if you aren't all about sweaty feet and actually remember your kit, then grab a dress sock and some poly filler (think beanie babies) from an arts and crafts store.
Most Important Investment (besides the rifle/optic/ammo): Spotting Scope
Badger Ordnance Dead Level
Fix-it sticks
Vasectomy
Not necessarily in that order.
Fix-it sticks
Vasectomy
Not necessarily in that order.
Surprised nobody has mentioned thermal hunting equipment at all, curious as to why. It seems like it would be invaluable for hunting, viable daytime use as well over strictly NOD. I don't have thermal, but I wonder about its value compared to other things.
My ear muffs, to me were the best purchase i have made so far the xcel 100 bt digital electronic muff with voice clarity from walker. I went from what felt like screaming to talk and hearing almost nothing in a conversation , to only needing to wisper to hear while others cant hear sounds i can using the high frequency boost hear leaves blowing in the wind on trees to a 600 yard 22 round hitting metal targets and 4total mods that i have not yet fully tried and no ear strain or neck problems after a few hours of use. I was totally blown away by a person saying that someone was missing the target when i could easily hear the impacts though they were soft and faint they still were hits. the guy upon going down range to check saw his 3 impacts. guessing the ear buds would also work I loose small things easily when in a hurry so the head phones work for me. and at 100 dollars its great. now how long the battery life will be is still to be seen.
^Good ears are invaluable. Getting ear pain/uncomfortable from ear pro can make a long day longer or end a day prematurely.
Yes thermal XP 50 about 5+grand (and don't tell my wife) it has about 1800 meter range can record shots with sound has a one shot zero feature. Switch from black hot to white hot . Picture in picture mode up to 12.8 mag. Excellent for hunting. Neat piece. When you are zeroing you get creative on target i.e. hand warmers frozen beer cans filled with water of course etc. You can see mice birds squirrels entertain yourself while waiting for real game. And other hunters you might not otherwise be able to see.
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