61 yards my longest shot

[BilletHead]

              Cold, windy and just plain yucky here in BilletHeadVille today. Other than a little waterfowl scouting most of my day was spent staring out the window. So I catch movement on the far side of my food plot. Two gray squirrels messing around. I grab the .25 air gun, a rangefinder and slip open the window. Range the little furry critters at 57 yards. I can't use the window sill as it is way too low just up from the floor. Have to just try to use the side of the window to brace with. Keep in mind I have never shot over 50 yards. At that 50 yard range I use one mil dot under the cross hairs. So I just guess and take a shot. Have no idea where I hit but the rats began to scurry looking around trying to find out what happened. They got farther away into a couple trees up and down round and round. Ranged again and two more guesses with two more misses trying to thread the pellet through branches and stems. Took one more reading in the tree one was in. 61 yards.  Had the scope cranked all the way up to 16 power and every move with the gun, it looked bad as I tried to hold on the squirrels head. So i squeezed the trigger and to my chagrin I heard the kawhop and it tumbled out of the tree . I slipped on my rubber boots and found my prize, Turned around and shot a picture of the house,

That final shot I held on the second mil dot. Since a long shot might happen again someday I suppose I should do it on paper off a rest to know exactly how to possibly repeat. Call it luck, call it skill I have no idea but it happened. I went ahead and did a complete case skin as I am needing a good gray skin for fly tying. The pellet entered the top of his head and excited the eye.    No to my rangefinder story. Summer before last I went to our local farmers market. A guy sells leather craft there. He asks me hey do you hunt?  Yes and then there was do you need a rangefinder? What have you got? We go to his car and out comes this old Bushnell rangefinder. The kind like a big set of binoculars. I shake my head as he says I got them in a trade and they work good to make an offer. I say how about 20 bucks. Before I get the sentence finished he says sold. Mrs. BilletHead just shook her head. Came with a case and instructions. We by a battery on the way home so I, can try them. They did work and do work but bulky for carrying. Now after this I want a better one . Something to use with one hand and take with me on walks. This one has a date on it. Manufactured 11/97. I know they are accurate and use them on my range. Pretty funny 21 years old.   

  BilletHead

[fishinwrench]

That's a hell of a shot !   👍

I have pretty much declared my squirrel head limit to be at 55 yards (2.5 mildots) on a dead calm day, with a solid comfortable rest.  

At over 45 yards if I misjudge distance by a mere 4 steps.... I'll miss.   I'm able to range-find using the scope and get within 5-6 yards.   From all my past archery 3-D shooting I'm real good until the target exceeds 50 yards, so really the ability to use the scope to determine range doesn't help me enough.   

[jdmidwest]

That is a pretty far stretch.  Good shot.

I would have a hard time doing that shot with a 22 rimfire.  But the .17 hmr would walk it in. 

[nomolites]

The new laser rangefinders with angle compensation are the bomb; but a good one that will paint a soft target at a distance is still pricy.  That said I did bite the bullet some years back and would gladly spend the money again.

Mike

[fishinwrench]

1 hour ago, nomolites said:

The new laser rangefinders with angle compensation are the bomb; but a good one that will paint a soft target at a distance is still pricy.  That said I did bite the bullet some years back and would gladly spend the money again.

Mike

Angle compensation will make or break a long range airgun shot.   I have a soup can hanging on a branch "way down in the holler" that is 50+ yards from my front deck, but if it was elevated straight up level with my deck it would only be a tad over 30.  I am sighted in at 30, so in order to rattle that soup can, I hold dead on.   

My AR-15 toting neighbor just can't wrap his head around that and thinks I have the flattest shooting airgun ever made.  🤣

The same goes for shooting a squirrel high up in a tree.  It might seem like a 40+ yard shot...but if the base of the tree is only 25 yards away, then you shoot him as if he is an easy 25 yards regardless of how far away he looks.  Stuff like that is what makes the whole airgun thing so much more fun. 

[JestersHK]

Heck of a shot buddy! You're getting your money's worth out of all your equipment too!

[BilletHead]

        OK @nomolites and @fishinwrench,

  So what do you guys recommend? Keep in mind I am looking at lower end entrance rangefinder. Also i am not in to long range HP rifle shooting of for that matter if I do pick up the firearm again for deer hunting I am a close shooter.  Lookie here boys this is what I am using for bow hunting . Remember this little top notch in it's time rangefinder? Dial it in until it focuses? Around 1980 or so I am guessing?  I want something to squirrel and bow hunt. Light one handed operation and not break the bank. Guess I need to go to Wal Mart,

BilletHead

[nomolites]

12 minutes ago, BilletHead said:

        OK @nomolites and @fishinwrench,

  So what do you guys recommend? Keep in mind I am looking at lower end entrance rangefinder. Also i am not in to long range HP rifle shooting of for that matter if I do pick up the firearm again for deer hunting I am a close shooter.  Lookie here boys this is what I am using for bow hunting . Remember this little top notch in it's time rangefinder? Dial it in until it focuses? Around 1980 or so I am guessing?  I want something to squirrel and bow hunt. Light one handed operation and not break the bank. Guess I need to go to Wal Mart,

BilletHead

I had one of those triangulation jobs to start and anything modern is an improvement on that...I recall mine was sensitive to temperature changes and was inaccurate from fall to winter unless recalibrated.  Ah, the memories...

Your needs are relatively short for range requirements, but I think you would want to be able to paint a soft target and also use in low light so you want lighted data display(typically red).  I recommend avoiding Bushnell as I had a unit of theirs that did not deliver on promises - and I would look for a Nikon, Leopold, or other quality unit with angle compensation and adjustable intensity lighted data display. Most of the entry level units start at advertised ranges of 550 yds(hard target) which in reality with a good laser will give slightly less than half of that on a soft target so based on the above any should suit your needs.  You will do almost 100% of your ranging for bow hunting on hard fixed targets while in stand but with the air gun being able to pick up a critter on the ground would be ideal.   Try them out and adjust the data display reticle,  intensity, etc...compare pricing and then start looking for a deal.  I’m not sure the Wal-Mart will have much in he way of quality but you gotta start somewhere.

I will say

 

[snagged in outlet 3]

Some of the ones for golf might fit your need.  I bought a used one for $100 a few years ago.  

[fishinwrench]

If you'll give me the following info I'll get you a ballistic calculation.   I need to know the following...

Scope height: measure from center of bore to center of scope barrel.

Range you are sighted in at.

How far low your POI is at any range beyond your sight-in distance. (Just get me a figure within 3/10 of an inch).

The exact pellet (brand/type) you are shooting, and it's weight in grains.

If I have that info accurately added into Chairgun I can calculate your velocity,  ft/lbs of energy, and can also pull up downrange ballistics.