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March 9th, 2017

Using Mirage to Read the Wind (Spotting Scope Technique)

wind mirage spotter spotting scope

Mirage as a Wind Indicator

Read FULL ARTICLE in Midsouth Shooters Blog
wind mirage spotter spotting scopeby Glen Zediker
Most good shooters use mirage as their leading indicator to spot changes in the wind. With well-designed stand, the scope can be set it up where you can see the wind with the left eye and see the sight with the right without anything more than a visual focus shift. That gets the shooter back on the trigger with the least chance of missing another change. In the photo above you can see 11-time National High Power Champion David Tubb using a spotting scope set up for his left eye.

There are resources that give clues or evidence of wind direction and strength: wind flags, observation of grass and trees, and mirage.

Almost always I use mirage as my leading indicator. Mirage (heat waves) is always present but you’ll need a scope to read it. For 600 yards I focus my scope about halfway to the target. Mirage flows just like water and the currents can be read with respect to wind speed as well, but it’s not clearly accurate beyond maybe a 15 mph speed. The thing is that mirage shows changes, increases or decreases, and also direction shifts, really well.

A couple more things about mirage flow: when mirage “boils,” that is appears to rise straight up, either there’s no wind or the scope is dead in-line with wind direction. And that’s a quick and accurate means to determine wind direction, by the way, move the scope until you see the boil and note the scope body angle. It’s also how to know when a “fishtail” wind is about to change, a boil precedes a shift.

wind mirage spotter spotting scope
You don’t need to spend big bucks for an effective spotting scope to view mirage. You can get the Kowa TSN-601 Angled Body for just $249.00 from B&H Photo. An eyepiece will run another $275.00 or so. Though relatively inexpensive, the TSN-601 is used by many top marksmen.

I use a long-eye-relief 20X to 25X wide-angle eyepiece. That setup shows the flow best. And pay attention to where the wind is coming from! See what’s headed your way, because what’s passed no longer matters. That’s true for any indicator. Right to left wind? Read off the right side of the range.

Once I get on target then all I am doing is watching for changes. It’s really uncommon to make a big adjustment between shots. The fewer condition changes you are enduring, the easier it is to keep everything on center. That’s why I shoot fast, and why I start at the low point in a wind cycle.

sighters spotting scope mirageMaking Corrections with Limited Sighters
Here’s a Tip for NRA High Power matches where only two sighters are allowed: “Make a full correction off the first sighting shot location! Even if there are minor changes afoot, that’s how to know how well you assessed condition influence pre-shot. Don’t second-guess. After the second sighter you should be on target and then simply watching for changes. Pay attention, correlate visible cues to the results of prior shots, and if in doubt, click into the wind.”

Information in this article was adapted from material in several books published by Glen Zediker and Zediker Publishing. Glen is an NRA High Master who earned that classification in NRA High Power Rifle using an AR15 Service Rifle. For more information and articles visit ZedikerPublishing.com.

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March 9th, 2017

Sandy Froman — NRA Past President and Lady Huntress

Sandy Froman NRA President lady hunter second amendment advocate

Sandy Froman NRA President lady hunter second amendment advocateSandy Froman is a past president of the National Rifle Association (NRA), only the second woman to ever hold that position. Froman grew up in a “gun-free” home in San Francisco, California but now lives in Arizona. Sandy, an attorney with a J.D. from Harvard Law School, is a staunch advocate of the Second Amendment and has promoted pro-Second Amendment legislation.

A member of the NRA Board of Directors since 1992, Froman served as second vice president for five years followed by two years as first vice president. In April 2005 she was elected NRA President. She completed her second term in April 2007 and currently serves as a member of the NRA Board of Directors. Froman was elected to The NRA Foundation’s Board of Trustees in 1992 and became The NRA Foundation’s first woman president. She helped establish the Foundation’s permanent endowment, which now exceeds $53 million.

Here are highlights of the Sandy Froman interview which first appeared in the NRA Foundation’s Traditions Journal, Quarter 4: 2016. These highlights appear courtesy the NRA Blog.

Women are the fastest growing segment in the shooting sports — Why is that?

Froman: Today, women have more responsibility for their day to day lives and the lives of their children than ever before. There are more women who work outside the home. There are more single women and many are single by choice. Women today have a heightened awareness of ordinary crime, of potential domestic violence, and of possible terrorism. Women are becoming more concerned about understanding their choices for personal safety and for defense of their families. This is why more women are buying guns. This is why more women are taking training. This is why more women are getting their concealed carry permits. It’s a change in the culture of our country that is reflected in women’s attitudes and their choices about firearms. I’m a big proponent of women-only firearms classes, but not because I don’t think women can compete with men-they actually compete very well. In an all-female class, women tend to ask different kinds of questions than they would in a co-ed class. Many women come to these classes because they have been a victim of a crime; they have been raped, they have been attacked, beaten, molested. They understand their physical vulnerability, and they want to do something about it. Once they master the basics of mental preparedness, gun handling and marksmanship, they quickly become more confident and go on to competing and hunting and teaching other women. I love seeing women teaching other women informally and supporting other women in the shooting sports.

What words of advice do you have for the future generation of shooters?

Froman: Exercise your Second Amendment rights. My dear friend and former NRA board member, the late David Caplan, warned that rights not exercised cease to exist. If you don’t go to the range and shoot, pretty soon there won’t be shooting ranges. There won’t be places to shoot. If there aren’t places to shoot, there won’t be guns. Guns will be collectibles — things under glass that future historians will talk about: “People actually used to shoot these things”. So I tell folks: Support ranges. Support your gun clubs and gun stores. Support The NRA Foundation. You know why the NRA is so successful? ““Each of us, one by one, together” — Wayne LaPierre says this all the time. You have to go out and do something if you want to be part of the solution.

When did you become a huntress?

Froman: When I was an officer of NRA, I met Larry and Brenda Potterfield of Midway USA. One afternoon on a break from a meeting, I went shoe shopping with Brenda. [Laughs] We were hunting for shoes! And this ties in with the Potterfields since they hosted the first Friends of NRA event in Columbia, Missouri, in 1992. Brenda and I got to know each other and she showed me photos of her family trips to Africa and the animals they hunted. I was intrigued by these pictures of this beautiful, intelligent, well-dressed woman in her hunting clothes with the exotic wild animals she had hunted. I was fascinated by this contrast-here was a cultured, sophisticated woman who loved hunting! Later Brenda invited me to her farm to go pheasant hunting. I had never shot an animal and so at first I wasn’t sure how I would feel about shooting a pheasant. Well, I shot my first pheasant, and I was immediately hooked on hunting. I was invited back to the Potterfield’s farm go wild turkey hunting with Brenda’s husband Larry. Soon after I went to one of the very first Women On Target hunts in Texas. It was a wild pig hunt, so I shot my first mammal. Hunting provides the excitement and satisfaction of being able to hunt animals and eat what you’ve harvested — and I’ve eaten everything I’ve hunted except for this one very nasty, old European mouflon sheep. After I downed the sheep, and asked my guide where I should take the meat for processing, he said, “Lady, you don’t want to eat this.” So hunting my own food has been truly an educational experience for a girl who grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area.

What role do you see the NRA playing in the next 10 years?

Froman: Broadening our base to include and grow the changing demographic of Americans — younger women and minorities. Critics say that NRA membership is only middle-aged white guys. If you look at our members and supporters you will see that is not true. While we still have our traditional membership base, the face of the NRA has changed dramatically over the past 10 years. A lot of new members are women and minorities, and the new members tend to be younger and less rural than in the past. Families are raising their kids to know that firearm ownership in America is part of our culture and we need to keep driving that.

Do you have a favorite quote?

Froman: One is by Judge Alex Kozinski of the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, regarding the Second Amendment:

“The Second Amendment is a doomsday provision, one designed for those exceptionally rare circumstances where all other rights have failed – where the government refuses to stand for reelection and silences those who protest; where courts have lost the courage to oppose, or can find no one to enforce their decrees. However improbable these contingencies may seem today, facing them unprepared is a mistake a free people get to make only once.”

Read Full Sandy Froman Interview on NRABlog.com >>

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March 9th, 2017

Download Free Primer/Bullet Spec Table for 320+ Cartridges

Here’s a very handy cartridge information sheet you will definitely want to save for future reference. Shown below is Page One of the Primer Size and Bullet Diameter Chart created by Graf & Sons. This chart shows the bullet diameter and primer size for more than 320 popular cartridges. The full three-page chart is available in PDF format for easy printing.

DOWNLOAD Graf’s Cartridge Primer Size and Bullet Diameter Chart

Grafs.com cartridge primer chart bullet diameter resource PDF

NOTE: If you have the PDF reader installed in your browser, the Graf’s Chart may open in a new tab when you click on the image above. To save the three-page PDF file to your computer or device, click the Floppy Disc icon that appears in the lower right (after the PDF file opens). Here is the direct link: http://www.grafs.com/uploads/technical-resource-pdf-file/12.pdf.

Note: There are a few issues which arise from brass sources. For example, if you are making 22 BR from Lapua brass, you’ll want a small rifle primer. And the 6.5 Creedmoor is not listed (it uses Large Rifle primers for most brass, but Small Rifle primers for Lapua brass). There are a couple other oversights, so we recommend that you double-check your brass before you buy a truckload of primers.

Resource Tip from EdLongrange. We welcome reader submissions.
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