October 2004
Loon Lake gets two new spawning shoals
By Kyla Greenham
Through a joint effort between the
Ministry of Natural Resources, Haliburton Highlands Outdoors Association, Loon Lake Property Owners As-
pleted several spawning assessment
projects on Loon Lake for natural walleye reproduction.
―There is a strong population of
walleye in Loon Lake. We want to ensure this remains part of the fishery.
lake trout production. Hopefully, the
stocked Haliburton lake trout will be
able to develop into a sustainable population over time.
Evaluation of quality of the shoals
will take place this fall and next spring.
Above: Ontario Junior Rangers from the Moose Lake Camp help dump over 70
tonnes of rock into Loon Lake in August 2004 to create a new spawning shoal
for natural lake trout and walleye reproduction. Left, Keith Hodgson (HHOA
Coordinator for spawning shoal rehabilitation) relaxes and enjoys the scenery
during the trip from the public boat launch to the work site. There is no better
way to spend a warm summer day than cruising around a beautiful lake.
sociation, and the Ontario Junior Rangers, Loon Lake in Dudley Township
received two new spawning shoals this
summer.
Volunteers for the day included
permanent and seasonal residents of
Loon Lake (organized by Mike Grinnell), 22 Ontario Junior Rangers and 5
Ontario Junior Rangers staff (organized
by Scott Bird and Linda Schell) and
several HHOA members.
In April of this year, Scott Bird,
Senior Fisheries Technician for the
Ministry of Natural Resources com-
Enhancing natural reproduction is a stronger sustainable program
for fishery recruitment than just stocking fish for PG&T.‖ says Bird. ―Also
the new spawning shoals will benefit
more than one species of fish, including lake trout. Loon Lake is an ideal
candidate for a spawning shoal project‖.
The HHOA has stocked a small
population of Haliburton Gold lake
trout into Loon Lake over the past 5
years. The spawning shoals are in ideal
locations for both natural walleye and
Depending upon the assessment results,
more work on the shoals could be
scheduled for next summer.
HHOA members and the Ontario
Juniors Rangers celebrated a successful, fun day by sending Scott for a dunk
in the drink. Hope everything dried out
Scott.
Special thanks to Captain Ron
Stevens of Hawk River Construction
for manning the river barge throughout
the day, and Hawk River Construction
for supplying the river rock.
The Outdoorsman
October 2004, Page 2
Thank you for two great
years
Walleye raised at the
Haliburton Fish Hatchery
Hello everybody, this is my last article as President of
the HHOA, shortly a new President will be elected. There
is a lot in progress for the him or her to continue, but I
have every confidence that person will be up to the task.
For me, the last two years as President have been
both exciting and very busy. Most notable for me was the
establishment of our trust fund. A very important task for
the upcoming Board of Directors is marketing of this trust.
We need to get out there and encourage the large corporate
donations that can keep our hatchery running; especially in
a time when government grants are getting few and far
between.
The annual budget for the hatchery is approximately
$135,000. In past years, the MNR and the very generous
local community have supported us.
The trust was established to encourage alternative
sponsorship of our hatchery program. So far we have assistance from the MNR, the OFAH, the HLTP and some
very generous individuals; however we must work as a
group to market this trust to large corporate donors which
may be able to significantly increase the trust‘s capital. By
doing so, we can ensure the longevity of the hatchery, the
education programs, and potentially increase programs or
production at the hatchery. We have an excellent facility, a
great stock, a fabulous program and wonderful volunteers;
it would be a shame to see it fall apart because there is no
funding. Thanks to the OFAH, all donations made to the
trust can receive a charitable tax receipt.
Let‘s get out and sell our hatchery program and ensure its here 20 years from now. We have a lot to offer, we
just need to tell them about it.
Before I leave, I would like to take a moment to
thank my fellow directors for their wonderful support over
the last two years. Without that support it would have been
impossible to accomplish what we did, thank you so much
everybody. Finally, I would also like to wish our new
President all the best for his/her next year in office. Thank
you all for reading my articles over the last two years.
John Ball
For many years, the members of the HHOA have been
bugging David Flowers, MNR Fisheries Extension Biologist
about walleye production at the Haliburton Fish Hatchery. As
of April 2004, walleye has officially joined rainbow trout,
brook trout and lake trout on the production records.
Six hatchery volunteers joined David Flowers on the
Bay of Quinte walleye egg collection in April. The Hatchery
received 350,000 walleye eggs to begin its production cycle.
The eggs were reared in the newly constructed incubator
Ron Sedley and Frank Powers lift the first net of walleye summer
fingerlings produced at the Haliburton Fish Hatchery to stock Barnum Lake, Township of Dysart et al. Hatchery volunteers stocked
10,000 walleye into two local lakes for new future fishing opportunities.
until mid May. The hatchery successfully produced 250,000
eyed-up eggs, 70,000 of which were given to two commercial farmers as part of an agreement with the MNR. The remaining 180,000 were hatched shortly after to produce
160,000 free-swimming fry. Excellent job guys!
Eighty thousand fry were put into the on-site rearing
pond for 8 weeks. The remaining 80,000 were stocked into
the Drag River in Haliburton. Hopefully a good percentage
survived to be added to the natural population in the Kashagawigamog Lakes chain.
Finally on June 28, the walleye volunteers began seining out the pond. Ten-thousand summer fingerling walleye
were successfully stocked into two Haliburton lakes. This
may seem like a small number (10,000 out of 80,000) but
according to MNR records and other CFWIP groups records,
we are right on track. David set a 10,000 fish target for this
year‘s stocking and we met it.
Next year with a few more improvements to the pond,
hopefully we will be able to exceed their expectations. Congratulations on a job well done guys! You deserve it!
The Outdoorsman
Deer Feed Program
ready for 2004/2005
By Keith Harrison
Well the weather has finally begun to
turn. With the changing of the leaves and those
early morning frost days, it can only mean that
hunting season is here.
This year is sounding like it will be a
good season, I hear there are a number of doe
tags in Area 54 and 56. I wish each of you a
good hunting season, but caution that you use
your tags and discretion wisely.
The HHOA is gearing up for the winter
weather, already things are in motion for monitoring the Percy Lake Snow Station and an
emergency feeding situation. We have brought
in some fresh second-cut alfalfa, and deer feed
will be available through the HHOA again this
year. We have however had to change our policy for providing feed. This year only members
of the HHOA will be able to purchase feed. All
non-members interested in feeding deer this
year should inquire at your local feed suppliers.
We are currently getting quotes for feed,
so this year‘s price has not be set.
Both hay and feed will be available at the
hatchery and at my place, near Maple Lake.
Give me a call at 705-754-4428.
To raise some extra dollars for the Deer
Feed Program, the HHOA is holding another
Pig draw. Four winners will be drawn on December 15, 2004. Each winner will receive one
half of a pig, butchered and packaged. $2.00
tickets can be purchased shortly from any
HHOA director or through the hatchery office
at 705-457-9664. All proceeds will be put towards the next Deer Emergency Program.
So we‘ll keep in touch over the next couple of months. Everyone have a great hunting
season. Good luck and be safe.
October 2004, Page 3
Getting Your Firearm Ready
It‘s a two-step process! It is
not enough to just clean your firearm before the hunting season. You
must also prepare yourself by getting out with the firearm and sighting it in to hit the target. By doing
this, you will also know the firearm
works!
First Step – Cleaning
Every year, many of the firearms seen in my shop are for malfunctions caused by accumulations
of dirt!
These malfunctions can usually be eliminated with a thorough
yearly cleaning and a detailed
cleaning about every five years.
The thorough yearly cleaning you
can do yourself. The detailed cleaning involves complete disassembly
and is best left to a gunsmith. A
very sensible rule to follow in deciding whether you or the professional cleans your firearm is that if
you are in any way in doubt about
what you‘re doing or going to do,
see the gunsmith.
What follows are a few simple
tricks of yearly cleaning that will
help keep your gun in top running
condition.
Before starting cleaning always make absolutely sure your
firearm is unloaded. You should
have a ventilated area away from
noise and distractions. Don‘t smoke
near cleaning solvents and don‘t
mix alcohol with gun cleaning.
Wear safety glasses to protect your
eyes from any solvents. And wear
painters throwaway gloves to keep
solvents and dissolved lead away
from your skin.
Before cleaning, the firearm
must be dry. If the firearm has recently been wet, you should remove
the stock and forearm and dry the
wood and metal. Blot away water
using a piece of absorbent towel or
toilet paper then set the firearm
aside overnight to thoroughly dry.
For cleaning, you will need to
obtain supplies (if you don‘t already have them) from your local
sporting goods store. You will need
a cleaning rod suitable for the caliber/gauge of the firearm; assorted
cleaning rod tips, including a
bronze brush; cleaning cloth swabs
(a cut up flannelette blanket is good
too); cleaning (nitro) solvent; good
quality firearm oil; some ―Q-Tips‖;
a toothpick; paper towels (to catch
spills); and a wiping cloth. There
are many new products available
that combine cleaning and lubricating functions and don‘t hesitate to
try them – make sure you follow
the manufacturer‘s directions.
For the wood, you will need a
good grade of stock wax or furniture wax (if the wood is a gloss finish) or oil, if the stock is oilfinished.
I don‘t recommend the use of
spray cans of solvents or oils, since
too much tends to get used leading
to a build-up of oxidized oil; wood
rotting; dirt attraction; and flushing
debris to places you don‘t want it to
go. If you must use spray chemicals, always spray them onto a cloth
(Continued on page 6)
The Outdoorsman
October 2004, Page 4
Maximize your shooting skills
There have been many articles
written over the years about accurizing
your hunting rifle and changing your
sights to better improve your chance of
getting game. However, there‘s a little
known improvement that could improve your scores on both stationary
targets and running game.
If you routinely take shots much
beyond the common bush range of 3550 yards; if you do a lot of still hunting
along trails; if you do considerable
climbing; if you hunt from tree
stands; if you hunt around large
swamps and marshes; or if you frequent farms or hydro right-of-ways,
than you should seriously consider
what I‘m about to suggest.
For a very small expenditure
you can buy, and have installed, a
very practical rifle sling.
Slings have been around for years.
They come in a variety of styles and
are often made of leather and more recently, from nylon. They have different
shapes and can be composite – made
from leather and with a fabric-like
backing or can be padded. They can be
wide, tapered, or of a constant width.
Some sling manufacturers claim their
product is readily convertible in that it
can quickly be changed from a carry
sling to a shooting sling.
Slings can be attached to your
firearm in a number of ways – from
loops that simply go around the stock
and forearm to units that connect to a
variety of mounts fastened to the firearm.
While the selection of slings and
Gunsmith’s Corner
by Mike Grinnell
Mike’s Gun Repair
Loon Lake - Haliburton
457-1859
mounts may seem confusing, there is
one sling and mount system that I believe is most useful in our woods and
meets all of the needs that you will
have.
The style of sling to which I refer
is what is commonly called a traditional military style. It is usually made
from leather with
brass-plated rings
and hooks. It is
made in two sections, each havOctober 27, 2004—HHOA Board of Director‘s Meet- ing a double row
of holes for the
ing at the Haliburton Fish Hatchery, 7 pm.
December 1, 2004—HHOA Board of Director‘s Meet- hooks. The width
of the sling is one
ing at the Haliburton Fish Hatchery, 7 pm.
January 5, 2004—HHOA Board of Director‘s Meeting inch.
The sling is
at the Haliburton Fish Hatchery, 7 pm.
HHOA Calendar
best fastened to the firearm using what
is called a quick-detachable swivel
mount that readily allows you to take
the sling from the firearm.
The actual mount, consisting of
the swivel and a stud that screws into
the stock and forearm, can be installed
by yourself but you must be very careful to properly locate the hole for the
studs and not crack the stock or forearm when the stud is screwed into the
wood. It does not cost a lot to have
the studs professionally mounted by
a gunsmith familiar with and tooled
to do the work.
Since I shoot left-handed, I‘ll
describe how I set-up a sling to get
it‘s maximum benefit. With the
stock firmly positioned on my left
shoulder and my right hand cushioning the forearm, the sling follows
a path down from the forearm and
around the outside of my right elbow
and back up to the stock. The two sections of the sling are adjusted beforehand so that by a slight outward movement of my right elbow, I can make the
sling more tensioned and the whole
rifle-arm-sling relationship a rocksteady system for improved accuracy.
When a sling is set up in this manner, it is usually set at the correct
length for carrying the firearm.
To get the most benefit from a
sling used to carry your firearm, you
must carry the firearm in a manner that
allows you to bring it from the carry
position to the shooting position in one
fast fluid motion. Again, I‘ll describe
(Continued on page 7)
The Outdoorsman
October 2004, Page 5
Spring Fish Underwater at the hatchery ...
back volunteers! Hope you lot, and had fun at it too. Welcome to the
Derby Results all hadWelcome
a great summer. A lot happened this new walleye volunteers. There was a strong
This year 20 people
signed up for our Annual
Spring Fish Derby held at
Haliburton Lake on June 13,
2004. The weather was pretty
good except a brief noon hour
down pour. Several fish were
caught on this day, ranging
from 2 and one-half pounds
to 4 pounds.
Congratulations to the
following winners:
Cameron Neville
4 lb, $100.00
Bill Hutson
3 7/8 lb, $60.00
Tom Neville
3 3/4 lb, $40.00
Some of the prize
money was donated back to
our club. Thanks guys.
Thanks to everyone for
coming out and enjoying the
day while supporting our
club. The $260.00 raised will
be used for our on-going club
conservation projects.
Thanks to Keith Hill and
Keith Harrison for helping at
the weigh-in and registration
station, Vince Hammond for
the use of his property, and
Mike Balaski for his scales.
Dan Johnson and
Keith Hodgson
Spring Fish Derby
Coordinators.
summer, so I‘ll give you a brief update.
In May, we successfully stocked
22,000 trout. This year the Haliburton Gold
lake trout were stocked into Miskwabi, Esson, Koshlong and Lipsy. A few hundred
lakers were kept for the summer and are to
be stocked shortly into Koshlong Lake. Boy
do they look like nice fish. This year‘s
P,G&T rainbows were also successfully
stocked throughout Haliburton. Fish Stocking datasheets are available at the Haliburton Fish Hatchery or the Minden MNR Office on Hwy 35.
Finally, the last school of Haliburton
Silver Lake Trout were given a nice send
off into Percy Lake. For three years, we
have stocked Percy Lake with the Kingscote
Lake strain of lake trout. The hopes are to
create a population of naturally reproducing
lake that can sustain a fishery. So please,
enjoy fishing Percy Lake this year, but remember these silver trout have not been
there for very long. Return them to the lake
and hopefully in 5 to 10 years, there will be
some nice large lakers for the taking. Percy
Lake does have a population of MNR hatchery strain lake trout, so should you wish to
take fish home from Percy Lake, please take
the MNR strain and return the Haliburton
Silver. Signs providing detailed information
to identify the Haliburton Silver lake trout
and the standard lake trout should be posted
at the access point.
As you read in an earlier article, the
hatchery stocked 10,000 walleye into two
local lakes in July. This is a monumental
step for the volunteers at the hatchery. Culturing walleye turned out to be very different from culturing trout. We all learned a
interest shown in the community for this
program and it was great to see a number of
new faces around the hatchery during the
walleye culture season. Walleye culture will
continue in April 2005.
Throughout the summer, there were
three students working at the hatchery. Mallory Bishop (a returning student from last
summer) and Steve Smith (a co-op student
from two years ago) worked hard this year
taking care of the fish and completing several major projects. Thanks to these two for
their hard work. A job well done. The third
student, Lindsay Roberts was a new recruit
this year. Lindsay‘s position was sponsored
by the Ontario Federation of Anglers and
Hunters and the Minden MNR Office. She
had a very busy and complex summer working for all three organizations. Based between the Hatchery and the MNR Office,
she completed several tasks of invasive species sampling, public education, fisheries
trap netting and sampling, and daily hatchery activities. It was great having Lindsay
around, well needed extra hands.
Now, we are gearing up for the next
production cycle. The rainbow trout have
arrived, so the pond is up and running. We
have just completed egg collections on Redstone Lake for the Haliburton Gold lake
trout. We had a very successful hunt, with
over 14,000 eggs in our incubation units.
The volunteers spent three nights and two
days working on Redstone Lake and the
time was well worth it.
Thanks to everyone who has helped
out. Anyone wishing to get involved in the
hatchery, please contact Kyla at the Hatchery office, 705-457-9664.
The Outdoorsman
October 2004, Page 6
Properly prepare your gun for the hunt…
(Continued from page 3)
first and then use the cloth to clean/
lubricate.
movable bolt , remove it and wipe
with the cloth, paying particular attention to the bolt face and under the
extractors and around the ejector.
Once the receiver wiping –down is
completed, dry and then lightly wipe
all components with oil. Clean out
the extractor recesses with the toothpick.
For the outside of the barrel and the
outside of the receiver, all you really
have to do is wipe down all metal
surfaces with a cloth and gun oil.
You want to eliminate any rust producing fingerprints. Do not use nitro
solvent to clean the external metal
surfaces.
For wood, polish with wax if a gloss
finish. If an oil finish, lightly rub the
appropriate linseed or tung oil on the
wood and then wipe away any excess. Polish in both cases.
After the hunting season, do not
store your firearm in a case. Store muzzle down if you can – so any oil won‘t
run into wood. If you are storing in a
gun cabinet, make sure the cabinet is
ventilated so that air will move through
it. If you have any concerns about moisture, you can put a small container of
silica gel in the cabinet. Change or dry it
frequently.
Remember to store your firearm
safe and secure, and away from ammunition, in accordance with all storage
laws.
Cleaning Hints:
Clean from the breech end whenever
you can
Always use only solvents and oils
designed specifically for firearms
In barrel cleaning, always run
through a patch soaked in nitro solvent first. Then follow with a dry
patch. Then follow with a bronze
brush soaked in nitro solvent. Never
reverse the brush while it is in the
bore. Then follow with a dry patch.
For the next half-dozen passes, use a
patch lightly coated (not dripping)
with nitro solvent and continue repeating until the patches have no
gray or no green color showing.
Then follow with a dry clean patch.
Your final pass will then be with a
very lightly oiled patch. (Remember
here to make a note – tied to the firearm – that the barrel/chamber must
be cleaned of oil and dried before
the next time the firearm is used)
Always check to make sure there‘s
not a cleaning patch left in the barrel
If you are cleaning a shotgun, the
cleaning brushes made from spiraled
brass or steel wire are excellent for
removing any plastic from wads.
To clean the inside of the receiver
area, a wiping cloth dampened with
nitro solvent is best for dissolving Second Step - Sighting – in
Sighting-in a rifle or a shotgun
any residues. Use your ―Q-Tip‖ to
need
not be a complicated exercise in
wipe away any residue the cloth
ballistics.
And there is no sense becomcan‘t reach. If you firearm has a reing frustrated trying to figure out how to
adjust the sight to make the bullet hole
center on the target!
Sighting-in can be a relaxing funtime with your firearm. And here‘s how!
First, there are two general rules to
remember:
Rule number one is that most big game
in our area is shot at twenty-five yards
or less.
Rule number two is that bullets normally
first cross the “line of sight” of a firearm at twenty-five yards and again at
around one hundred yards. While this
rule has been around for years and while
there are exceptions, it generally applies.
This means that if you sight-in at twenty
-five yards, you should be very close to
―on‖ at 100 yards.
Secondly, sighting-in is more about
how you do it properly, not how things
happen with the gun and bullets as you
do it!
Bearing the above rules in mind,
it‘s fairly clear that all we have to do is
somehow get hitting the mark at twentyfive yards and we‘re ready for the hunt!
―How you do it properly‖ is actually common sense made easy to follow.
First, after you have found a good
spot to sight-in – meaning a safe, good
backstop, level, and where people won‘t
be bothered with the shooting; build
yourself a target stand or prop. I use two
upright 2x2‘s with a ten-test board about
2 ft x 2 ft nailed on with roofing nails.
Onto the ten-test I staple a piece of paper
(a large piece of cardboard is good too).
Into the center of the paper I staple a
small target about 4‖ diameter (a piece
of paper coloured darker than the background paper will do).
I screw the 2x2‘s to the horizontal
(Continued on page 8)
The Outdoorsman
October 2004, Page 7
Win a pig and help feed deer!
Emergency Deer
Feeding Program
Is sponsoring a Pig Draw
Four winners will each win 1/2 of a
pig, butchered and packaged
Tickets now available from any HHOA
Director, hatchery, or around town
Tickets $2.00 each,
Draw to take place December 15, 2004
All proceeds go towards the HHOA
Emergency Deer Feeding Program
Practice makes perfect ...
(Continued from page 4)
how I carry my firearm using a sling.
Since I‘m left-handed, the firearm is slung from my right shoulder. The barrel points down with the trigger group side of the firearm pointing in the direction
I am walking (with the sights/scope ―behind‖ me). When still-hunting, my right
hand rests on the rear portion of the forearm. When I want to shoulder the firearm,
my I grasp the forearm with my right hand and lift it with a
clockwise twisting motion so that the stock is positioned into
my left shoulder with my left hand grabbing the stock pistol
grip and my cheek meeting the stock. As the firearm is
brought to the aiming position the sling is tightened against
my right elbow by moving my elbow slightly outward. With
practice, it all happens naturally and very fast.
The sling is a very important and inexpensive asset to
improving your shooting skills and should not be overlooked.
Good shooting!
Wildlife
Gourmet
Wawa Wild Goose with
Apple and Raisin
Stuffing
Prepare a large Wild Goose for
cooking; stuff and arrange on rack
without any added water. Roast
without basting at 500° for 15 minutes, then at 350° F. for remainder of
time, allowing 20 minutes per
pound, based on weight before stuffing.
Stuffing
½ cup finely minced onion
1½ cups diced apples
3½ cups soft bread crumbs
½ cup seeded raisins
¾ tsp. salt
⅛ tsp. pepper
⅛ cup granulated sugar
½cup melted butter or margarine
Combine the above ingredients, stuff
goose, and roast; this stuffing should
be sufficient to stuff a 5 lb. goose.
The Outdoorsman
October 2004, Page 8
Avoid misfires and injury with a well cleaned gun ...
(Continued from page 6)
wood on a carpenter‘s sawhorse, making
sure the ten-test is high enough from the
ground so there are no ricochets.
Next I assemble my shooting
―bench‖. I use an actual heavy, wellbuilt sawhorse made from 2x6‖ wood,
which is used for sawing logs, as my
base. Onto the top of the sawhorse I
place a homemade top platform that
slides over the sawhorse (like a box lid).
This is what I will use for shooting. In
place of such a heavy structure, you may
want to use a six-foot folding aluminum
ladder.
Both the ―bench‖ and the target
stand are set 25 yards apart on level
ground.
For sitting I use an old metal milk
basket with a cushion on top (you want
comfort!).
You can see I use a very ―beefy‖
system that will remain immobile
through sighting-in. That is important.
Equally important is the gun forearm rest. I use an adjustable target
model but you may want to use a sandbag or a folded jacket on a piece of firewood. What is important is that it not
only be firm but that it properly supports
your hand at the correct height for the
sights to align with the target.
Note that you must rest the gun
forearm in your hand and lay the back of
your hand on the rest.
Never place the actual forearm
on the rest.
Now we are ready to begin!
Some necessary target shooting
basics apply next ! You must first be
relaxed and breathing normally and not
sweating. You must also remember that
when you take your shot, you squeeze
the trigger slowly so that you have no
idea when the shot will break. Use the
pad of your finger directly opposite your
fingernail. Squeezing slowly means almost imperceptibly building pressure on
the trigger. And once again, the forearm
rests in the palm of your hand and the
back of your hand rests on the bench
rest or sandbag. The stock of the firearm
is firmly and comfortably into your
50 yards and 1/16th inch at 25 yards. In
short, be prepared that you can have a
fair bit of turning of the scope adjustment knobs when the target is up close
and lots of readjustment is needed.
For iron sights, remember that you
move the rear sight in the direction you
want the point of impact to move.
From this point onward, I advocate
a trial and error method of adjusting
your sights, rather than trying to figure
out distances and number of clicks or
divisions required. If you can‘t come in
to the point of aim after a few tries, you
may want to have your sight system
looked at by a gunsmith.
Once you get the bullet hole reasonably close to the center of the bulls
eye, you can move your target stand out
to 75 or 100 yards and familiarize yourself with how well the sights (and you)
are working.
This method is simple, it‘s foolproof, and it works. And you have fun
doing it!
shoulder. Hearing and eye protection
should be worn too! You should try to
wear the jacket you will be wearing
while hunting.
You take your first shot and see
where the bullet hole appeared. If it did
not appear on the paper , you must take
another shot to confirm a miss.
If the bullet hole appeared on the
paper, all you have to do now is adjust
your sights so the bullet comes to the
point of aim. (Always mark bullet holes
with a pencil or tape them.)
If you continue to miss, try shooting at 10 yards. If you miss at 10 yards,
go to a gunsmith!
Note that I don‘t advocate taking
groups of shots and then averaging the
groups to get an average impact point.
Wastes ammo and unnecessarily heats
the barrel.
What is the best point of aim?
For ‗scope sights, it is the intersection of the crosshairs.
For iron sights, I recommend that Good Shooting!
you sight-in using a 6 o‘clock hold. Mike
With a six o‘clock hold, the bulls eye of
the target sits on top of the front sight
bead – the front sight bead does not
cover or obscure the bulls eye. And the
sights are adjusted so the bullet hole
centers in the bulls eye. The ―six o‘clock
hold‖ lets you clearly see the target at all
times.
If all went well, the bullet hole is
somewhere near the perimeter of the
bulls eye. Adjusting the sights from
here need not be a confusing or frustrating experience.
The following is very important for ‗scope sights, you must always remember that if the sight adjustment is
indicated on the
sight as ¼ minute
angle at 100
yards that one
click adjustment
will move the
point of impact ¼
inch at 100 yards.
This means that
one click will
move the point of
impact 1/8 inch at