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Rifle scopes & Shims

Shimming may be required to properly align the riflescope to the bore of the rifle.

Major adjustments of the scope's elevation and windage are usually not needed. If major adjustments are needed, shims should be used for elevation. Shims are thin pieces of paper or plastic or aluminum (can) that are put under the scope's rings to either raise or lower the shot. Elevation adjustments should be reserved for minor correction. Over adjustment of the elevation (or windage) controls may damage the scope.

Determining shim thickness will take several tests. With one of my scopes I used both a small thin piece of paper and plastic. Positioning the shims can be a bit of a challenge. My rifle has a Picatinny rail, I cut the small pieces thin enough to fit in the rail's slot. The ring needs to fit snuggly over the shims.

If the rifle rings attach to a flat surface (non-picatinny) place a shim under the scope ring (either front or rear). An aluminum can be used for a shim. Cut a small piece and press it down so it matches the contour of the ring. Bend, mark and cut the excess metal so the shim is contoured to the scope ring base.

Place the shim under the scope ring you want to raise. To raise your shot (shooting low), put a shim under the back ring. To lower it (shooting high), put a shim under the front ring. Re-install the scope on the rings. Tighten the screws to the manufacturer's recommended torque setting.

It will take several repetitions using various shims (of various thicknesses) to sight in the scope.

Rifle scopes – an introduction

Rifle scopes work by magnifying an image and by placing your eye on the same optic plane as the target. Magnification works by bending light rays via a number of lenses within the scope, the higher the power of magnification, the longer the scope. Low powered rifle scopes are usually shorter and contain smaller lenses.

Most rifle scopes have a crosshair, a dot, a post or similar markings to help align the scope with the target. A reticle or crosshair is a cross shape (+) put on the center of the target. Rifle scopes help to eliminate the problems associated with open sights, and allow for precise shooting.

A novice shooter or an expert or anyone in between can benefit from a scope. It is a helpful tool for hunting and target practice. A scope sits on top of the rifle and allows the shooter to see very well at distances. The power of the scope can vary widely, from 1.5 times magnification to 50 times or more.

The better rifle scopes are light in weight, rugged and precise. When you first obtain the scope, it will need to be zeroed. This means that you'll need to determine how far off target the bullet hit and then adjust the scope accordingly. Scopes come with windage and elevation knobs which are used to adjust the scope. Bore sighting can help zero the scope as well as save you time, ammo and targets. See the "Bore Sighting" post.

You can certainly shoot without a scope but a scope will enhance your accuracy and enjoyment. Be sure to purchase a scope that is waterproof and fog-proof. This will ensure its use in all weather conditions and situations. There are many companies today that feature high quality rifle scopes at affordable prices.

When it comes to installing the scope, be sure to read the directions that come with it. Buy quality mounts, bases and rings – this is very important. Quality products are easier to install, hold up well and with the proper care, last longer. Once put on the rifle, check to ensure the scope is level and straight. Small levels can help with this. Look at the rifle and scope in several different ways – front, back & sides. Have someone else check it as well. Pick up the rifle and aim it. Be sure the scope is at least 3 inches from your face and that you can see the recticle clear when you rest your face on the comb of the rifle.

The real fun, of course, begins when you shot at the range. If you bore sighted, the amount of time, ammo and targets used for sighting in may be less. Sight in the scope at 25 to 50 yards. It will be much easier if there is another person checking the shots on target with a spotting scope. The whole process of sighting in the scope will take some time and patience as you adjust and readjust the windage and elevation knobs based on the hits on target.

Bore sighting

Bore sighting helps to sight in or zero in your firearm.
When your firearm is sighted in or zeroed in, it shoots accurately.
Definitions:
Sight alignment is the alignment of the front and back open sights on a firearm.
Sight picture is the aligned sights on the target.
• With open sights, the aligned front and back sights are put under the target center making a “lollipop”.
• With a scope, the crosshairs are put in the target center.
• With a red dot, the dot is put in the target center.
How is bore sighting done?
• Bore sighting is done with a metal “module” that is caliber specific and fits into the chamber of the firearm. The module emits a laser beam and this beam is where the barrel or bore is pointing.
• Bore sighting needs to be done within 25 yards and the laser beam is very visible in a large indoor room. Outdoors the laser beam is harder to see especially in the sunlight.
• Use a sandbag to keep the firearm steady.
• As you aim, the sight picture and laser beam should be very close on the target. If they’re not, adjust the sights or scope to meet the laser beam. You may get within 1 to 2 inches of dead center.
Bore sighting saves you ammo, targets and lots of time.

Temporary Transfer (of a firearm) while at a target range

A question I often receive is: Can I let my friend use my firearm at a target range if they don't have a Firearms ID card?

The following is a summary taken from New Jersey Gun Law Guide (Nappen & Gilber) page 163:

Under New Jersey Statue 2C:58-3.1 a firearm may be temporarily transferred to a person at least18 yrs of age whether or not the person receiving the firearm holds a New Jersey Firearms Purchaser Identification Card or a New Jersey Permit to Carry a Hangun. The firearm must be transferred for the sole purpose of target practice, trap or skeet shooting, or a competition on that firing range. The transfer of the firearm shall not be for longer than eight (8) consecutive hours in a 24 hour period. The legal owner of the firearm must remain in the actual presence or directly supervise, or have another competent person supervise, the person to whom the firearm was transferred. No firearm may be transferred to a person who does not meet the qualifications under N.J.S. 2C:58-3 for obtaining a New Jersey Firearms Purchaser Identification Card or a New Jersey Permit to Purchase a Handgun.

For additional information check out the NJ State Police Firearms information site:

http://www.state.nj.us/njsp/about/fire_ag2.html

Buying a Handgun

You should not buy a handgun until you have shot it. The gun may feel good in your hand but it may not feel good when you shoot it. This can be a problem in some Northeast states as many gun stores do not have an attached range.

One solution is to take a Handgun training course. Often there are several handguns available for shooting during the course. This exposure will at least help you narrow down the type of handgun you're interested in; for example a revolver or a semi-auto. You can also get a good feel for the amount of recoil you are comfortable with. All handguns except .22 caliber handguns have recoil. Usually, the larger the caliber, the larger the recoil. I say usually because there are exceptions.

For example, a compact (or sub-compact) 9 mm may have more recoil than a full sized 357 magnum shooting 38 specials. In general small guns have more recoil as there is less gun to absorb the recoil. Another factor affecting recoil is the weight of the bullet. All ammo has the weight of the bullet stamped on the box. For example, 9mm can be 115 grain, 124 or 147 to site some. The heavier bullets have a bit more recoil and more stopping power as well.

It is very important that a handgun be cleaned regularly and so you need to field strip your handgun in order to clean it. When you have decided on the handgun you are purchasing, do the following: 1. Establish a working relationship with a salesperson at the gun store stocking the gun. Tell them of your intersted in the gun and the approximate purchase time. You may even want to put a deposit on the handgun. 2. When you're ready to buy, go to the gun store during the week when it isn't crowded and ask the salesperson to field strip the handgun and then reassemble. You do the same. If you are unable to field strip and reassemble the handgun then you don't want to buy that handgun.

You may want to consider purchasing a used handgun. There are many good used handguns for sale and every gun store has some in stock. Used guns are cheaper than new guns. Ideally it would be good to talk to the orginial owner, if possible. You can ask the approximate number of rounds shot, how long they owned the gun, are they the original ower or did they buy it used, etc. You can save some money and perhaps make a shooting friend in the process.

Firearms — Getting Started

So you want to shoot? That's good! There are places you can go where they will rent you a gun (you will need to purchase ammo from them), provide you ear & eye protection and finally a place to shoot. But you might have a few questions that may not be fully answered such as:

1. What handgun should I start with?

2. How do I hold, aim and shoot the handgun?

3. What kind of ammo should I use? How many rounds should I shoot?

The answer to these and other questions you have will determine your future with the shooting sports.

Everyone who has ever shot a handgun, has an opinion. An opinion on the best gun for a beginner, how to shoot a handgun, why this ammo is better than that and so on. And if you talk to enough people during the day, your head will be spinning by 6pm and you may be more confused than you were when you started.

If you are serious about learning to shoot and shoot properly, you want take training. Go to a professional who will answer your questions and teach you the correct way the shoot. Like other sports, muscle memory plays an important part in good shooting. If you develop wrong muscle memory it has to be undone before you can develop the right muscle memory. You can go through a few hundred rounds of ammo in the process and as you know (or will soon know) ammo is not cheap.

So save yourself time and money and take training from a professional as you begin the shooting sports.

Dry Firing

If you want to learn any sport, you need to practice. Shooting is no exception. Practicing shooting can get expensive. The price of ammo keeps going up. Dry firing is practicing shooting without real ammo. Use snap caps — small plastic dummy ammo the same size as your real ammo. Snap caps usually come in a package of 5 and sell for about fifteen ($15) dollars. Using snap caps — loading them in the magazine or cylinder, chambering the round (for semi-autos) then aiming, holding and squeezing the trigger — enables practice of the shooting fundamentals.

Many aren't able to go to the range regularly and so dry firing is necessary to build the proper muscle memory. Trigger squeeze is a shooting fundamental difficult to master. Dry firing will help you with trigger squeeze. Use an empty shell or a quarter and sit it on the top of your barrel as you squeeze the trigger. If you squeeze and not jerk, the shell will stay in place.

Practice for a half hour, 3 times a week and your next visit to the range will convince you — dry firing works!

Hunting for Muskies on Lake Hopatcong

Muskies Inc. Chapter 22 held their annual Musky School on May 15, 2011. Each student was teamed up with an instructor and their boat. I had a great time. Didn't catch a Musky but I did "raise one"; meaning I brought it to the boat. My instructor Cal, landed the 44 pounder a few minutes later. Lake Hopatcong is a huge lake and it was fun being out on the water experiencing the hunting of these large fish. Some of the best fishing is available a few short miles away.

Note: The muskies aren't kept but put back into the lake.

Hunting & Fishing In North West New Jersey

There are many options available for hunting in North West New Jersey. Some of the most popular are the Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) scattered throughout the Northwest corner of NJ. These afford the public an opportunity for both fishing and hunting. Here is a link to a list of WMAs throughout NJ. http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/wmaland.htm

Unfortuately, there a minimal amount of information available at this site but it's a good place to start. If you would like specific details about the wildlife management area a bit more digging, researching as well as actual visiting of the area is required.

What Does the Second Amendment say?

The Second Amendment states:

"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

To fully understand any document, especially one written over 200 years ago, it is necessary to have some understanding of the times and culture in which it was written.

The framers of the Constitution were educated men who selected their words carefully. The Bill of Rights (first ten amendments) were added to the Constitution in 1791. Around that time, the prominent federalist, Noah Webster was working on "A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language" – it was published in 1806. There is little doubt that the writers of the Constitution were familar with Webster's work. It's not surprising that in 1828, Webster's "An American Dictionary of the English Language" was adopted as the standard by Congress and the American people; even becoming the accepted norm in England. The meaning of the Constitution's terminology may be discovered in the Mr. Webster's work.

"The substantive guarantee is 'the right of the people' which can mean only individual rights, not state powers. …Only individuals have 'rights' while the United States and states have 'powers'." Steven P. Halbrook, "The Founder's Second Amendment p.323

Webster defined "right" in part:

Just claim; immunity; privilege. All men have a right to the secure enjoyment of life, personal safety, liberty and property. …Rights are natural, civil, political, religious, personal and public.

Although the term "State' rights" came into use in the early republic, the constitutional text shuns that usage. As the above definition demonstrates, "the people" means individuals, and only individuals have "rights"

The term "the" used twice in the phrase "the right of the people" is important. The term "the right" expresses a pre-existing right, not a new right invented for the Bill of Rights. Likewise, "the people" refers to population at large. It does not mean some of the people appointed by the states. Nor does it mean a specific group of people such as the people in the Militia.

"It would be rather curious if 'the people' means only such persons as the government selects. To suggest that 'the right of the poeople' means only a command issued by a government to persons appointed by the government demeans the very nature of a bill of rights" Steven P. Halbrook, p.326.

The Second Amendment refers to the right to 'keep' arms as well as to 'bear' arms. Webster definded 'keep' in part as:

1. To hold; to retain in one's power or possession; not to lose or part with; as, to keep a house or a farm….

2. To have in custody for security or preservation….

3. To preserve; to retain

Webster's following further definition seems particularly apropos to the right to keep arms: "To have in the house…."

The right to 'keep' arms is a liberty an individual would exercise. This is borne out by Sameuel Adams' proposal in the Massachusetts convention 'That the said Constitution be never construed to authorise Congress…to prevent the preople of the United States, who are peaceable citizens, from keeping their own arms….'

What 'arms' could the people keep and bear? Accourding to Webster, 'arms' are 'weapons of offense, or armor for defense and protection of the body'. Citing Blackstone's Commentaries, Webster noted: "In law, arms are any thing which a man takes in his hand in anger, to strike or assault another".

So even though these definitions of 'arms' signify firearms carried by hand, Webster added that "fire arms, are such as may be chared with powder, as cannon, muskets, mortars, &c." No doubt the writters of the Constituion had in mind the kinds of firearms that General Gage confiscated from Boston's civilians and that militia acts required: muskets, shotguns, pistols, bayonets, and swords.

During these challenging times as the Constitution was being written, Webster said that the people were sufficiently armed to defeat any standing army that could be raised, implying that they had similar arms. However, the words 'keep and bear arms' suggest that the right includes such hand-held arms as a person could "bear," such as muskets, flowling pieces, pistols, and swords, and not cannon and other heavy guns that a person could not carry or wear.