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It ain't easy....(long story) #5758099 05/25/15 02:50 AM
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customcutter Offline OP
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Certainly not as easy as 00Spy makes it look.

I took the X-sight out tonight, for a test run. I tried zeroing the scope before dark, it wasn't a one shot zero as advertised. Finally after 15 rds and being rained out 5 or 6 times and jumping in and out of the truck between showers, I finally got it zeroed at 25 yds. I've never zeroed at 25 yds before, but always heard that if you were zeroed at 25, then you were good at 100? (Also the X-sight, sits a little higher than a regular scope.) It started raining again, and was about an hour before dark, so I decided to for go trying to check zero at 100.

Finally about 30 minutes before dark, the showers stopped, so I grabbed my rifle, back pack, shooting stick, and chair. I found a large oak tree about half way down the field, sat up with my back to it, and put my electronic caller about 40 yds out in front of me. I went back, grabbed the rifle, played with the scope a little, tried to figure out how to record, but unfortunately forgot to format the card... I realized I hadn't turned the ringer off on my phone, so I did that and sent a couple of text messages.

I looked up and there's a dang boar hog about 150#'s ambling across the field about 125 yds away 10 minutes before dark. I grabbed the rifle, and threw it up, I looked away from the view finder to figure out the correct button to zoom in, when I look back he's gone...There's nothing in the field, but a small clump of bushes about 10 yds from where I last saw him. I keep glassing the field but nothing. It finally gets dark enough that I need IR to see, so I switched to night vision. Full zoom is too small, and flood is too wide, so I just counted the turns and set it in the middle without checking through the scope. It was a big mistake, a few minutes later, I threw the scope up to check things out, and there barely visible is the hog walking to my left, about 60-75 yds away. I switch to the medium setting, then high, but still can only barely see him. Unfortunately I'm thinking that the illuminator is not centered, because there is plenty of light 25 yds in front of him. I remembered that the property owner had told me it was ok to shoot hogs, just make sure if I did that they didn't get back onto the neighbors property to the south, because he has paid hog hunts there. Well this hog came from the north, so I decided to try a neck shot. Apparently it was a clean miss, he took off running west, then turned and headed northeast where he came from.

Lessons learned tonight.

Set the IR illuminator to light up the FOV you are hunting at. I got home and found it set way too wide, so I wasn't lighting my target.
Wear your bug spray and or bug suit. The wind died right after I shot at the hog, and there were multiple mosquito's per square inch.
Test your POI at multiple yardages.
Remember to turn your caller on when you set it up in the field.
The hog walked right by, and never looked once in my direction with the IR on.

Maybe next time...


God Bless
Re: It ain't easy....(long story) [Re: customcutter] #5758125 05/25/15 03:08 AM
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Hunting on the ground level using IR with a digital system can be challenging - you have a good many take aways that will make it easier as you get along.

The nice thing about the X-sight is that you don't have cables or additional DVRs hanging off the gun to worry about loss of video issues.

I typically keep 3 or 4 formatted SD cards around (camper / truck / pack) they are cheap enough in the 2 - 8 gigabyte versions and you are sure to leave one behind in the computer (editing the last hunt).

Re: It ain't easy....(long story) [Re: customcutter] #5758151 05/25/15 03:34 AM
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You are going down the same road many of us have. If everything goes as it should, you'll still be learning years from now. Hunting at night is a whole new ball game, recording it adds another level...regardless of how easy it appears... up

Re: It ain't easy....(long story) [Re: customcutter] #5758333 05/25/15 12:25 PM
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Practice shooting it at night also, the more you use the scope the easier it will become.

Re: It ain't easy....(long story) [Re: customcutter] #5758433 05/25/15 01:57 PM
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The more stuff you carry into the field that needs your attention, the more stuff that can go wrong. Not shown in most videos is all the time spent trying to get things right, flubs, mistakes, etc. We have all done them, ideally not more than once, but it happens. My longest kill ever was with a video cable not plugged in to the dvr.

Carrying spare stuff may get to be the norm for you as well because carrying the spare stuff beats the heck out of walking 500 yards back to the truck to get a set of batteries in the middle of the night.


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Re: It ain't easy....(long story) [Re: customcutter] #5758691 05/25/15 04:48 PM
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Just because your on paper at 25yrds does not mean you're on target at 100. You need to know the distance from the centered of your barrel to the center of the scope. You should be about that far before the X. Now you can check your 100 yrd group. Once you're sure it's on at 100 then come back to 25 and note the exact impact point. Now you can use the 25 yrd mark to zero your weapon with that load.

Last edited by Believer; 05/25/15 04:53 PM.

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Re: It ain't easy....(long story) [Re: Double Naught Spy] #5759150 05/25/15 10:38 PM
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Originally Posted By: Double Naught Spy
The more stuff you carry into the field that needs your attention, the more stuff that can go wrong.

Carrying spare stuff may get to be the norm for you as well because carrying the spare stuff beats the heck out of walking 500 yards back to the truck to get a set of batteries in the middle of the night.


I just need a good side kick like "Angry Bird". Someone to remind of the stuff I forgot. Heck, if he had been there I'm sure he would have squawked and made the pig stop long enough for a kill shot....


God Bless
Re: It ain't easy....(long story) [Re: Believer] #5759165 05/25/15 10:47 PM
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Originally Posted By: Believer
Just because your on paper at 25yrds does not mean you're on target at 100. You need to know the distance from the centered of your barrel to the center of the scope. You should be about that far before the X. Now you can check your 100 yrd group. Once you're sure it's on at 100 then come back to 25 and note the exact impact point. Now you can use the 25 yrd mark to zero your weapon with that load.


Yes, I've never tried it, and it might be pretty close for a bolt action with the scope mounted closer to the barrel. I just measured the 3X-12X X-sight and it's about 3" center of bore to center of scope on the AR Grendel.


God Bless
Re: It ain't easy....(long story) [Re: Double Naught Spy] #5759231 05/25/15 11:24 PM
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Originally Posted By: Double Naught Spy
The more stuff you carry into the field that needs your attention, the more stuff that can go wrong. Not shown in most videos is all the time spent trying to get things right, flubs, mistakes, etc. We have all done them, ideally not more than once, but it happens. My longest kill ever was with a video cable not plugged in to the dvr.

Carrying spare stuff may get to be the norm for you as well because carrying the spare stuff beats the heck out of walking 500 yards back to the truck to get a set of batteries in the middle of the night.


This ^^^^^^^



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Re: It ain't easy....(long story) [Re: customcutter] #5765988 05/30/15 12:19 PM
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Update,

I went out yesterday, and rezeroed the scope. I had checked online and used the Hornady Ballistics Calculator, and with a scope height of 3.1" above the bore, it calculated about 6" high at 100 yds. The first shot was exactly 6" high at 100.

Another lesson learned. Just because the LED's light up on your caller doesn't mean it's working. Hopefully it's just weak batteries...


God Bless
Re: It ain't easy....(long story) [Re: customcutter] #5766140 05/30/15 02:31 PM
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Back in the caveman days, had 1,100 acres ta wonder about the woods... Stap on the ol hog-leg, slinger ease out ta were hogs tore up, flashlight off.. Wait & listen, ya could here the hogs in distence, slowly ease twards em, didn't even have the green or red lenses.. Turn the flash llight on, woods would come alive, yagh it scare de chit outa de hog's, rofl it left an easy trail ta follow... Don't recomend doing it this way... Haven't had luck with the scope over laser under, heard hogs squeelen by bow stand one night while sitting in tree stand between two corn feeders, with my canon camera set up.. Kept telling me self, self ya need ta get down & ease twards em ... But stayed were had chance ta video the laser-tag hunt... Still waiting... its part of hunting, being in right place right time... Stay with it, figure out what wotks best for U... flag



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