RabbitTeeth,

I could be very wrong, but doesn't the Okotoks Rod & Gun Club have an indoor range in Okotoks?? I have never been there, don't know what facilities they do or do not have. But it might be worth investigating.

The Calgary Shooting Centre - DeWinton, AB (just South of Calgary) - is only 25m??? I thought that facility was larger, hmmm. Do they have more than one range??

I was at the Sibbald Flat Range back in the late '90's and enjoyed its rustic conditions. Having said that there was another range close to the public range, that was private, members only. Not sure if that range is still in operation.

MM

Mountain Man

I believe the Dewinton range is a shotgun only facility.

The private clubs in Sibbald are run by through the Alberta Provincial Rifle Assoc.

http://www.albertarifle.com/

MountainMan,

The Calgary Shooting Centre is located on Fisher Road next to MacLeod Trail SE, south of Glenmore Trail. I believe they have 12 bays, all at 25m.

I looked into the range at DeWinton but it seems to be a members-only range. As for Sibbald, there are about a dozen ranges in the area, but only one public rifle range. I inquired about their hours, and the guy basically said, "If you can drive in, then we're open. If you get stuck in the snow, we're closed." 😆 Not sure on the Okotoks range though.

I managed to get in touch with The Shooting Edge (which has 50 yard bays, albeit only 4 of them), and they DO stock some 7.62x54R lead core ammo, so I think I'm going to spend the morning there on Wednesday to sight in at 50m, then I'll drive out to Sibbald Flats in the afternoon to do the 100 yard version.

Thanks guys

Black Sheep,

Thanks for the info. Now we all know. 🙂

RabbitTeeth,

7.62x54R, not your average indoor round. If I remember my basic marksmanship training from a half-million years ago, the trajectory at 25m is very similar to the round at 100m. The biggest difference is at 25m the round is climbing and at 100m the round is decending. If you are shooting a flat trajectory round this up and down movement is fractions of an inch.

In the end, how far do you want your firearm zeroed for?? 100m?? The military used to use 300m for iron sights, then the rounds were about 4 inched high at 100m, 2 inches high at 200m and dead on at 300m, At 400m I think it was 4 inches low and 8 inches low at 500m. You were trained to shoot centre of visible mass. The average soldier centre of mass area is about 12 inches wide and 18 inches tall. Not a large target at 500m.

I think you may want to focus on achieving tight groups, 1 1/2 at 100m or better. Once you can get a good tight group the sights can be adjusted to place that group anywhere. If your firearm uses a telescopic sight with external adjustment knobs for windage and elevation you can keep a target card that tells you how many clicks of adjustment you need for a given range. Just remember to reset back to your zero position.

Have a good day at the range. Take a deck of playing cards and see how many you can hit.

Cheers,

Mountainman.

GC_MM, thank you for the advice. I could use a tip or two. Or twenty. 🙂

I have to admit, we never had any real marksmanship training back in our military (down in southeast asia). In fact, we were only trained to "learn" our rifle characteristics - whether it shot high or to the left. Therefore, we never learned how to adjust our sights. I'm excited, since apparently it'll be very different than the 7.62x39 that we trained on. The prospect of having something that shoots exactly where I place it is very interesting indeed.

300m sounds like an awful lot for iron sights. I don't believe I've ever shot at a target over 200m. I was planning to zero in the sights for 100m and adjust the rear sights as necessary for anything further.

I've also never touched a scope. The thought of narrowing down my vision to a small area doesn't sit well with me. Do you think that's absurd?

Thanks!

RabbitTeeth,

I will try to reply again. My last attempt was eaten by the computer gods and some general sql error.

Alas, to more important things.....shooting and enjoying it, having fun and staying safe.

I noticed straight away you are quite excited for your day at the range, go and enjoy.

I want to emphasize the importance of shooting a tight group. Once you make this acheivement you can move that group anyway your sights can be adjusted. To achieve a tight group you must achieve "sameness" - same trigger control & squeeze, same breathing, same sight picture and same follow through. With a tight grouping you can learn to make excellent shots. Practice and patience.

Having read your post, I understand that you want a 100m zero. That sounds very reasonable and realistic for the distances you plan to shot. Just remember once you get the opportunity to shoot on a longer range, that you check to see that your rear sight adjustments actually keep your rounds on target. If you are shooting at 200m you might have to use 225m or 250m on your rear sights to place your group at the correct location on your target. Go have fun. Practice and learn your rifle.

Optical sights. Scopes can definitely give you tunnel vision. But, if you learn the two eyes open sighting method, you will lose some but not all of your field of view. No, I do not think it is absurd to want to avoid scopes. Field of view is very important when you are in the field. You know what you want to master and how you want to achieve that. I say, follow through on your plan. Of course, post a report of how things went at the range. Everyone enjoys a good tale from the ranges.

Have a great day at the range.

Mountainman.

Mornin' RabbitTeeth,

Did you find a range?? How was your shoot?? Do you like your new rifle?? When are you headed out again??

Hope you had a great day. Just remember to clean your rifle today, and tomorrow and then a week or so from now before putting it back in the safe for long term storage.

Cheers,

Mountainman.

Just a bit of info for you guys, CSC has the capability to help you offset zero your rifles. So you can zero your rifle for 50m (recommended for .223/5.56x45mmN), 100m, 300m etc. using the 25m range.

-S.