Red Dot or Low Power Scope - What Do You Use for Driven Boar
- Thread starter UpNorthMI
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Bavarianbrit
Well-Known Member
I have been using a Doctor Optik red point sight for the last 10 years but the Burris version may be just as good at half the price.
Both are good - down to what you get on best with. I like the Swarovski 1-6x24 with the CDI ‘ring of death’ reticule
From experience, it really depends on the terrain you’re hunting, and this can vary dramatically, from country, to country.
Many countries, Portugal, Serbia, Croatia, Poland, the pegs can be on tight rides, where you have very little time, and a Red dot sight, such as an Aimpoint is perfect.
But in other countries such as Turkey, there’s a lot of cross valley pegs, and 100m is a luxury, 150m+ is common, and a low mag scope makes life easier.
However, if you’re shooting freehand, at distance, it’s incredibly difficult to hold much over 3-4 mag steady, to take the shot, and I’m seeing more, and more people turn up with stick to shoot off.
Personally, unless you’re pretty sure you’ll shoot often, beg, steal, or borrow sight/scope for your first trip.
I shoot a Blaser, and carry both a scope, and an Aimpoint, choosing what suits the peg the best for me.
UpNorthMI
Well-Known Member
I just purchased a Blaser R8 and I'm planning to use quick release scope mounts so I can swap between red dot and low power scope. I sometimes take a 2 leg shooting stick for slow woodland stalking, I agree they can help steady a distance shot. I appreciate your input it helps to work up some expectations and to be able to plan a little. Many thanks
UpNorthMI
Well-Known Member
I like the Swarovski too but I really want to try both eyes open with a red dot and see how I do with it in practise, I guess I'll work out which one works better for me. I currently have a military style red dot on a semi auto black rifle, it is great for short distance fast target acquisition but not so good for 70 yards plus. I appreciate your input.
You can shoot both eyes open with a scope too, I have Z8i 1-8x24, and do just that, but also with higher mag scopes too.
UpNorthMI
Well-Known Member
I've never really thought about it before and guess that I do shoot both eyes open through a scope but I find my master eye just takes over, with static targets it's never been important. I clay shoot a lot too and shoot with both eyes open, I guess I will develop my moving / running rifle shooting with a lot of practice over the next few months. Good job I purchased an extra barrel for my Blaser R8 in 308 so I can practice with cheaper FMJ ammo. Thanks for your comments.
Jagare
Well-Known Member
It takes a bit of practice to shoot with both eyes open with a scope. Aimpoint type sights should be used both eyes open. I practice with the .22 off hand and have no problem shooting both eyes open up to 6x. Shooting my double rifle with the S&B 1-8x24 Exos I shoot both eyes open. It has become second nature to shoot like that now.
1 to @Jagare: he is spot on. Ditto @Lateral
IMHO it is far more important in boar shooting to shoot with both eyes open than in stalking: you need really good situational awareness, including arcs of fire, beaters, their dogs, and other boar. And in much driven shooting you have very little time to bring the rifle to the shoulder, get a decent sight picture, track and shoot.
So the key first question becomes: where are you planning on shooting? If France, and the forested bits of Germany, then you could perfectly well start with iron sights, and shoot as you do clays. I would bet you will hit FAR more boar, since the ranges are typically (well) under 100 yards. Even at your “seventy yards plus”, a boar is a BIG target! Pre-pandemic I was sharing a “gun” with a friend in France: we would shoot together three days a year, with unscoped doubles. We never once felt “out-scoped” by the other guns with expensive optics; we certainly shot our share.
I have a variety of optics for a bolt-action rifle, too, including an Aimpoint and Swarovski 1-8x24. If/when I thin out my collection, the Swaro would be the very last scope I sell: as @Corvid8x57 states, the CDI “ring of death” reticle is absolutely superb. But, to be clear, not necessary at all for when I shoot driven boar in France. But for longer ranges (Turkey? Plains game?) it’s incredibly versitile.
IMHO it is far more important in boar shooting to shoot with both eyes open than in stalking: you need really good situational awareness, including arcs of fire, beaters, their dogs, and other boar. And in much driven shooting you have very little time to bring the rifle to the shoulder, get a decent sight picture, track and shoot.
So the key first question becomes: where are you planning on shooting? If France, and the forested bits of Germany, then you could perfectly well start with iron sights, and shoot as you do clays. I would bet you will hit FAR more boar, since the ranges are typically (well) under 100 yards. Even at your “seventy yards plus”, a boar is a BIG target! Pre-pandemic I was sharing a “gun” with a friend in France: we would shoot together three days a year, with unscoped doubles. We never once felt “out-scoped” by the other guns with expensive optics; we certainly shot our share.
I have a variety of optics for a bolt-action rifle, too, including an Aimpoint and Swarovski 1-8x24. If/when I thin out my collection, the Swaro would be the very last scope I sell: as @Corvid8x57 states, the CDI “ring of death” reticle is absolutely superb. But, to be clear, not necessary at all for when I shoot driven boar in France. But for longer ranges (Turkey? Plains game?) it’s incredibly versitile.
Dhindes
Well-Known Member
I use a Zeiss 1.5-6 scope with single illuminated red dot.
Wound down it works well as a red dot and I can crank it up if longer shots needed.
When I went on my first driven shoot I missed a nice Roe who stopped about 80m away and I missed as free hand.
After that I always take a simple single leg shooting stick which I rest my rifle on while waiting - it has helped me take the longer shots and I simply let it fall if shooting running targets - most bore I shoot at are less than 50 m and running hard !
Wound down it works well as a red dot and I can crank it up if longer shots needed.
When I went on my first driven shoot I missed a nice Roe who stopped about 80m away and I missed as free hand.
After that I always take a simple single leg shooting stick which I rest my rifle on while waiting - it has helped me take the longer shots and I simply let it fall if shooting running targets - most bore I shoot at are less than 50 m and running hard !
badbob
Well-Known Member
Red dot for close range. You need to practice mounting your rifle like a shotgun. So it needs to fit. Both eyes open looking at the target. Get out ,practice practice, with rifle unloaded, mount, point, swing. The red dot should be where you are looking. The rifle should be snug in your shoulder and cheek each time.
Similarly with. a 1 to 6 or 1 to 8 using 1 power. ( Wind up to to maximum for a long range shot)
Similarly with. a 1 to 6 or 1 to 8 using 1 power. ( Wind up to to maximum for a long range shot)
Heym SR20
Well-Known Member
I have tried Red dots and don’t like them - image quality not as good.
Find the lightest 1-4 x 20 you can get as balance of rifle is do much better. Have a look a leupold’s little Hog Plex.
The 1-6 and 1-8 x24 are really quite heavy and bulky and in my experience image quality on max power is a bit odd. The 1-4 are much lighter and better balanced and really have enough mag to shoot an animal further out.
There are also plenty of bigger scopes - yhe older 1.5-6x42 and now 1.5-10x42 etc. The challenge with these is that they have quite a narrow field of view compared to the 1-4x20 on lowest power.
I have a simple red dot on mine and with it on 1 power easy to shoot both eyes wide open.
And practice. There are very few running boar ranges in the UK. But most clay grounds have a running rabbit or two. I have a combination gun and practice with the shot barrel with the scope on - not quite the same as a rifle but better than nothing.
Find the lightest 1-4 x 20 you can get as balance of rifle is do much better. Have a look a leupold’s little Hog Plex.
The 1-6 and 1-8 x24 are really quite heavy and bulky and in my experience image quality on max power is a bit odd. The 1-4 are much lighter and better balanced and really have enough mag to shoot an animal further out.
There are also plenty of bigger scopes - yhe older 1.5-6x42 and now 1.5-10x42 etc. The challenge with these is that they have quite a narrow field of view compared to the 1-4x20 on lowest power.
I have a simple red dot on mine and with it on 1 power easy to shoot both eyes wide open.
And practice. There are very few running boar ranges in the UK. But most clay grounds have a running rabbit or two. I have a combination gun and practice with the shot barrel with the scope on - not quite the same as a rifle but better than nothing.
There is much good advice in the preceding responses; the business of keeping both eyes open and awareness of the whole picture around you is crucial to safe success. Practice is important and the business of keeping both eyes open as far as possible. I am fortunate in being able to keep both eyes open at up to around 2.5x magnification without tiring my eyes. I use a simple variably illuminated red spot in the centre of my 'scope which is itself varipower. Match the magnification to the distance you can see.
Before I bought a Blaser with the ability to switch on the illumination as you move from "safe" to fire I simply adjusted the brightness to match the conditions - bright enough to catch the eye but not too bright that it interferes with detailed vision in the 'scope. The batteries last for a long time so although I always carry spares I only once had to change one in the field.
Hollands have the only cinematic shooting gallery of which I know in the UK but there are many on the continent some of which also operate in laser mode with a rifle which freezes the frame indicating also where you have "shot". But all practice on moving targets is good practice and valuable.
Go and enjoy!
Before I bought a Blaser with the ability to switch on the illumination as you move from "safe" to fire I simply adjusted the brightness to match the conditions - bright enough to catch the eye but not too bright that it interferes with detailed vision in the 'scope. The batteries last for a long time so although I always carry spares I only once had to change one in the field.
Hollands have the only cinematic shooting gallery of which I know in the UK but there are many on the continent some of which also operate in laser mode with a rifle which freezes the frame indicating also where you have "shot". But all practice on moving targets is good practice and valuable.
Go and enjoy!
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