FireField NVRS 3x42

Maximizing the performance of your Rossi firearm.
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Re: FireField NVRS 3x42

Post by Ranch Dog »

Steelbanger wrote:Question time, and I hope I'm not disciplined for changing topic. Now, what is the equipment partially obscured behind your seat, It sure looks like an airplane to me. You didn't purchase one again, did you?
No, no plans for another airplane as I really have nowhere to go! It's my Mule 4X4
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Re: FireField NVRS 3x42

Post by Ranch Dog »

All the prep is coming to a close and should have the Mini-30 and the Firefield NVRS out in the field next week. Typical to getting something unique setup; I've bought $60 worth of mounts and $40 worth of cheek risers, trying to get eye alignment worked out.

Here is what it looks like. The pictures are cluttered in that they were taken in a cluttered reloading room and I will get some better ones once the weather clears up a bit.

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I went with the generic picatinny rail extension I found on eBay for $10.00 over a $50 base made for the specific purpose.

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The GGG-1382 is a very nice base that does not interfer with the scout base. What happened is this $50 base failed, but it was probably my fault. It uses some custom pan head torx screws to mate with the goofy Ruger ring mounts, God I hate the Ruger system, and those screws are a bit delicate. The specify that they must tightened to 20 ft/lbs but I felt that was not enough and sure enough they failed. GGG is sending me some new screws and I will try it again at the specified torque and see how it goes. The GGG base will lower the scope another 1/4" and bring it back toward the eye 3/4", both movements would be welcomed. As it sits now, the scope sits 3.2" above the centerline of the bore but it fairly aligned with my eye using the installed cheek riser.

I'm using the God'A Grip cheek riser ($25 shipped) over a Voodoo tactical riser ($15). The Voodoo interferes with my single point sling and is noisy.

The shooting at night has gone well at 50-yards but is hell at 100 yards. My load produces 1.27 MOA at 50-yards but 2.67 at 100-yards, more than doubling. What is wierd is that the 50-yard results at night time are slightly better than in the daytime! The problem is that you just cannot see the target and 100-yards. I can see the timbers on the berm but not the paper. I had to think about this and do a little research and the problem is the target is not generating any heat. Illuminator or not, no amount of relective material is going to change seeing the target, the technology needs heat for the target to be seen.

Heated targets are available but they are expensive! They run around $20 a target. My idea is to tape a small 2"x3" disposable handwarmer on the back of a paper target. I have hundreds of these, I buy them in bulk for all the hunting I do.
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Re: FireField NVRS 3x42

Post by Ranch Dog »

Okay, here is the latest. The rifle setup and optics.

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I've had three range sessions, learning something different with each. The last was focused on my cast TLC313-150-RF sight in. What I had learned from the other two sight-in sessions it to trust and use (or adjust) your ballistic table.

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Notice that the scope height is 3.2" (info in upper right). Because of that, the bullet path is .169" low at 25-yards. I adjusted the scope to send three through the same hole exactly there.

Seeing a paper target at 25 yards is easy, not so easy at 50-yards, and impossible at 100-yards. The small hand warmers make it possible. Rather than shoot at paper targets, I taped the hand warmer to 6" gongs at 50 and 100. Not a lot of heat, it was easy to see at 50, but just a pinpoint out at 100 yards; however, good enough to shoot at.

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Both the noise and flash of the bullet splattering off the gong saves a lot of walking downrange to see where at what was hit. The final sight in at the two longer distances where easy and confirmed the process at 25 yards. These are my last three shots at 100 yards.

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So, I felt ready. I've learned something different with each range session as this is different than how I've been doing my night hunting in the past.

My target for Friday night.

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Re: FireField NVRS 3x42

Post by Ranch Dog »

Yesterday morning, I had two doe deer run over on the highway in front of my entrance so I drug one back on the route that I would take to my blind. We had company for dinner and cards, so I felt a bit rushed after they left as I geared up for the 9 pm appointment.

I normally don't carry a pack, but with the two monoculars, I had more than I normally carry. I loaded up, fought off my dogs and was underway. I was using the 2x24 to scan ahead of me, a wonderful passive view. I did not need any power or the illuminator to see 100-yards ahead of me. Okay, here is where it turns into a Keystone Cops story.

I can see some coyotes ahead messing with the deer. The rifle is behind me across the pack, so I grab the barrel to rotate it around into shooting position, and the scope is gone! Yeah, gone. It takes about two seconds, and I hear a clunk as it rolls of the pack and falls on the ground from about hip height. Nice. The scope mount uses a quarter turn cam lock.

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Locking tension is adjustable in preset, quarter turn increments and I had it one step to lose. The next step felt excessively tight, but my choice proved that setting was too loose and allowed the fabric of the pack to pop it lose. I ponder a bit as to go back to the range or not, but I knew if I did the night was over. I reattached the scope and pressed on. Oh, coyotes were long gone.

When I got to the tower stand my "Keystone Cop" night continued.
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Re: FireField NVRS 3x42

Post by 9x80Drilling »

RD, thanks for the continuing saga.
A couple of quick questions: If the hand warmer were taped to the backside of the gong, would there be an advantage for a longer shooting session, as it might persist shot after shot? Maybe that's not necessary? Once the gong is warm, it holds its heat throughout the session?
And, you've mentioned the coyotes catching young pigs as they flee into the cover following a shot into the feeding sounder. Do you have enough coyotes that you can kill some of them and still enough left to grab little pigs as they run for cover? It seems the songdogs can be both a help and a hindrance at your ranch.
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Re: FireField NVRS 3x42

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I started up the 10' tower and opened the door, and I immediately remembered that I set the blind up for a father & son deer hunt. With two chairs in a 4'x4' base blind, there is little room for me and my stuff. I got it sorted around and realized that because of the scope height, I could not use my rifle rest that slips over the edge of the window as the scope doesn't have a view. I have to rest the rifle on the metal edge. A pack full of stuff and nothing to pad the edge!

I've got about 45 minutes until I expect the hogs, so I mess with the monoculars. The feeder is at 100 yards with the heavy brush immediately behind it. With either monocular you cannot see the feeder in the passive mode as the heat, it is producing is less than the brush behind it. Turning them on, I can see it with the 4x50 but not the 2x24, but that is expected as it is at the limit of spec. Going to the illuminator doesn't help the small unit but lights the brush line up very well with the 4x50.

There is no deer visible in the native grass or brush, but they know the routine, the hogs rule the night, and they have been hitting this feeder like clockwork at this time for three weeks. I start a routine of checking the feeder every 3 to 5 minutes. While outside the check, visibilty from the blind is nil, it cannot be measured. It is nice that the passive mode is so good, that saves the batteries, and they are not being used.

The rifle scope is the same way, a wonderful view in the passive mode. All I need the batteries for is the reticle. The illuminator was overwhelming, think Keystone here, more on that later.

I've had a long day, so I'm getting sleepy and the "hog check" becomes routine. I cannot see 10' outside of the blind. I'm letting my mind wander a bit, it has been about 3 minutes since the last check, I lift the 4x50, and there are hogs everywhere! Clear as day, well defined at 100 yards! Holy crap!

I bring the rifle up, the same view, bright as daylight and well defined. I light the reticle and place the crosshairs on the "kill spot" of the large hog. Here is a game cam picture from the same moment.

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At the shot, the hogs were gone. I did hear a loud squeal, but sometimes that is from one of the sounder getting run over by another. I went ahead and got down and eased over to the feeder, but could find nothing.

I stopped at the range as I walked back and shot at the 50-yard gong three times and could not hit it. Other than looking for blood, it was also the first time I turned a light on. I immediately noticed that my turret caps were off as well, I had not returned them after the range session the night before. Panic sets in as I hope they are not lost. The scope case serves as a "bag" that you place over the scope anytime the rifle is not in use, like in my gun room or safe. It is another method, other than the exit bell cover, that is used to ensure that light doesn't enter the tube. It is possible that the bag, the pack, or my fingers made contact with either turret adjustment. With the drop and this, I feel like a clown, but it adds to the experience.

Relief sets in as I walk into the house to explain what has happened and my wife, who is bringing my work clothes out of the drier asks, "what are these!" Turret caps, thank you, Lord!

So, it start over, but I think it will be easy to get back on track and I've learn more lessons. Oh, the scopes illumintor being "blinding". Silly Keystone me, the illumintor was reflecting off the inside of the blind. You can't see the light with your eye, only looking through the scope. I will need to hunt from the towers with a 5-round magazine as there is no way to get the rifle out the window far enough with the height of the scope and extension of the magazine. I didn't need the illuminator, but had I, I don't know if I had enough thinking power going on to simply pull the magazine out and stick the rifle further out. Like I said, a lot of lessons.
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Re: FireField NVRS 3x42

Post by Ranch Dog »

9x80Drilling wrote:RD, thanks for the continuing saga.
A couple of quick questions: If the hand warmer were taped to the backside of the gong, would there be an advantage for a longer shooting session, as it might persist shot after shot? Maybe that's not necessary? Once the gong is warm, it holds its heat throughout the session?
No, there would not be enough energy from the warmer to heat the steel. I have some large size warmers and with the next range session, I will use them at 100 yards. I did tape a handwarmer between a paper target and cardboard backing and it worked well at both 50 & 100 yards. I switched to the gongs for the feedback, but everytime you hit gong you must wander downrange and tape another warmer on it as it is gone.
9x80Drilling wrote:And, you've mentioned the coyotes catching young pigs as they flee into the cover following a shot into the feeding sounder. Do you have enough coyotes that you can kill some of them and still enough left to grab little pigs as they run for cover? It seems the songdogs can be both a help and a hindrance at your ranch.
The one thing that both coyotes and hogs seem to have in common is funerals. You kill one and three come to the service! Coyotes seem to fill the habit opportunity quicker than hogs flowing back in.
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Re: FireField NVRS 3x42

Post by Ranch Dog »

As a note, I'm using the Lee-Loadmaster for my ammunition. Very nice to have a progressive press to knock this out. I started with jacketed bullets but moved to my cast.

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Re: FireField NVRS 3x42

Post by LowKey »

Ranch Dog wrote:Okay, here is the latest. The rifle setup and optics.
Thanks for sharing and for such a thorough update.

Pulling the trigger is really only a very small part of 'the thrill of the hunt'.

Looking forward to the next one.
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Re: FireField NVRS 3x42

Post by mr surveyor »

how long would the gongs stay at a high enough temp if you were to heat them up with a propane torch?


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