Zeroing a Weapon Laser – Constant Offset vs Zeroed For Range
Laser sights can be a valuable tool for shooters. They can aid in low-light shooting, allow for quick target acquisition and, some claim, act as a deterrent in defensive situations. Lasers do not take the place of shooting fundamentals and they may not be for everyone (there is certainly not a consensus on their use), but they can be a useful supplement to a firearm’s fixed sights. As long as they are properly aligned, that is… But what does “properly aligned” mean?
What is “Zero?”
Generally, shooters will zero their weapon sights – whether it is a laser, an optical sight or something else – for a certain distance. What does this mean? Picture the trajectory of the projectile as it leaves the muzzle of a firearm. Disregarding bullet drop, wind, atmospheric conditions and things of that nature, the trajectory should be roughly along a line parallel to the center axis of the barrel. Ideally, to target where the projectile will impact, the shooter would want to sight along that trajectory.
The line of sight for a scope or iron sights is a straight line between the shooter’s eye and one or more points in the sight. That straight line is a bit easier to visualize for a laser sight. Since sights are typically placed above, below or to the side of a firearm’s barrel rather than looking down it, something called parallax is introduced. Due to this offset, the line of sight and the center axis of the barrel are almost – but not quite – parallel. At some point downrange, where the two lines intersect, is where the sights are zeroed. Continue reading
NRAAM Off to a Great Start
Day one of the 2014 NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits is in the can and the third of the big early-year firearms shows is off to a great start already. GunLink staff is on hand to cover the show with all of the new and exciting products, services and more being offered to the shooting, hunting and outdoors communities and the coverage starts here. Keep an eye on the GunLink Blog as well as the GunLink Forums for the latest guns, gadgets and more.
GunLink staff has been covering NSSF SHOT Show for several years now but the 2014 NRAAM marks our first visit to this show, so we weren’t sure what to expect. We spend day one roaming the sometimes-narrow and often-crowded aisles of the exhibit floor, visiting with companies and plotting out our agenda for the remainder of the show. We caught up with some familiar faces like Lola and Hank Strange, N82 Tactical, MyCaseBuilder.com, Sticky Holsters, the KelTec crew and others. 
We are also getting a chance to meet up with less familiar faces with new and exciting offerings for target shooters, hunters and defensive firearm owners. There is a strong presence of companies offering products catering to female shooters and, since we have one of our female editors here at the show, we will be able to provide a more useful perspective on those products.
The NRAAM exhibit hall floor is packed with show special pricing on various products and we are taking advantage of a number of them including some new Continue reading
Trigger Time Behind Long Range Smart Optics
One of the most exciting things we got to see at range day was a pair of siblings from the smart optics family: the Tracking Point Xact system and its little brother, the new Remington 2020 system. Despite getting behind the Tracking Point for some simulation last year, this was my first time sending live rounds downrange with it. Way downrange. We punished the nearly 1000 yard target with the .300 Win Mag version and, since misery loves company, we put a hurting on the 350+ yard target with the .30-06 Remington 700 with the 2020 on top.
The new Remington system uses the same optic/ballistics calculator/range finder/wi-fi server/magic box as the Tracking Point, although not so tightly integrated with the firearm. Despite the device handling the measurements and ballistic computations for the user, it doesn’t have any mechanism for Continue reading
Welcome to Fabulous SHOT Show – Las Vegas, NV
This week marks the 36th annual SHOT Show. With attendees numbering over 60,000 in recent years and nearly 2,000 exhibitors, the industry trade show has come a long way from its humble beginnings in 1979 St. Louis.
The Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trades – SHOT – Show exhibits the latest and greatest products and information for a wide variety attendees. From the latest hunting and camping gear to law enforcement equipment and techniques to the most up-to-date marketing and compliance information for firearms dealers. And, of course, guns. Lots and lots of wonderful new firearms of interest to the general shooting public.
As we have for the last several years, GunLink will have staff at the show to compile all of the photos, videos and articles you need to plan out how you’re going to blow all your money this year. New GLOCK and Remington pistols? The latest in long range shooting? AR parts and accessories? Night vision? You got it. Keep your eyes right here on the GunLink blog and on the SHOT Show discussion board on the GunLink forums to keep up with SHOT Show coverage from GunLink as well as our friends and partners.
“Where To Shoot” App Puts Shooting Opportunities in the Palm of Your Hand
WhereToShoot.Org bills itself as “North America’s most comprehensive directory of shooting ranges,” allowing site visitors to find shooting ranges near their location whether they’re at home or traveling. The free WhereToShoot app for smartphones and tablets (available for both Android and iOS) makes finding a place to shoot even more convenient.
The app is as simple to use as you might imagine. Tell it where you want to shoot and it gives you a list of shooting ranges within your specified distance. Click on a range and it gives you all of the pertinent details including the range address, telephone number, website address, range type, facility details and more. If you’re more of a visual person and you prefer to see your closest ranges shown on a map rather than in a list, there’s an option for that as well.
Not sure where you are? Not a problem. Enough smartphone and tablet apps these days make use of the device’s location services that it no longer seems like the magical feature that it once might have but it really works great in the Where To Shoot app. The app can figure out where you are and base the shooting range search results on that. The app also seamlessly integrates with the Continue reading
Shooters Can Help Prevent Fires During Hot Dry Months
Summer doesn’t officially start until June 21 this year but in our area we’ve already had plenty of summer-like weather. We’re still getting some of the spring rain but the temps are climbing and the sun is… well, hot. I’ve watched numerous fires burn hundreds or thousands acres after a round touched off a blaze. The picture at right shows one such fire at Fort Knox, which burned over 12,000 acres over the course of a week and required thousands of firefighter man-hours, all sparked by a tracer round.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) has recently launched an awareness campaign to help remind the shooting community that they can do their part to prevent wildfires. NSSF offers several tips: Continue reading
