S&C TV | Gary Chillingworth | How to get the most out of your air rifle scope

In this episode of Shooting & Country TV, Gary Chillingworth uses "The Whiteboard of Knowledge" to illustrate his lesson on setting your scope up and getting the best out of your reticle... including how knowing your aim points, zeroing for certain distances, judging range using the scope, and shooting elevated targets with your air rifle. It's a technical one kids, so get your notepad out and listen closely!
Gary is running this new airgunning vlog - At the Range with Gary Chillingworth - every other week on Shooting & Country TV, so make sure to subscribe to the channel and keep and eye out for his videos if you love air rifle shooting. It will be a mixture of air rifle reviews, air rifle shooting technique advice, and tips for Gary's specialist subject - HFT.
If you want Gary to answer a specific question or cover a particular area of airgun shooting, just leave a comment below or contact Gary via details in the video. Enjoy!
Join a growing community of likeminded people, have fun, and request videos on subjects you want Gary to cover by joining his Life at the Range Facebook group here: groups/212586927158986
CHAPTERS
0:00 Starts
0:34 Intro
1:16 Know your aim points
4:55 Aimpoints 15mm
9:06 Aimpoints 25mm
12:55 Aimpoints 35mm
16:15 Make life easy
17:50 Elevation
28:15 The Range
31:30 Write it down
33:40 Conclusion
35:26 Ends

[@steveplows9996]

It's official, my head now hurts - time to watch this one again and again etc

[@dandyer8351]

Lol heads pounding

[@JetPilot747]

Thank you very much for this top quality classroom training! As a beginner air rifle shooter I have learned a lot thanks to the internet. This sport is so much more complicated than I thought. And my quest for knowledge is insatiable and I thought I had seen everything here on KZbin about airguns ... until I discovered your channel. You explain everything in a very professional manner and your tips and tricks are nowhere else to be found here on KZbin (and I have seen hundreds of airgun videos). So thumbs up and well done sir!

[@peterballemy9929]

Hi Gary, I find your videos extremely useful as I am relatively new to shooting. One idea to make the effect of gravity on elevated shots easier to understand is to treat gravity as a constant downwards wind. With a horizantal shot, that 'wind' blows the pellet towards the ground so we compensate for that by aiming the barrel upwards. And zero the scope accordingly. You do exactly the same if you have a cross wind, say a left to right wind so you aim slightly left to compensate. If you had a very steady crosswind, you could adjust the scope for that but we tend not to as wind is not that consistent. Now when you have an elevated shot you are shooting more into the gravity wind, (the ultimate elevation, firing straight up, would have the gravity wind coming straight at you which would slow the pellet but not affect it laterally). So treat the elevation the same as a crosswind, the higher the elevation, the more 'into' wind is the shot, so it has less of an effect but because the scope is setup to shoot high to comensate for gravity , the point of impact is higher. This would be a lot easier to explain with a whiteboard and in person but I hope it makes senses.

[@theodoroseidler7072]

Always a pleasure to watch someone that understands his thing teach it to you. Thanks a lot Gary.

[@richardhodds7812]

I like your videos, this one was confusing to me. My scope is first focal plain for one thing. My understanding is the pellet leaves the barrel then gradually falls to earth giving you the arc. The scope mounted parallel to the barrel with a moveable reticule makes you lift the barrel so the drop is compensated for to hit the target. The further the distance the higher the barrel and the lower the reticule aim point. This principle should be the same no matter how high the target. But the distance does change. (Trigonometry)

[@stuglen3734]

Surpassed yourself there Chilly, absolutely brilliant stuff

[@manafalom7699]

Such an excellent teacher with a nice sense of humor. Thank you so much for the high quality content. it's always a pleasure to watch Gary's videos

[@Shorts-qy5no]

So good that you acknowledged and referenced Brandon Herrera as a source of info for this video. Cannot stand some of the copying that goes on with some on YT nicking info from other channels and making out it all comes from them and getting gain for their channels. Good on you.

[@garychillingworth]

100% agree, I love his stuff and I learn alot from his channel. Only good makers to say thanks.

[@Happy-Me.]

Thanks Gary. Very interesting and informative video.😎

[@dkjngl1]

Excellent stuff! Thanks Gary, looking forward to the HFT walk around video.

[@tiltedflip4491]

Good job! Yes, more white board please. Also, really looking forward to HFT Walk Around.

[@richardentwistle918]

Good video 👍 keep em coming great for newbies 👍

[@gazzad8257]

I'm on the ale gaz..so I turned off..I started to sore up!!!! I'll look see tomorrow xx

[@ShootingCountryTV]

😂👍

[@terryaylward8178]

As clear as mud Gary!

[@GeraintHughes-pp1cy]

great vid helped explain a few things just need to get out now a try putting them in to practice

[@ShootingCountryTV]

Glad it helped

[@paulsymons7643]

Brilliant, thanx for that. Confuse me all this info on reticles and range finding. Time to get to the range. I usually shoot from a bench but the range I go to has an hft course. Just haven't built the confidence to try it yet. In hft is the shooting position always prone. Or, is each peg a designated shooting position ie kneeling standing, standing freehand etc. Great channel, love your stuff in the mag about pellets. 🙈🙊🙉🙏🙏🙏

[@ianstinger2776]

Looked like a nice range you have . I live on a farm so have plenty of room .But don’t have the proper hat fall down target’s .I shoot at different twigs branches etc .For example shoot one pellet then try for the same mark . Both Fac and hw97 low power .(12 ft pounds) both guns accurate .

[@ShootingCountryTV]

Hi Ian, have a look at the targets from flopover and custome targets. lots of fun to shoot. Gary

[@TheL8P]

Thanks for sharing your experience.

[@alanmullock381]

Huge amount of info to digest Gary,cheers!

[@sid35gb]

Fantastic video I actually learned some good points to take onboard. As for gravity it’s not a force it the bending of the fabric of space by the mass of the earth. The further away from the earth the weaker the gravity and time also slows down because gravity and time are connected. The observations of shooting upwards and down wards is more to do with subtle shifts in head,eye and body position rather then influence of gravity.

[@carlosalessandrini117]

senor, su apreciacion esta equivocada. Le sugiero que lo compruebe usted mismo. Apunte a un target a 30m de distancia que tiene un angulo de 50 grados. Efectue el disparo en el mil dot de 30 metyros y despues digame si acerto o no. Legarantizo y apuiesto lo que quiera que no lo hara. Si hablamos de distancia mayores usted estara fuera del juego siempre.

[@BionicRusty]

Thank you Gary. Great video and truly helpful. More of the whiteboard of knowledge would be great 👍 Awesome stock on the TX by the way. Love it. ♥️

[@jeffslade1892]

Yes, the pellet does come straight out of the barrel parallel to it but the barrel is angled up with respect to the sights. Because it has to or the pellet is not going to go very far. The pellet then falls under gravity, usual equation, but its forward velocity gradually decreases due to air resistance. Air resistance increases proportionally with the square of velocity (E=½mv² where m is mass and v is velocity, note it is squared, and which we use to calculate pellet energy), so as it slows the air resistance gets les and less. Result, the pellet or naval shell follows the ballistic curve. So what goes up will, eventually hit the ground.

[@ewanhobbs6297]

Nice one Gary...you still can't get away from the 'retiqule' eh 🙂

[@daveowen1957]

Love this video Gary, it's the one I keep going back too & it really helps THANKS 👍

[@ShootingCountryTV]

Great to hear! Chilly

[@thetraindriver01]

Cracking video thanks, very good info 👍

[@joncohen6548]

Thank you Gary, lots of information to absorb will need to watch this video a few times. One thing I wasn’t sure about was “ what distance you zero that and why” ?

[@joncohen6548]

Should read zero at. doh 😂

[@garychillingworth]

We are going to cover that in the mounts video John. This one was initially 58m long, so we had to cut quite a bit.

[@joncohen6548]

@@garychillingworth look forward to it.

[@Dengieflyer]

Was about to ask the same as Jon. I thought the common zero is somewhere between 25-30yrds

[@garychillingworth]

The main reason I chose 40, is years ago, it suited my scope. It still does, place the bar at the top of 15 and 20mm Cross hairs low for 25's etc To a certain extent, it does not matter what your zero is, as long as you know your aim points and how far the pellets drops etc.

[@davidhollingdale3548]

Enjoyed the video Gary . just glad after watching it , that i do FT .

[@ShootingCountryTV]

Glad you enjoyed it, turret twiddling is an art i never learnt :-) We are going to be doing a FT video at Springfield very soon.

[@malc1730]

very good Gary, very informative, great video.

[@Happy-Me.]

The trajectory of the pellet with an elevated shot will be different also if you shoulder the gun or shoot it off the gun butt! I shoulder my gun whether using my HW98 or HW100.

[@richardhumphreys7892]

Congratulations on a very good informative video

[@garychillingworth]

Thanks Richard

[@williammclelland6323]

Nice video 👍

[@neiledwards8931]

If you are shooting up or shooting down : you place your cross hairs approx 1 inch low on both. 22 if you using. 177 you shot 1/2 inch low 👌👍

[@careyturner7951]

awesome one of two sites I've found so far with really practical and useful info. bye bye most of all my subscribed sites which have snippets of info and lots of irrelevant footage of people just firing guns. thanks for your time effort. you have an informative site with real info and I'm loving learning from. cheers

[@EvanDaFish2012]

Brilliant! I learned so much, thanks!

[@nilslarson7532]

thanks .great uploads

[@ShootingCountryTV]

Glad you enjoyed it Nils - Chilly

[@turbo_tigerlive]

Love the intro about Brandon 😂

[@alex79buckland]

Good video thank you for putting in the time to make it

[@ShootingCountryTV]

Our pleasure!

[@danielferraro59]

another great vid mate ,.. and i was absolutely shocked to hear my name and that you had one of my targets at 45 😁👍🏻🤙🏻

[@SedEdwards]

Thanks very much this is fantastic

[@simonspencer65]

All ways something new to learn,great informative video.

[@ShootingCountryTV]

Glad you enjoyed it - Gary

[@donpeer4477]

At 12:00 you recommend on a still day to shoot near the bottom of the kill zone because "you're getting most of your aim points in". Who cares about other aim points? I'd think that when you're shooting .177 you need to hit the paddle as high as possible to knock it back and get the target to fall.

[@ShootingCountryTV]

The target should fall not matter where you hit the paddle, by aiming low you maximise your aimpoints within the kill. Chilly

[@paulsmith1175]

Great stuff here Gary! had so much content. I will definitely be returning to this video time and time again i think

[@ShootingCountryTV]

Cheers Paul, we are going to do a part 2 where we focus on the best zero. Gary

[@paulsmith1175]

@@ShootingCountryTV Gary, that will answer so many questions for me. I have been advised to zero at 30yds, 25yds, 28yds - I believe 40 yds is your chosen zero which I can understand from watching this video but what are the benefits of 28 yards!!! I really cant wait sir

[@glynedwards4785]

Hi, is it good to size pellets. I am told it is best thing to do to get the best out of your pellets. Is this right.

[@garychillingworth]

I have never sized pellets, it's more about getting a batch that suits your rifle.

[@glynedwards4785]

@@garychillingworth Thanks for getting back.Yes iam go trying all sort of pellets. i have got some that suits my rifle.

[@stevenryan3035]

Gary inherited a old Webley air wolf seems to be in good condition although the cocking lever is wobbly and rattle's when shook is this just wear and tare, need replacing or just need some TLC . Just getting into the sport so want to be as safe as I can 👍 and thanks for the videos they're great

[@garychillingworth]

Hi Steven. I've asked a few friends and they say this is fairly normal for an older gun. Gary

[@stevepowell3475]

Excellent - keep up your brilliant work - white board..yes great presentation ( ;-{)>

[@graemeelliott4147]

Thanks for an informative video Gary. I'm a total newbie and have a HW97 K with a Hawke 3 12x50 AO IR scope. This has a front focus control and I'm left wondering how to use it correctly. Do I focus on every target or is it just used at long rang to cure parallax issues? If it's the latter, where do I set it at other times? Also, can the front focus control be used to gauge the range of a target? I live a stone's throw from MAD so will likely be joining-up in the near future. Cheers.

[@ShootingCountryTV]

Hi Graeme. I would suggest not adjusting the PX as it could alter you aim points. Next time your at M.A.D come and find me or Richard woods and we can go through it all with you.

[@airgunner0335]

Ok so I kinda understand what you are saying but I feel that I'm still new to airguns so I'm in the USA some of my targets 20 yards to 168 yards rabbits and ground squirrels also pigeons doves I am using a Avenger 25 cal 25.39 pellets for now I will be going to slugs at 892 fps so would I continue to use my dails or the dots for faster adjustment Thank you for your time and information that you presented

[@garychillingworth]

As you are in the states, just one word. Barrett. Just aim direct at anything :-)

[@garychillingworth]

Drop me an email and I'll put you in touch with some people who know more about high power airguns then I do.

[@airgunner0335]

@@garychillingworth where do I find it the email

[@garychillingworth]

@@airgunner0335 it's on the start of the video, just after the music

[@airgunner0335]

Sent thank you

[@manuelsilva2462]

So if I understand it correctly if I have a 65 yard zero and if I’m aiming at a 75 yard target then I should aim at the top of the target and for a 55 yard target I should aim at the bottom of the target

[@Mimbultonia]

Dumb question from a newbie....Can you take your reticle / range card with you on an HFT competition or is this something you have to memorise?

[@ShootingCountryTV]

No, you can take it with you. Chilly

[@riiko78]

Thanks! :)

[@garychillingworth]

Next video will be the HFT walk around. Hopefully, after watching this, you will understand my madness with the hft vid.

[@sebast1an56]

Hi Gary Really enjoyed your vid using the white board of confusion😂😂. Seriously as a beginner (at 70!) it was a lot to take in. I understand the theory but getting it to become second nature must take so long. Not sure if I’ve got enough time left. However going to get serious this year with my hft500 and my daystate griffin. I shoot at worcester and Norton gun club. We have a rather dilapidated hft range which I will try to sort out this year but I also have the great hft range at Throckmorton down the road. If you’ve never been you should make the effort if you are ever up this way. Good luck to you this year and thanks for the great videos. Rally liked the one about false parallax Cheers Tony Robson

[@SilasMoleCatcher]

Can't personally subscribe to the theory that a pellet fired from a perfectly horizontal barrel will rise above a line between the centre of the bore and the point of aim. This infers that pellets have an aerodynamic tendency to create enough lift to counteract the force of gravity and literally fly. Occasionally yes, the spin on the pellet may cause deflection that happens to send it upwards, but that same deflection could just as easily send it left, right or downwards. When we have a pellet that mysteriously fails to join the rest of the group, even when we are certain of our point of aim, we refer to it as a 'flyer', because that's literally what it's doing. This deviation is often something we as the shooter have missed when selecting the pellet; failing to check it for deformation, or it could be down to poor alignment when being pushed into the breech. Sometimes it's just a mystery of ballistics!

[@lawrencelangstreth3669]

Never heard of projectiles. That magically rise. Every thing comes out of the barrel horizontal and drops with gravity. That’s your ark from barrel to earth. You raise your barrel to send said projectile down range and rightly so it will cross your line of sight through a zeroed scope twice. The further the target the more you raise the barrel and the bigger the arc. 😂

[@garychillingworth]

Hi Lawrence, as stated, we used the pellets rising to make things easier to understand. There is the Magnus effect that causes a spinning object to rise, but most airguns have a barrel that is slanted up or a rail that is slanted down to get the line of sight and arc interaction.

[@carlosalessandrini117]

excelente class but not for beginners. I'm a hunter and I use a FX wildcat MKlll ,25 cal with 25.39 grains pellets at 910 fps. I shoot from 12 meter to 50 meters with the crosshair scope. Between 30 meter to 35 meter the shot rise 1 centimeter, alway I been at the kill zone. I shooted the targhetsa you use an hitting all of them regardless the angle. Greetings from Portland Oregon.