Using a Mil-Dot Scope

When you are dealing with airgun trajectories, the first thing noticed is that it is very loopy in comparison to firearm trajectories. In other words, the perceived rise-and-fall of the pellet in relation to the bore of the gun is much more pronounced than that of a higher velocity, more powerful firearm projectile.

One of the best ways to overcome this issue is to use a mil-dot scope. Contrary to what some believe, the "mil" in mil-dot does not mean "military". It is a shortened reference to "milliradian", which is a measurement of angle that approximates 3.6 inches at 100 yards. Just as in firearm usage, the dots on a mil-dot scope are a reference point that can be used to quickly adjust your point of aim without having to click-adjust your scope's settings.

Let's put this to practical use now. Sight your mil-dot scope in at the preferred range you will be shooting at. For hunting purposes, I often use 30 yards, but recently I have moved to 50 yards with some of my more powerful PCP's. But whatever yard you choose, dial in your scope so that you are dead on at a known range. Now set up targets at 5 yards increments closer and farther away from your preferred range. Test fire and note where the pellet is hitting in relation to the mil-dots in your scope. Many people draw on a notecard a scope sight, complete with the mil-dots, and notate on the drawing where pellets are hitting at each distance desired. I have seen these cards taped to the stocks of guns, and the folks who use them are among the best shots I've seen! They know their gun and understand where the pellet is going to hit at a certain distance.

This is an easy way to improve your hit percentages as well as improve your take of game if you are into hunting. And coming soon to Compasseco is a line of Tech Force scopes that will feature the mil-dot reticle. Stay tuned for a review of these scopes in upcoming blog entries.

Crosman 2300S

For many years, home-modifiers have been taking the Crosman 2240 and modifying it in some subtle and not-so-subtle ways to improve the performance of a great pistol platform. They've changed out the breech, the trigger springs, placed custom muzzle brakes on the barrel, and added several other little tweaks of the trade to improve the 2240.

Now Crosman has taken the best of those ideas and incorporated them into the Crosman 2300S, a target-style pistol based on the Crosman 2240 platform. The "S" designation stands for "silhouette", and the pistol is built to comply with the rules for IHMSA production-class competition. Here are some of the features of this little gem:

*Lothar-Walther, choked match barrel that is 10.1 inches in length with 12 lands and grooves.

*Trigger is single-stage, adjustable from 1-4 pounds, and has an overtravel screw.

*Adjustable hammer spring which allows you to tune the velocity at which you shoot.

*Stainless steel extended bolt probe that increases accuracy by seating the pellet better.

*A taller front sight post, and a quality Williams notch sight with target knobs for fine adjustments.



I began my evaluation of the 2300S by first mounting the Williams notch sight onto the steel breech. The breech is grooved so that you can use a scope or any other attachment that works with the standard dovetails milled into the gun.



Once I had the sight attached, I wiped a CO2 powerlet clean, added a drop of Pellgun Oil to the end of it, and charged the gun with CO2. The pellets I shot for this evaluation were 8.2 grain Meisters, a quality wadcutter specifically made for target shooting at short range. They cut a nice, clean hole in paper that is much easier to score than the jagged tears that domed pellets make.



Operation of the 2300S is quite simple....cock, load, and shoot. In short order I had the pellets landing on target after a few easy adjustments to the Williams sight, and I began shredding an aluminum can with ease. I placed targets at varying distances and had no problem hitting them once I compensated for pellet drop. Competition takes place at a known distance, but I like to see if I can hit targets further away than the standard competition distances. A swinging steel chicken posed no problems at 20 yards, and when my wife came home, she came out back to see what I was up to. I handed her the gun, and she hit the chicken at 20 yards on the first two shots.....she'd never shot this kind of gun before, and she had a good laugh at my expense as I missed my next two shots! The gun really lends itself to easy, accurate shooting that the whole family can enjoy.



The 2300S weighs 42.5 ounces and is easy to hold steady. I'm not a competition shooter, but with my lasix-corrected eyes, I was able to place my shots with fair accuracy and keep them in the bulls eye for an impromptu shooting evaluation.

Take a look at the following pictures that highlight some of the features that are found on the Crosman 2300S:







This feature, the overtravel screw that comes standard, was my favorite feature. It really helped with controlling the movement of the gun during the firing sequence.



The power adjuster allowed me to vary the velocity of the pellet at 50 degrees to the following readings.






In warmer weather, it will be faster, but I'm writing this blog entry in November, and the day of testing was done outside in cool weather.


The Crosman 2300S sells for $194.95 at the time of this blog posting. This is a very good entry-level pistol that won't break the bank for the newcomer who wants to see if competition-style shooting is for them. With around 60 shots per CO2 powerlet, it is also economical to shoot