by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier
This report covers:
- What is cant?
- The spiraling pellet
- The effects of cant
- Field target
- What cant does
- Things that affect cant
- Discussion
- When precision is a must
- Summary
What is cant?
Cant means the same as tilt. When a rifle scope is canted, it affects where the pellet will impact. If that was all there was, it would be easy to understand, but there are other reasons pellets don’t hit where we think they should. Some readers have been discussing this in recent days. So, before I address the subject of rifle scope cant, let me first address one of the other common problems with pellet accuracy and rifle scopes.
The spiraling pellet
When a pellet is unstable in flight one common thing it does is spiral. This is not a scope problem, but it can confuse you when you are trying to resolve one. Let’s look at what a spiraling pellet does.
This drawing shows what the spiraling pellet looks like as it travels downrange.
Looking at the drawing above everything seems obvious and easy to see. But that isn’t what it looks like when you shoot. Instead you see something like this.
This is what you actually see. Most shooters will call this scope shift and never discover the real reason for the movement of the groups.
The effects of cant
This report is not about spiraling pellets. I just wanted to get that out of the way so I could talk about the effects of a canted scope.
A canted scope is one that is not in the same positional relationship with the rifle bore shot after shot and also not in the same place that it was when the rifle was sighted in.
Forget “level.” There is no such thing as level when it comes to a rifle scope. You can’t level a rifle scope because there is nothing to compare it to. What you can do is make certain the scope is in the same positional relationship with the bore of the rifle, shot after shot. It is your eye that has to be satisfied the scope looks level, shot after shot, and a scope level can help with that, once you get the scope snugged down on the rifle.
Field target
I was writing my newsletter, The Airgun Letter and I was also competing in field target matches. I noticed that because our course was set up on uneven ground, the shooters were fighting to stay level when they shot at the targets. From what I saw it was clear they were canting their holds by up to 3 degrees on some lanes. So I ran a cant test with my subscribers.
Several of us purposely canted our rifles in both directions while shooting at targets 50 yards away. I had them cant 20 degrees in each direction to make the effect more obvious. And it was! Let me show you some of the cumulative results of that test.
These are the results of 4 different shooters shooting 10 shots at each of three targets at 50 yards. Targets on the left were shot with the scope canted 20 degrees to the left. Same on the right. Center target shot with scope level. We used the heavy lines on each target to align our reticle.
What cant does
When a scope cants away from the orientation at which it was sighted-in (notice, I did not say where it was level) the pellet impacts in the same direction as the cant. A right cant produces a pellet impact that’s more to the right than it should be. The pellet also drops away from level at the impact distance. The next drawing shows this very clearly.
The heavy curved line represents where pellet will impact if the rifle is canted from its sight-in position. The farther the distance, the greater the curve.
Things that affect cant
Distance — the farther out you go the more affect can will have
Height of scope — The higher the scope is (farther from the bore axis) the more affect cant has.
Velocity — the higher the velocity the less affect cant has. If you look at the picture of the cant test you’ll see that some pellets didn’t drop as far as others. That was due to their velocity.
Discussion
Most shooters would never cant by as much as 5 degrees from level before they noticed it. I chose 20 degrees for the test to make the effect more obvious. But even a one degree cant has an effect on shot placement. Let’s now look at two groups that were fired with and without cant.
This drawing is representative of how cant affects a group. This is why it isn’t that noticeable. It just looks like poor accuracy. It’s easier to see at 50 meters than at 10.
When precision is a must
Cant doesn’t always matter. To a hunter shooting in the woods, a fast rifle with a quick second shot is more important. The squirrel doesn’t care if the pellet lands 1/8-inch from the intended impact point. But to a varmint hunter busting prairie dogs at 300 yards, cant is very important.
Field target shooters are quite aware of the effects of cant because when they hit a pellet’s diameter off their intended impact point they may hit the side of the kill zone and lock the target in the upright position. Canting costs them points, and they are already fighting their own body’s stability. They don’t need a second problem.
Summary
I wrote this report after reading the discussion of the spiraling pellet. Ironically, as I was writing today I got a question about scope mounting and adjustment for optimum results. And I also thought about the number one problem with scopes, which is adjusting them too high because of barrel droop. I wanted to cover that today, as well, but it would have been an entire report of its own. So I had best do it that way at some future time.
Scopes are marvelous aids when they work as intended. But getting to that point can be challenging.
B.B.
Great report! So spiraling pellets are a barrel problem or a pellet problem?
It is real hard to “get level” when shooting into windblown trees that lean…
-Y
Yogi,
The short answer is…
Mostly, it is a pellet problem. The center of mass of the pellet does not correspond with the center of spin induced by the rifling. This can be caused by some imperfection in the material or shape of the pellet.
It can also be caused by how the pellet has been inserted or fits in the breech. It the head is too small or if inserted at a ‘cant’, the pellet will not be in true alignment with the bore. Proper head size can alleviate some of this.
Friction with the air can also induce a spiraling affect. As the pellet spins through the air, it will spiral in the opposite direction of the induced spin of the rifling. This spiraling is more obvious with lighter pellets.
RR,
Thank you.
B.B.
B.B., thank you for this report on cant; it’s very interesting! =>
Yogi, thank you for asking about spiraling pellets so I didn’t have to ask. =)
RidgeRunner, thank you for the answer on that one. =D
Ol’ Dave is “a-learnin’ some stuff” today…still has a looong way to go, though. =)~
RR,
Am I right in thinking that spiralling is more common with pointed pellets than domes or wadcutters?
I read somewhere that it’s extremely difficult to manufacture a pointed pellet with the point exactly concentric with the axis of the pellet skirt and centre of mass.
Bob,
Pointed rounds of any sort Pellet or Slug have a potential for a greater distance from the point of spin balance and the point of aerodynamic pressure add to that the pull of gravity and the center of mass and you can get a very wobbly flying object. Check out precession and nutation with a search engine of your choice.
shootski
Bob R,
Yeah, what he said.
I myself do not have much experience with pointed pellets. What little I have has not been satisfactory. I also tend to stay away from the fancy hollow points and such. Pellets are traveling at such low velocities that expansion is minimal at best. It is true that a wadcutter or hollow point is more likely to transfer more of its energy to the target, but if you don’t hit it all of that energy is wasted.
My goal has always been accuracy. It does not take much if you hit in the right spot. Over the years many a deer has been killed with a .22 LR.
R.R.,
See my post to Bob Ryan and check out the info too!
shootski
Shootski,
Thanks.
G’day BB
Cant could be useful for moving targets? Target running from right to left requires a left hand tilt and vise versa?
Cheers Bob
Bob,
Now, don’t you start! 😉
B.B.
G’day BB
A European technique for shooting clay pigeons is to cant the gun to the right for a right hand moving target and left cant for left handers. I always thought that had to be the design of an over and under shotgun.
So what happens if you shoot with iron sights and cant the rifle?
I am sure our esteemed experts RR and G1 will know that in the Southern Hemisphere canting a rifle will give the exact opposite impact to the Northern Hemisphere, just like the direction of water rotation going down the sink.
Cheers Bob
Bob,
You can’t cant. Now, since you are on the bottom of the world you can mount your scope upside down.
RR
What?!?
I heard they use mirrors when they shoot. 😉
GF1,
Only in backward countries.
B.B.,
Nice refresher. I have done the cant test and sure enough,… it showed just that. Good idea to put heavier lines done at a precise tilt to keep the left and right cant the same.
Besides all of the add on level options, the UTG level (inside) the scope seems best as long as it easy to use. Is there other scope makers that offer a inside level option?
I think there is some electronic scopes that offer internal leveling options (LED’s). Either way,… something to pay attention to for sure!
Good Day to you and to all,……….. Chris
Chris,
I think Sun Optics offered some scopes with bubble levels in them.
B.B.
BB,
I used to have one. The optics were not as good, but the bubble level was easier to use than the one in the UTG scope.
So, are you buying that Dreamlite? 😉
RR
Oh no don’t be try’n to sneak any info out on BB’s next report on the Dreamlite
Your going to find out how it shoots in proper time just like the rest of us. 😉
GF1,
I have ulterior motives with this. 😉
RR
Of course you do. 🙂
Chris,
First thanks for the spin clarification yesterday. In a high dollar scope,(to rich for my budget) the Sig BDX series has electronic level built in. If I shot long range rifle I think the BDX scope and software would be a must have. https://www.sigsauer.com/products/electro-optics/bdx/
Gerald
Participant,
Not a bad system. I like it better than the level (in or out). I simple red or green dim light would be nice. I (think) I have a pretty good sense of being level and repeatable and (think) that I could determine if I needed to rotate left or right (if seeing a red light). See a green light and you are good to go.
I am really surprised that no has come up with an electronic unit to do just that. Something that you could add to (any) scope and still be seen/indicated (while looking through the scope). I am thinking of something along the lines of a (micro) mercury switch,… tied to a LED light.
Chris
For those that do use an add on scope level,… (and do shoot with both eyes open),…. is possible to see the level at the same time that you are on target?
I would picture mounting to the front ring or even further forwards and it may be a bit blurry, but could it work? Or, maybe they are intended to be a quick check before obtaining the sight picture, at which point they can no longer be seen?
Chris,
Seeing that bubble is difficult because your eyes can only focus on one thing at a time. That’s why an internal bubble is desirable.
B.B.
ChrisUSA,
It can and does work if you shoot with both eyes open! Especially if you have a Picatinny rail and a bubble with a Picatinny mount. That allows you to position it at a point that allows you to see the bubble. The amount of canting required to move the bubble is TINY. They also have some with LED lighting options.
shootski
Shootski,
Thanks. I will look into LED versions and see what I can come up with in the way of an add on. Yes, levels can be very sensitive. I would prefer a simple go/no go red/green type light system. You would not even have to have it in focus,…. just pick up on the color change. After all,… you are just looking for a positive indicator that you have in fact repeated the hold with regards to cant.
Good Day,……. Chris
BB
Just to be clear, you are talking about scope cant that is induced by the rifle not being held vertical or as you say in it’s original sight in. Not about a scope that is actually canted in the rings when mounted.
I assume with a canted scope in the mount it would be shooting to one side all the time if the ‘rifle’ was canted to level the scope when shooting, but if it was sighted in that way and held the same way and shot at the same distance all the time it would stay on the desired point of impact, but probably would not with a change in distance?
When I mount a scope I put a level on the rail to level the rifle and another on the top turret but for some reason some rifles just don’t feel right when being held straight. Perhaps it’s the comb.
Bob M
Bob,
That’s right. The rifle and scope are canted — relative to how the scope was sighted in.
Like I said, there is no way to level a scope on a rifle, because there are too many variables. There is nothing to refer to. Even if there was a way to level with the receiver, the bore isn’t perpendicular, so you’re off there.
But, once mounted, the scope can be brought back to “A” level. That’s what a scope level does.
B.B.
BB,
Don’t you reckon a scope can be levelled fairly easily with the receiver on a Weihrauch?
They have a shelf on the stock just behind the cylinder end cap on which you can lay a spirit level to check that the rifle is level in a gun vice. You can then rotate the scope in its rings until the vertical crosshair is aligned with a plumb line before tightening it down.
Bob
Probably so but I bet when you shoulder the gun it will be canted.
Then what happens when you rotate the gun to take the cant out. You won’t be holding the gun as well as you could.
B.B.,
Actually a good gunsmith can true your receiver rail/mount to the bore. It takes LASERS and levels and a very skilled Smith. It can all be for naught if the barrel is banged into something.
shootski
Another great topic and explanation with cause and effect. I always had trouble with scope level until I started using a a pair of small levels for my scope install. With age comes wisdom…most/some of the time.
Here is a great animation that shows what is happening with cant – I like it because it illustrates the pellets flight through the air, and of course people forget that on long shots it starts out below the sight line of the scope and the rises above it before dropping back to the aim point.
http://www.arld1.com/impactpointvscantangle.html
Lots of other good animations there too, if you go back to the main page.
Alan,
That’s a good one.
B.B.
Thanks B.B.!
Great blog!
Wish I had this to refer to the other day when I was trying to explain to a friend why, when he sighted in this (scoped) rifle using a bench rest, the point of impact was different when shooting off-hand… he and the rest don’t “hold” the rifle with the same cant.
I set up my rifles such that the vertical cross-hair bisects the center of the bore (I use a rest, a bubble-level and a “plumb-bob” to do this) and then practice holding the rifle so that the cross-hairs are level (relative to gravity). Here is where I will tune/fit the stock such that when I mount the rifle the cross-hairs aren’t canted.
Hank
Mr. Gaylord:
Excellent Excellent posting today. With your permission, I’d like to take your graphics, have them made into posters and include them in my training and coaching materials. I would, of course, credit you and Pyramyd AIR as the source in any posters. They are so clear and intuitive that juniors will be able to grasp why cant is bad and effects shot placement and therefore their scores.
Respectfully submitted,
William Schooley
Rifle Coach
Crew 357
Chelsea, MI
William,
Take them.
B.B.
Maybe some bench rest shooters don’t see this but maybe some do.
If you shoot unsupported you do for sure. And I’m talking standing, sitting and kneeling. And even other free hand shooting ways. Like with a string rope and such.
I’ll start here first. Maybe some remember Dave from RAI that made some different products for the Crosman/Benjamin guns. Notably the adapters that allowed a AR butt stock to be attached to the gun. What it did was give you 360° of butt stock adjustment for cheek weld and line of sight plus legnth of pull with that type of butt stock.
One of the things that you did when setting up the stock was shoulder the gun with your eyes closed standing and unsupported. And you would do that repeatedly. Basically what you wanted to happen is when the gun was shouldered and you opened your eyes your line of sight to scope picture was there. No moving your head left or right or up and down or forward or back. Your gun was automatically or should I say naturally in position for your eye sight.
And when you did that it would make the cant be naturally correct. Your shoulder and body and head would naturally make the scope be in the correct place.
So yes the levels are nice. But if you know what to look for natural line of sight works too.
As it goes. Try and see what happens. Once your aware and see it I bet you will have to re-level your scope to how you hold the gun instead of moving your head or even worse the gun around. As I said. Try shouldering your gun multiple times with your eyes closed and then open your eyes each time after shouldering and see if you have a good sight picture and if the reticle is as level as you thought you had it.
If anyone has tryed this I would like to know.
Outta here. Still shoot’n time for me. 🙂
Oh and I got to add this. Wanted to say this separately from the reply I just made.
I was just shooting my Winchester M14 with the open peeps sight.
Guess what I noticed. The gun and of course the sights was naturally rotated to the left. And note I’m a right hand shooter. But guess what the way I had the gun sighted I could hit exactly where I aimed.
The gun was locked into my body for it’s natural position.
Imagine if I had a scope on that gun then put the gun in a vertical vise. The reticle would be rotated to the right.
How about that for gun and sight leveling.
Oh I mean canting. 😉
This is why the saying, “you may not be able to shoot my zero” is so true. Everyone holds their rifles differently and a slight deviation from your scope zero cant will affect the shot placement. I will hand my air rifle to someone to try and tell him “you may not be able to shoot my zero” and wonder if he/she understands what I mean.
Fred formerly of the DPRoNJ now happily in GA
Fred
Yes sir. Dead on. Exactly true.
And I’m sure you get to explain after they shoot more times than not.
I remember watching a shooter in the Olympics, her rifle was obviously canted. On the first shot I was thinking how did she get in the Olympics. After a couple of shots I realized she held the rifle with the same cant each shot. With the same 10 meter target and her ability to repeat the same cant it all worked and she did very well. I think she got a medal. I bet she had not shot at any distance other than 10 meters.
Don,
Most 10 meter rifle shooters cant their rifles. It’s the consistency that counts.
B.B.
Don
Even at longer distances.
If you lock in your gun to your self each shot that is hold repeatability.
Obviously if you bench rest and can lock in your natural hold you will probably shoot better groups at even longer distance than moving a gun around to make it be what you think is right.
Moving the gun around at any distance shot is probably not good. And ok I’m saying you might have to make some movement to get the reticle at the same level. But locking in your hold sure eliminates alot of that type of movement.
One main thing I’m aware of is when I shoot a target or hunt or a pest bird is I’m holding the gun naturally and I then put the reticle on target.
And the biggest thing is practice shooting like this. And then trust that what you do when you come on target is true. Repeat what you practice and you should get the results you want.
GF1,
Yep on the practice and lots of shooting,
But if there is significant cant it will shift the poi more with increased distance. That will add another variable in sighting. No matter which way I am holding a gun when hunting, I do my best to keep it aligned on the vertical axis even at the expense of comfort/ergonomics. No gangsta shots for me.
Like B.B. has been teaching us there is no way to get everything perfect. Barrel bore to action, mounts to action, mounts to scope, and the internal scope optics are never perfect. I set the gun up as best I can to start with. I use a vice, level, and vertical line. If that is giving me a consistent change in windage with distance I can tinker with the mounts etc. To see if its reduces the windage shift with distance. Usually it is small enough that it is not obvious within the gun and my abilities to shoot accurately.
Don
Set the gun up in the vise and sight it in.
Now take that gun and bench rest it or shoulder it while standing and shoot and tell me what happens.
Bet the poi will be different than your vise sight in. And probably group size to.
The point here is that you should hold the gun how you shoot it and sight in. The cant will be different from a vise and even a bench to shouldering a gun free hand.
I thought I was pretty clear above. Hold the gun to your shoulder and let the gun cant naturally. Then sight in. That will give the best repeatable results.
Maybe I missing something your trying to explain?
GF1,
My point was that if you have significant cant your windage poi will shift as the distance to target increases. If you are sighted in at the distance you are shooting and the cant is constant all is good.
I bet your cant is very small on all your natural holds.
When I set up a gun I try to eliminate any cant, not that I can. Then when I sight in I adjust the sights to the target based on the gun and how I plan on shooting it.
There are many variables that affect sighting in a gun based on hold, either free, rest or machine. I don’t think I have ever shot a gun that I did not get better with more shots.
I also think shooting a gun with significant cant even if it gives a more natural feel would not be desirable for various distance targets.
Don
Don
Even at longer distances no matter how you have a gun set up I’m sure you will have to take a shot to know where your hitting.
Consistency in hold is the trick.
Benji-Don & GF1
I agree with both of you. As I mentioned above some rifles just don’t feel right when you level and center everything and it’s probably because it’s not a natural hold when you try to shoot it straight up too. Would be good for bench rest too. The good part is your only major adjustment is for distance.
I believe I will true up all my long distance powerful shooters and be a little uncomfortable with my hold for improved accuracy, in keeping it level, and mount and center a scope on plinkers and non hunters to a slightly canted but more comfortable natural hold. Mil-dots could help for distance corrections.
Bob M
Bob
Here I copied my reply I just made to Don.
“Even at longer distances no matter how you have a gun set up I’m sure you will have to take a shot to know where your hitting.
Consistency in hold is the trick.”
GF1
Who says you can only have one consistent type of hold ? I don’t see a problem as long as your hold is consistent with the type of shooting you are doing.
For example, what if you wanted to shoot like, “The Rifleman” … from the hip !
Your scope could even be installed backwards for that. 🙂 And yes you would have to be consistent with your hold there too to be good.
More or less like a quick draw shooter does.
Bob
Right. Repeating that hold time after time is what it’s about.
Matter of fact I had my semi-auto .22 rimfire set up with a laser at one time. Had it sighted for 50 yards. I could consistently hit a 12 oz aluminum can shooting from my hip.
Hmm now that we are talking about it. I need to put the laser on my semi-auto Bullmaster. I’m going to do that tomorrow. And thanks now more work to do. 🙂
B.B.,
Off topic, but I plan to apply Tune-in-a-tube for the first time on a mainspring. The air rifle has only a small bit of vibration, which, along with my track record of terminally screwing up about one of three air guns I have ever opened up (true), has me wondering if simply taking the action out of the stock and applying a few strands of the TIAT on the little amount of spring exposed by the cocking slot is a) O.K. and will do no harm and b) is enough to make a noticeable difference. Should I go for it or just put up with a bit of buzz and twang?
(I confess I’m leaning towards no longer attempting to fix or even maintain air guns. Yesterday I ruined a 50+ year old air pistol by applying Pellgunoil. Over the years I have ruined dozens of vintage and non-vintage airguns by attempting routine repairs and maintenance.)
Thanks,
Michael
Michael,
Do it! You won’t regret it. Apply TIAT as directed. Not much is needed. You can add more as needed.
Siraniko
Siraniko,
Thanks for the encouragement!
Michael
Michael,
Go for it. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
B.B.
B.B.,
Thanks for the encouragement. I am in need of a bit of it after I ruined a (previously mint condition) vintage air pistol the other day. :^(
Michael
Michael,
Would you please explain to us what happen using Pellgun oil on what vintage air pistol. You will save someone else from making the same mistake.
Thanks much,
Mr B.
Mr. B.,
I was a mint condition circa 1950 Morton H. Harris Marksman in chrome (very rare). I had just received it a half hour before and shot it three times. It shot well, but the original manual said to occasionally oil it through the transfer port. So I thought I’d do some preventative maintenance on my new treasure and put three drops of Pellgunoil down the port, tipped it up for a few minutes, and then it was dead, no compression at all, dead for all of eternity. Well, I did get to shoot it three times.
I also killed a vintage Benjamin pumper and a quite vintage S&W 77a by putting a two or three drops of Bar’s Leaks Transmission Stop Leak transmission sealant/fluid on the pump heads. With both it immediately gummed them up so badly it takes incredible effort to pump them just once, much less 8 times! (Oh, and they still don’t hold that one pump.) So they needed to be resealed when I started, but now they need to be completely stripped down and cleaned with solvent and then resealed.
I really should have kept a journal of all my failures working on air guns, complete with how much money I ended up losing with each attempt. I could probably do it anyway as I still have all of the air guns I killed in my basement.
When I kill this air rifle with TIAT, I’ll post the update, LOL.
Michael
Oh, by the way, the air rifle I will risk killing by applying a few strands of TIAT to it is a like-new left-handed Air Arms TX200 MKIII.
Wish me luck, as that’s a $700 air rifle, more or less. :^)
Michael
Michael,
I had just that. 2 at the front, plus the 2 trigger guard screws as I recall. I do believe that one trigger guard screw should be tightened (before) the other. (( Check into that )) The one that bolts directly to the action is what is 1st. The other one went into wood as I recall.
I do not have it now or any notes,…. so not sure now.
Chris
P.S.,….. use a (well fitting) screw driver/tool. You will minimize burring the slot. Oh,…. not too tight either. Oh,…. some clean threads and blue Loctite can’t hurt either. 😉
Thinking again,….. the trigger guard/action screw is first,….. the 2 in front on forearm is 2nd,…. I think,…………… 😉
Michael,
Interesting. All “fixes” would seem harmless. Perhaps B.B. shall weigh in with an opinion?
Chris
Mr. B. and Chris,
The Morton H. Harris Marksman came back to life entirely on its own! I did nothing but try it again after these few days and Viola! I immediately chronied it, and it is shooting at spec, about 200fps. with 7.3 grain pellets.
Wonders never cease. :^)
Michael
Michael,
I think you had stiction from the oil. In low velocity airguns it doesn’t take much to keep the horses in the gate.
As for the ATF Sealant, yours is the only instance I have heard of failure. There are now dozens of reports of success. Perhaps you had a seal slip out of place?
B.B.
B.B.,
Slipping seals on the pumpers is possible (I wouldn’t even know how to check), but it would be with two different air rifles in a row, which would make it a semi-remarkable coincidence. Both make an awful sound when they are pumped, kind of a cross between a long honk and a low frequency screech. My estimate is one pump, with no compression happening, takes about the same effort as the 8th pump on my healthy Blue Streak.
I wonder if it would be possible (and uncomplicated) to remove the pump arm and mechanism from the compression tube on these rifles to facilitate scrubbing the tubes out with a bottle brush and, well, I don’t know what would be OK. 91% alcohol? It would evaporate out, so combustion shouldn’t be an issue as long as none gets into the reservoir. Then again, alcohol is a pretty weak solvent. Any petrol-substance is out. I can’t imagine something like acetone would be OK, or would it?
I suppose the pump head would be less tough to clean as one can get in there with some soft tools if it were removed from the rest of the air rifle. Lighter fluid and a stiff brush might do the trick there as afterward it could all be cleaned with detergent and water followed by a silicone-based protectant against rust. Or, there is that acetone possibility again.
It guess it would be liberating to keep in mind that if they can be rescued, great. If I actually destroys them to a greater degree, well, as it is they are nothing but parts air rifles, so what’s the difference. There really is little to lose, barring a fire or explosion, of course! :^)
Michael
Michael,
What you describe is a reaction with the pump cup and it has disintegrated. I don’t know what to tell you. But taking them apart without knowing how to repair them is going to wrong way. Better to have someone who knows what they are doing do the work and tell you what they find inside.
B.B.
Michael,
The flip side to that coin is “going in” on what is now essentially a parts gun,…. and learning a thing or two. You may fix it, you may not. Research is key, but that takes up time.
As I recall,… you work on amps and electric guitars?,…. so, if so, you do have (some) mechanical ability.
Chris
Chris,
I do occasionally work on vacuum tube guitar amplifiers and guitars. Maintaining and adjusting a guitar, especially a solid-body electric, is not terribly difficult and involves minor adjustments on the bridge, the truss rod inside the neck, the pickupd, wiring, and whatnot. It is mostly a matter of knowing what to do and the order in which to do it, along with a small amount of patience. I never attempt to do finish work or wood work on a guitar, however. That stuff is for the pros.
Amplifiers are a bit more involved. For one thing they have electrolytic capacitors with lethal voltages, sometimes even long after the amp has been disconnected from the wall. So one needs to know how to discharge those, and I can and do.
My limitations in guitar and especially vacuum tube amplifiers repair is that while I might know what to do and how to do it, I am so incredibly un-handy and have such poor hand-eye coordination that knowledge, correct tools and even practice are sometimes not enough to counter my shortcomings. For example, even though I know how to solder effectively, I am lousy at soldering simply because I am clumsy.
Michael
Michael
While I was still in the AF, the instructors were no longer teaching tubes . They told the students that they would never see one. Surprise !!!!
B52s were still loaded with tubes !! I had to teach the younger guys how tubes worked.
Bad case of instructors who lacked any field experience.
tt
Michael,
I have seen a tube or two. My Dad played with all of that. Boxes of tubes. Radio/stereo mostly. He built our first color TV from Heath Kit. He had all the test equipment. I remember bags of transistors, resistors, diodes and such. Bare circuit boards. Lots of soldering.
Chris
Michael,
Very good. I am glad it all worked out. Thanks for the update.
Chris
Here is an article with a good diagram showing the effect of cant with distance.
https://www.accurateshooter.com/optics/canting-effect-on-point-of-impact/
Don
Just like I mentioned above.
Here this is right at the top of the link you just gave. Basically what I just said above to you and Bob.
“Avoid Inconsistent Canting for Better Accuracy and Higher Scores”
Key word: Inconsistent
GF1,
I will agree with you on consistency. I am sure that for small amounts of cant and shooting distances on the same order of magnitude as the sighting distance the horizontal shift will be insignificant and well within the accuracy of most guns.
Don
Don
Yep that’s what I believe too.
B.B.,
O.K. I’ve held it in until know, but I just have to let it out. And probably no one will get the joke, which might make it less of a corny groaner.
What did Lina LaMont of “Singin’ in the Rain” say about pellets with heads that are misshaped or too small for the bore? “I caaant stand ’em!” :^ D
Michael
Great article… Thank You!