Shooting Accuracy: Its Importance Can’t be Overstated

Written by Guest Contributor on The Prepper Journal.

Editors Note: A guest contribution from Andrew of theshootersoptics.com  to The Prepper Journal. 

Nowadays, it is completely reasonable and rational to enhance our marksmanship skills by installing any type of optics. Regardless of whether we punch the paper or expect a quick and ethical kill in a wilderness, shooting accuracy is the ultimate requirement, and we will enable it by adequately installed and sighted rifle scope. Mounting and learning how to sight in 3-9x classics or long range scopes demands some technical understanding, but we will explain to you how to sight in a rifle scope in 8 easy steps.

As a standard, today`s shoulder guns comes with already pre-drilled and tapped holes for scope bases or some railed system like the Picatinny or Weaver rail systems.

1. Before starting, you need to gather few tools such screwdrivers and Allen keys for installing and adjusting your scope. In addition, it is mandatory to obtain a rifle rest securing it in a bipod, on sandbags or some kind of shooting platform for added stability and to reduce human error. In addition, it is vital that no part of the gun is resting on a hard surface.
2. After choosing a riflescope that will suit our needs and type of shooting, we have to select appropriate scope rings to fit scope main-body, objective bell and type of scope base. Needless to say that rings should be tightly mounted to the base to avoid any wiggle whatsoever to the scope, and if necessary, use Loctite on the screws. Adequate mounting system for a scope should be designed to take as much recoil as your rifle will produce. Therefore, you should not skimp on rings and other accessories, particularly when you scope a gun with more powerful caliber.
3. In a next step, you make sure the crosshairs are entirely level and perfectly aligned with the directions of the elevation and windage adjustments. With aligning, the reticle, we would avoid an anomaly referred to as “Reticle Cant” especially pronounced on long rage scopes at distances greater than 250 yards.
4. The end goal of boresighting step is to ensure the riflescope reticle is centered where the rifle is pointing and in this operation, it is not vitally important to be extremely precise. To make this rough alignment, you should secure the weapon in a stable position and put up a target at short-range either 25 or 50 yards because the short distances will save time, ammunition, and frustration. The task is pretty simple with bolt-action rifles and single-shot guns, where you may only remove the bolt, or open the action and look down the bore, line up your barrel on the target, and without moving the rifle, and adjust your rifle scope so that the reticle is aligned on the same object.

Using the turrets on the top and the side of the scope, move the reticle until you see the same “picture” as through your barrel. Your rifle is now bore-sighted to 25 yards (22.9 m).

Evidently, auto-loader, pumps and lever-action rifles cannot be sighted this way, so you will need a device called laser boresighter. Naturally, a laser boresighter is a helpful tool for bolt-actions and single-shots too, and it will get you on paper quicker and little easier than merely looking down the bore of the rifle.

5. Before we move into the hot phase of the sighting, it is important to set the proper spacing between the end of the scope and our eye. Adjusting perfect eye relief is a key component to sighting your riflescope, as it will allow enough distance to avoid contact of the scope`s ocular with your eye due to the rifle recoil.
6. After you get the rifle on paper, you should fire three shots round at the center of the 25-yard target, check the target, adjust the scope and repeat shooting until your shots are hitting in the center. At this point, we should explain the process of adjustments. Since the majority or riflescopes have 1/4 MOA (minute of angle) increments, that feature means that one click will shift the bullet impact 1/4″ at 100 yards. Because the click value moves up or down by a 1/4 inch proportionally for each 100-yard decrease or increase in distance, you will need to make 4x times number of clicks (16 clicks=1″) to shift down the bullet impact at 25-yards target. Before moving to 100 yards (91.4 m) distance and the zeroing process, you should decide which load you plan to use and exactly where you want your 100-yard point of impact.
7. After successful 25-yards adjustments, you are ready to move the target out to 100 yards and make fine-tuning but prior to that, make sure your barrel has cooled to the ambient temperature. The 100 yards is chosen as a golden middle since the less distance is not precise enough, while at over 100 yards is more pronounced human error and effects such as wind.

From the comfortable and relaxed position, you fire slowly and carefully 3-shot group at 100 yards. Check the shot grouping and measure the distance from the center of your group to the point of aim on the target. The procedure is the same after you take note of where these groups land on the target and make an adjustment, shoot another group and repeat this process until your group hits where you are aiming.

The standard zeroing is at 100 yards, but depending on your needs, you may want to sight in slightly high at 100 yards (2 to 2.5 inches high) and shoot dead center on at 200 yards. It should be kept in mind that most of the factory ammunition boxes have information about particular caliber and load.

8. Following the final adjustments, you should make one last group to confirm it, lock the turrets or screw on the protective caps and waiting ready for the hunting season. If you used a bipod in the field, you should fire a couple of shots of your bipod, since some guns will have a different point of impact with mounted bipod than from specially built rifle rest or over sandbags.
9. After all, some shooters recommend during sighting in the process to clean the rifle after no more than 20 rounds and repeat the process for optimum accuracy.

Conclusion

We hope to provide some assistance in this matter by offering a straightforward, systematic guide on how to sight in a riflescope. It does not matter whether you are going hunting or range shooting, mounting and sighting optics is an essential skill for you, because you will gain the confidence to continue to improve your shooting skills.

That is not a test of your shooting ability Since the whole process is carried out from a stable platform, sighting in has nothing to do with shooters accuracy, but sighting in is just as shooting groups, and it is all about the rifle.

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Chronic Pain – In Every Preppers Future?

Written by Guest Contributor on The Prepper Journal.

Editors Note: Another guest contribution from Meighan to The Prepper Journal. Relish your youth and strength as some of these will catch up with us all.  As always, if you have information for Preppers that you would like to share and be entered into the Prepper Writing Contest with a chance to win one of three Amazon Gift Cards  with the top prize being a $300 card to purchase your own prepping supplies, then enter today!

These 8 conditions are the Most Common Causes of Chronic Pain

Living with chronic pain, caused by any medical condition whatsoever, is an experience that nobody wants to go through. Unfortunately, there are millions of people that are experiencing chronic pain and wishing they knew how to once and for all get some relief.

If you are reading this article, the chances are that you are one of those people, or at least you are looking to find a way to help somebody that you know is suffering from chronic pain.

Well, you are in luck because what I am going to do today is introduce you to the eight most common causes of chronic pain and most importantly – the most efficient ways to relieve them. But first, what exactly is a chronic pain?

What do you need to know about chronic pain?

We are all familiar with the concept of pain, we all have felt it at some point in our lives whether it was because we have cut our finger or broken our leg, our body has used the concept of pain to inform us that something is not quite right. However, in those examples, as soon as the reason is treated, we get lasting relief from pain. And that is the main difference between acute and chronic pain.

You see, chronic pain does not go away even though the injury has healed. You feel that annoying and challenging chronic pain for months, even years. It can occur as back pain or ankle pain or even a headache.

Chronic pain can be either mild or severe. You can feel it as shooting, burning, squeezing, stinging sensations or as a dull ache. It can lead to decreased appetite, insomnia, depression, and fatigue. And that is why it is essential to be treated appropriately. But what is causing chronic pain to occur?

There are quite a significant number of medical conditions that can lead to chronic pain. However, there are few of those that are occurring more commonly than others. And that is what I am going to talk about.

Let’s discuss these eight medical conditions that are most commonly described as the causes of chronic pain, shall we?

The 8 most common medical conditions that lead to chronic pain and the ways to relieve it

Peripheral Nephropathy – Caused by damage to your peripheral nerves, peripheral nephropathy causes weakness, numbness, and chronic pain usually in the hands and feet to occur. The cause of peripheral nerve damage could be traumatic injuries, metabolic problems, infections, diabetics, etc.

The chronic neuropathic pain can be treated with the use of medications, physical therapy, and massage therapy. You can also try exercising, which has been proven as an efficient way to relieve the pain in this case. Acupuncture has also produced results.

Fibromyalgia – Is a medical condition that causes chronic muscle pain, fatigue, depression and sleep troubles. Although none of these symptoms can be seen, they do produce a considerable impairment in the patient’s life.

Although we are talking about a chronic pain here, there are a few powerful medications that you can try. And of course, there are the necessary lifestyle changes such as a healthier diet and regular exercise.

Perhaps exercising is the last thing on your mind when you feel your muscles aching. However, activities like swimming, walking, stretching have been proven to help relieve the pain.

Arthritis – With its 100 different types is among the most worrying medical conditions out there. If you gather your information about arthritis,you will soon find out that there is no cure for Arthritis.

All that you can do is perform a few tricks to help relieve the symptoms such as pain, stiffness, inflammation and decreased the range of motion. Once again, a healthy diet, regular exercise, and moderate alcohol intake can help you combat all of these symptoms.

Headache – We ALL know this one. However, when your headache lasts for more than a few hours, then you can consider your problem as a chronic one. And with a persistent headache, depression, vomiting, nausea, and insomnia come as well.

So, what can you do to relieve it? Getting a massage, trying acupuncture and some of the famous herbal remedies for chronic headaches in combination with an active pharmaceutical might be the thing that you are looking for. Hydrate. This, like low-dose aspirin, thins the blood slightly allowing it to more efficiently the areas where the pain is being generated.

Past injuries/surgeries – Can also be the cause of your joint pain. If you surgery is relatively recent, 6 months or less, keep your doctor informed as there are many things that can affect healing. If the surgery was severe – an amputation, then these take much longer to retrain the nervous system to deal with. Again – your doctor. And who among us does not have at least one relative or friend who claims their “fill in the blank” surgery can predict the weather better than their local news source?

Again, the best thing that you can do is consult your doctor, get some over-the-counter painkillers and some of the best vitamins for joint pain if it is your joints that are giving you the trouble. Getting enough sleep and eating right can also help your body to grow stronger and healthier to fight the pain better.

Low back pain – This has taken part in everyone’s life at some point. However, for many people it becomes harder and harder to deal with the more chronic it becomes.

Previous injuries, surgery, arthritis can all be the cause of your chronic back pain. And once again, massage, acupuncture, yoga, physical therapy and, in extreme cases, traction can help you combat your low back pain.

Multiple sclerosis – This has been listed as one of the standard causes of chronic pain. Chronic pain due to multiple sclerosis can be either neuropathic pain, pain due to fatigue and immobility or illness related to a spastic condition. Of course, pharmaceuticals are the best answer to your prayers here, but you can also try the unexpected effects of physical therapy, yoga, and massage therapy as well as some dietary changes.

The curvature of the spine – Such as scoliosis and kyphosis can also be the ones that are causing your chronic pain to occur over and over again. Since you know what is causing your chronic pain, in this case, the trick is working to remove the cause and with that your chronic pain.

But how can you do that, you ask? The best thing that you can do for scoliosis and kyphosis is physical therapy and lots of functional exercises. In the meantime, you can also look to non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and over-the-counter painkillers as well, under the advice of your doctor.

Conclusion

What you need to remember is the fact that you may not have to live with chronic pain even if you are not able to remove its cause once and for all. As you can see, we have listed 8 of the most common causes of chronic pain and explained what you can do to recover from the illness, or at least find some relief. The recurring theme of exercise, eating right and getting enough sleep should not be lost on you.

Additionally you can try a message or physical therapy or perhaps even yoga or acupuncture, whatever you choose we hope that it will help you to combat your chronic pain, lessen its severity and bring you some sense of control over your condition.

Author Bio: Meighan Sembrano is a health enthusiast and a passionate writer. Her primary expertise is in Beauty and Skin Care, but she has also published articles on Health and Fitness. Her sincerity and thoughtfulness resonate with readers, and her enthusiasm is contagious. You can follow Meighan on Twitter and Facebook.

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Outdoor Skills for All to Master

Written by Guest Contributor on The Prepper Journal.

Editors Note: Another guest contribution from Gemma to The Prepper Journal.  As always, if you have information for Preppers that you would like to share and be entered into the Prepper Writing Contest with a chance to win one of three Amazon Gift Cards  with the top prize being a $300 card to purchase your own prepping supplies, then enter today!

Hopefully, you never end up stranded in the wilderness, but it does happen, and if it does you need to know how to survive even in the harshest and cruelest conditions. There are a few basics that you need to live, and those are water, shelter, and food.

With these three things, you should be fine until help comes (or you find it), but a surprisingly large number of people don’t actually know how to live if they end up in a tricky situation. There are five key skills that every man and woman who is off hiking or camping should know, and this guide will take you through each of them.

Build a Fire

You need to be warm, especially when the cold nights hit, but fire also helps keep unwanted campsite guests away, so it can help to keep you safe too. Hypothermia is a real risk in the wild, and if your clothes are wet, then it is even more dangerous. Being able to build and light a fire (without a lighter) is a skill that you desperately need.

Make sure that the wood you collect is dry and thin to start with, as this will help the fire to grow. You can add thicker dry wood on later, but the kindling needs to be nice and slim. You can also use some dry grass and other soft material, as this is what is called a kindling nest.

Next, you can grab two sticks that are fairly strong. Create a notch in one of the sticks, place them together in the kindling nest, and rub them. The friction causes heat, which will the cause sparks. You can also use two sharp rocks and hit them together to create sparks if they are available.

Foraging

While it is true that people can live for weeks without food, it is still important to know how to gather your own out in the wild. You should spend some time learning about various berries and mushrooms so that you are able to determine which are safe to eat and which are poisonous in the wild as this is a great way to get prepared in advance.

Berries and green plants have very few calories in them, whereas fish and game have much more. Trapmaking for things like small animals might become necessary if you are stuck for some time, and it is possible to fish successfully by fashioning a spear from a long stick. If you are stranded in the wild, you will likely need more calories than normal to sustain your weight, and so berries and greens may not be enough.

You need to make sure you know what you are doing, so before you head out on any camping or hiking trip, you should do your homework and make sure that you have thoroughly researched everything. After all, you don’t want to end up stuck, starving, or possibly poisoned.

Finding and Purifying Water

Unlike food, you need water, and you can only survive for three days without it. Your body is 70% water, and it is the key component when it comes to how your body works. Without it, you cannot function. If your body’s water percentage becomes less than it should be, you will start to become dehydrated, and this is a process that can happen very quickly. Here are the symptoms of dehydration for you to keep behind your ear when you are out in the wild:

• feeling thirsty (the first and most commonly ignored symptom)
• mild headache
• reduced urinary output
• lethargy
• the inability to perspire or produce tears
• nausea
• rapid heart rate
• tingling of the skin
• high body temperatures
• hallucinations
• heat exhaustion
• and eventually death

Finding and purifying water literally is the difference between life and death, and this is how you get it done. If you find a spring or stream that is away from mankind and pollution, take the opportunity to fill up your water bottles while you can, and if you are concerned, you can boil the water before drinking to purify it.

In cold weather, you can collect snow, but should never eat the snow as it will lower your body temperature. Instead, collect and boil it for later consumption. You can sometimes find clean water underground as well, especially in dry riverbeds. If you are able to dig down, you can hit underground streams that provide you with clean, fresh, and untouched water to drink.

Never drink sea water or salt water of any kind as this will severely dehydrate you due to the amount of salt in it, and this also goes for sea snow and ice as well. You can boil it to remove the salt, but this should only be used as a last resort.

Navigation

Being lost can be a pretty terrifying experience, but it doesn’t have to be the end of the world. Electronic GPS can fail, and so you should learn how to use a compass before you head out on any kind of adventure. Map reading is good too, but the compass is more robust and not damaged by adverse weather conditions. It’s an underrated survival skill that many seem to have forgotten about, and it is something we certainly take for granted. Learn the skill, you won’t regret it.

Building Shelter

You need to know how to keep out of the elements when you are stuck in the wild, and building shelter is the best way to achieve this. After all, there are plenty of weather conditions that we were not built to survive outside in such as:

• freezing temperatures
• sweltering heat
• high winds
• deep snow
• driving sleet
• heavy rains

Before you leave on your trip, you must learn about the area you are visiting and the kind of plant life that lives there. That way, you know the kind of debris that is going to be available for you to use. The most classic form of shelter is the spider shelter, and this is made by placing rows of thick sticks in an upright triangle and placing foliage all over it to create a seal.

Through this, you keep out of the wind and rain, and are also able to retain some warmth. It is also advisable to use foliage to keep yourself warm at night in cold conditions. Shelter is the thing you need to build first, and it is important that you learn how to build it effectively.

In Conclusion: There are plenty of survival skills that can benefit you in the wild, but these are the best and most important ones for your next trip. Hopefully, it has given you some insight and a better understanding of what you need to know in order to live. Always remember that shelter, food, and water come before anything else, read up on your survival knowledge, and you should be fine until help comes.

About the Author: Gemma Tyler is a freelance writer and blogger. You can keep up to date by following Gemma on Twitter, Facebook & Pinterest.

If you are interested in more information on outdoor clothing, footwear and accessories, then check out her ultimate welly boot guides for more details

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