Adjust Your Parallax
The Turning Feral Journal - Day 43
Day 43: In long range shooting at distances over 150 yards, you will need to adjust your rifle scope for parallax. Parallax is the apparent movement of an object when viewed from different positions, which is exaggerated the further you get away from a target. The easiest example is to hold one arm out and point an index finger up. Now close one eye and notice the background behind that finger. Now open that eye and close the other one and notice the background behind the finger. See how it’s different? There. That's parallax.
In rifle shooting, most modern scopes have a dedicated knob to help compensate for this effect as you get out to 200, 600, 800, and 1000+ yards. Often it only takes a micro-adjustment to fix for parallax, but if you forget… you can have a pretty sizable point of impact shift, causing you to miss the target despite having your crosshairs directly on it.
Why is this important? Well, it comes down to patience and routine. If you go through all of the motions of getting set up, ranging your target, looking at your ballistic chart, adjusting your elevation and windage, and go through your shot process and DON’T adjust for parallax… you may miss, even though everything else was done correctly.
When I was learning to shoot, my coach had to sit over my shoulder and constantly remind me before I pulled the trigger, “Zach, did you adjust for parallax?!” Of course he already knew the answer and would watch me sheepishly lift my head from the rifle stock and make the micro adjustment before settling back in to make the shot.
This concept of micro adjustments to ensure you actually have the target correctly oriented in your field of view translates to life as well. When you are far away from something that you want to achieve it’s easy to forget how small things can impact your ability to actually hit your goal that is far off. So, for those of you with lofty goals of living a more feral life, take stock of how far you are from that goal and adjust your parallax… make sure that you have the end goal in true focus and make the small adjustments in your life to ensure you actually hit it.
Daily Prompt: What small adjustments can you make today to keep your goal(s) properly oriented? Do you need to adjust your wake up time? Your workout length? Your time spent outdoors? Write down a few ideas here:
Motivational Passage:
Some of us have great runways already built for us. If you have one, take off! But if you don’t have one, realize it is your responsibility to grab a shovel and build one for yourself and for those who will follow after you.
-Amelia Earhart
Rewilding Action: Battery packs can be a lifesaver when you are out in the backcountry. Being a guilty millennial who doesn’t use a paper map (though traditional land nav is a fun skill I have practiced), I am reliant on my phone and a mapping application to help in navigation. If my phone dies then I am SOL when it comes to knowing where I need to go. So, having back up battery packs is vital. Unfortunately, most battery packs are heavy little bricks that take up quite a bit of space in a hiking pack. I haven’t found the *perfect* setup yet and am still experimenting. The best thing to do is go on Amazon and search for lightweight rechargeable battery packs and start your own testing. They are also nifty to have in your car in case of a breakdown. PS: I have tried solar rechargeable packs, too… which have not worked well for me in the past, so I am open to suggestions if people have them.