Need Dope Data? Here's a must see!

R

Rich Lucibella

Staff
I've seen all sorts of ways to record trajectory dope for later use:
Journals, cards laminated and taped to the stock, cards around the neck etc. Keeping our rifle dope handy always seems to be a problem. The neatest solution I've yet seen is Mark Allison's Pathfinder. (While I didn't realize it when I ordered, we actually featured this nifty tool in an article by Leroy Thompson in July's S.W.A.T....page 12).

So here's the deal:
The Pathfinder is a pull out tape, loaded into a scope mounted turret that looks very much like a normal scope knob.
Closeup of the Pathfinder on a Nightforce 30mm tube.

Allison Tool will provide these in 1" or 30mm; left or right hand; blank tape or filled out with your submitted dope. The unit arrives in a small canister, complete with appropriate Allen wrench for attachment.

Ashley Emerson and I played around with the unit, atop (what else?) a McMillan .50. It's quick, handy and useful. I consider it a must for precision rifles.

More Pics:
The Pathfinder in action.

One of the better Ashley pictures I've seen.


Film Clip of the Pathfinder and McMillan in concert. This is almost 3mb in size. Download with cable or DSL recommended. Anyone who can tell me how to downsize these., please email me.
Click here for movie

Contact for mark Allison: markallison@qwest.net
 
Nice looking unit. I wonder how often that the sheet metal needs reattaching to that firing position when shooting that 50 :D
 
Dope will rott your brain!

Come on Rich, everyone knows dope will rott your brain. Stay away from it! It is bad.

That is one nice device. I am tempted to check it out further. If nothing else, I am going to have to go shoot a bunch of my 175 gr. loads so if I should decide to order such a nifty device, I will have my data ready.
 
Steve: It does not replace existing rings or work with them. It attaches completely independently to the scope tube so you can mount it either behind or in front of the elevation adjustment. Don't remember what I paid for mine a few years back, but it was pretty reasonable.

Rich: I like your new camera.
 
Damn.

I wish I had had something like that when I was hunting ground hogs long range in Pennsylvania back in the 1980s.

Carrying around a little set of laminated 3x5 cards was a pain in the keister. More than once I had to go back to get them after moving shooting positions.

One set I lost totally. That was really annoying.
 
Just make sure that you take the ammo the Pathfinder is doped for. (147 grain bullets fired using 168 grain dope will make you cuss your scope until you figure out what you've done!:o)
 
At the risk of sounding like an idiot...what exactly is dope? How is it used? Based on some replies I think I have a good idea, but I am not sure. I have never heard this term before...but then again...I am more of a handgunner. :D
 
PF-
Dope is common parlance for "come-ups" or "bullet drop". The trajectory of a bullet can be determined based on it's muzzle velocity and Ballistic Coefficient (changes for every different type/weight of bullet). Alternatively, trajectory can be determined by simple field shooting. Trajectory is also affected by wind, atmospheric pressure, temperature and altitude.

The precision shooter will develop specific tables for his favorite load at varying temps, alts and pressures. Then, when asked to hit a target at, say, 800 yards, he need only refer to the chart, dial in the "dope" on his scope and settle into the rifle.

The Pathfinder allows you to have your stuff wired pretty tight by maintaining the "dope" table right where you need it.
Rich
 
Having "your stuff wired" really tight means keeping up with all of the trajectory and windage information in your head.
Very good shooters can do this when shooting a few rifle/round combinations. When you have more than a few toys to play with The Pathfinder looks like an ideal way to have the info at hand.
I would think if you have settled on a round or a load that a particular rifle likes that the Pathfinder would be a good idea.
My only concern would be if it gets full of "gruder" like a steel tape does.
 
Sorry Blades, "Gruder"= grit, dust and all of the other stuff that ends ups inside steel measuring tapes. It is a slang expression.
 
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