why the square on top of some targets?

[herbeapuce]

Hi. I am curious to know why some targets have a square on the top?
is this for a specific class ?
thanks
stef.

 

[vviking]

Aiming precision. Benchrest.
The inner white square can be quartered with the crosshairs to a precise, and repeatable point of aim.

Or even better (for me) .... crosshairs held outside the edge of the black 90 degree corner, with a tiny sliver of light showing both vert. and horiz..

If the target is level, cant is easy to eliminate.

 

[FTRRookie]

Also it allows you to separate your point of aim from your point of impact so that you're not focusing on the group you're shooting, just your crosshair alignment.

 

[maynard]

Both answers are correct, but the main reason is so you don't shoot away your aiming mark. These targets are usually used for short range benchrest type shooting.

 

[paperslayer]

yup. It is a benchrest target and it is to eliminate parallax error. The top box (POA)and the lower point of impact should be the same distance as that between the bore axis and the scope axis. It allows you to use a larger aiming dot, or you can use cross hairs. In short range bechrest, you are shooting for group size, so the group can be anywhere. It doesn't have to be in the middle.

 

[Kodiak99317]

Plus it is handy when the mirage is so thick you can't see the rings...
I have measured lots of group targets over the yrs and I hate it when
you print a grp on the aiming square... hard to find the edges.
Not sure if you gain or lose on that blk aiming sq, depends on the scorer eh
but it sure slows everything down when you do

 

[GSoD]

I was going to say because quite often it feels like you're trying to fit a cylinder into a square hole

 

[herbeapuce]

thanks for educating me.
this place is great !

stef

 

[rpollock]

Simple really. Back in the day when group shooting really got going, 1950's or so, nobody had high magnification scopes. The black aiming square provided a precise aiming point for low magnification scopes. It is really an artifact from the early days of BR. The only time anyone uses it anymore is as Keith says, when the mirage is so bad the 10 ring washes away and you have nothing else to aim at.