Rifle zeroing

[billc]

With going to the east cape and the animals in that package you are planning.I would say sight it in at 200 yds and know your drop out to 350.

I would say most of the shooting will be 150 to 250yds so sighted in at 200 you will just hold dead on.

 

[lcq]

I use calibrated reticles. One is a Shepherd and is within 1.5" from 100-700 yds on the 7mm. It also ranges deer sized targets quite accurately. The ballistic plex on my Burris is good to 500 with the 308, 350 with the 243. I like the Shepherd but the eye relief is crap so forget about it on a kicker.

 

[drew416]

My 8mm Rem Mag with my two favorite loads( which both shoot within half an inch of each other) are zeroed to shoot 1" high at 100m. This makes it zeroed at 50m and 200m.
This is on the range.
In real life my longest shot, in Africa, was a 283m( GPS verified) one shot kill on a Zebra. Never shot at anything that far away again yet.

 

[brushmore]

Thanks all for the input. I am using Norma ammunition and they have a neat little app on their website and for the iPhone. Right now I am sited in 1 inch high at 100 yds which seems like a popular choice. If Norma's ballistic calculator are correct this seems will work well for my 180 gr .308 out to at least 200 yds. Beyond that I need to worry about hold over.

 

[Cable68]

If you think about the size of the vital zone of most plains game from impala and springbok on up it makes for a pretty good sized target. With common calibers the 1 to 1 1/2" high at 100 yds method should allow for a dead on sighting in the center of the vitals at most common shooting distances (250 yds or less) for the average hunter. Flatter shooting magnums, and experienced long range shooters (who are more common on the net than in real life) could take it out farther. If you can hit a paper plate at 200 yds, you can take most plains game at that distance.

 

[enysse]

I universally site my plains game rifles for 200 yd. zero. For anything over 375 H&H, it would be different. I zeroed my 375 H&H and 416 Rem at 100 yds.

 

[JTEX]

Doubles at 50
Big bores at 100
The rest at 200

 

[Witold Krzyżanowski]

163m in rifle caliber 275 Rigby, cartridges RWS with bullet ID CLASSIC 10,5G/162gr
150m in rifle caliber 9,3 x 62, cartridges NORMA with bullet ORYX 18,5g/285gr
161m in rifle caliber 375 H&M mag. 161m cartridges RWS with bullet UNI CLASSIC 19,5g/301gr
140m in rifle caliber 404Jeffery, cartridges RWS with bullet softpoint 26g/400gr
cartridges HORNADY with bullet DGX 26g/400gr

 

[James.Grage]

163m in rifle caliber 275 Rigby, cartridges RWS with bullet ID CLASSIC 10,5G/162gr
150m in rifle caliber 9,3 x 62, cartridges NORMA with bullet ORYX 18,5g/285gr
161m in rifle caliber 375 H&M mag. 161m cartridges RWS with bullet UNI CLASSIC 19,5g/301gr
140m in rifle caliber 404Jeffery, cartridges RWS with bullet softpoint 26g/400gr
cartridges HORNADY with bullet DGX 26g/400gr

Witold

May i ask why the odd meters in your sight in?

 

[Witold Krzyżanowski]

James, it follows with ballistic data NORMA, RWS, HORNADY.

 

[James.Grage]

Witold

That is what i thought, however i was not sure.

 

[LRich]

I generally go with this "2, 0, 8, 24" and it's simple to remember in the field.

The theory is that for most calibers, if you shoot your rifle in 2" high at 100 yards, then you will be zeroed at 200 yards, 8" low at 300 yards and 24" low at 400 yards.

I find it holds pretty true.

As I said for "most" calibers. The ultra speedy calibers and big bores would be somewhat different.

 

[Diamondhitch]

I generally go with this "2, 0, 8, 24" and it's simple to remember in the field.

The theory is that for most calibers, if you shoot your rifle in 2" high at 100 yards, then you will be zeroed at 200 yards, 8" low at 300 yards and 24" low at 400 yards.

I find it holds pretty true.

As I said for "most" calibers. The ultra speedy calibers and big bores would be somewhat different.

That's far too generic, different bc weights velocities elevation etc. Do yourself the favor and calculate estimated trajectory with a ballistics program or online calculator then prove it on the range.

 

[CAustin]

Of course the Lupeold VX6 I have on one rifle makes this a lot easier. It is zeroed at 100 yards but for longer shots you just adjust the custom Dial. 2=200 yards 3=300 yards 3.5=350 yards and so on.
The longest shot I ever took with my Bushnell scope was 400 yards for yucks and I missed the deer shooting right under him as I just didn't have the drop on the round right in my head. So I guess it comes down to you knowing your rifle, scope, and ballistics of the round you are using.

 

[LRich]

That's far too generic, different bc weights velocities elevation etc. Do yourself the favor and calculate estimated trajectory with a ballistics program or online calculator then prove it on the range.

I agree it's pretty generic and it's worked for me for the over 50 years I've been hunting. You're method also works fine if you have a chronograph and can input the accurate velocity. I and a few others don't have access to a chronograph.

 

[JGRaider]

Exactly as CAustin says. I use a 2-12x VX6 with a CDS dial. When the wind cooperates it is almost cheating.

 

[Diamondhitch]

I agree it's pretty generic and it's worked for me for the over 50 years I've been hunting. You're method also works fine if you have a chronograph and can input the accurate velocity. I and a few others don't have access to a chronograph.

Close enough velocity data as well as BCs for most bullets is available online or on the ammo box and a trip to the range will confirm that data or you can reverse calculate velocity by shooting a group at long range and using the drop to get an accurate velocity. (or not worrying about the velocity and just measuring the drop

 

[gxsr-sarge]

Consider the Maximum Point Blank Range. Here is an explanation (http://www.shooterscalculator.com/point-blank-range.php):

"Let's say you are deer hunting. The vital zone of deer is roughly 8 inches. Using the calculator it tells you that you should zero your rifle at 250 yards and that the MPBR is 300 yards. That means that if you aim at the center of the vital zone of a deer at any range between 0 and 300 yards, you will hit the vital zone. This means that you do not need to worry about any bullet drop or holding over if the animal is within the MPBR."

I use MPBR for my fast calibers for longer range hunting (up to about 350 yards). It'll depend on your gun's ballistics. No need for holdover or fussing with turrets or knobs. Just aim at the vitals and you should be good.

 

[sestoppelman]

The only fly in the ointment is the tendency of some of us to shoot high normally and if sighted in at around 3-4 inches high at 100 yds, a common distance for African shooting, high shots can result. High shots are fine if they hit bone and knock the animal down, but will often need more shooting. I prefer the so-called 200 yd Zero, which puts most rounds at or just under 2 inches high at 100 yds., on at 200 and dropping after that. This covers most bases at least for most bushveld hunting. For mountain or flat, long range plains hunting, yeah zero further out.

 

[Diamondhitch]

Consider the Maximum Point Blank Range. Here is an explanation (http://www.shooterscalculator.com/point-blank-range.php):

"Let's say you are deer hunting. The vital zone of deer is roughly 8 inches. Using the calculator it tells you that you should zero your rifle at 250 yards and that the MPBR is 300 yards. That means that if you aim at the center of the vital zone of a deer at any range between 0 and 300 yards, you will hit the vital zone. This means that you do not need to worry about any bullet drop or holding over if the animal is within the MPBR."

I use MPBR for my fast calibers for longer range hunting (up to about 350 yards). It'll depend on your gun's ballistics. No need for holdover or fussing with turrets or knobs. Just aim at the vitals and you should be good.

I agree with SES on this one. I use a MPBR of 6" since there are factors other than target size at play. Works well for me but many who sight too high hit too high. 6" works out to 2-2.5" at 100yds depending on the caliber.