Sighting in And Range

[Carter123]

Just looking for some advice about aiming when it comes to different ranges
If I have a 223 sighted in for 100 Metres , how much lower do I aim to hit mark at 150 Metres and 200 ? Just a simple question looking for advice

 

[Fabnosh]

A good question but you’ll need to know a couple of things; bullet weight and velocity. There are many ballistic calculators on the web that allow one to play all sorts of tunes that’ll give you a very rough approximation of bullet drop. Would suggest you range test the result to confirm though.

FN

 

[Berettaco]

Blanket statement which will get you very close with a 55gr bullet. Zero at 50, you will be 2” high at 100 and back to zero at 200. Obviously each gun is different and ammo plays a role but this have proven to be very close for me.

 

[Captain Munro]

Hornady has a simple to use ballistic calculator on their website. It's more tailored to their own ammunition but it gets the point across. Fun to mess around with it to get started.

 

[BourbonTrail]

Assuming you have a smartphone, download one of any number of ballistics apps. They are relatively close. The one I use (SBC) has multiple scopes and factory ammunition options, and it has the ability to customize the parameters.

 

[fourfive8]

This is a good one. But like all of them- junk in, junk out

JBM - Calculations - Trajectory (Simplified)

www.jbmballistics.com

 

[JimP]

If you don't know the velocity, and ballistic coefficient of the bullet just set up some targets at the ranges that you want to see if it is shooting above or below your point of aim for your primary target range and take some shots.

That's the old fashion way of doing it and is the only way to really verify where the round is shooting. But if you know the correct information to input into a ballistic program it will come real close.

 

[R.M.C.]

I'd just shoot it and see if you've got a place you can stretch some shots out. Depends on lots of stuff, even the height of the scope in relation to the bore makes a difference

 

[C.W. Richter]

consider a scope with a .223 ballistic plex reticle (they are myriad!) zero on the first crosshair and you're good to whatev number of crosshairs appear below (likely up to 400-500 yds for .22). 'Just one example (many AR scopes are 1-4x, more compact, but still good to 300). Here the 1st line is 100 and the point below the bottom line is 500. They have even better ones with windage dots for crosswinds in 5mph intervals. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1009267065 I had their varmint plex E1 and Signature Series 6.5x-20 on a 22-250 and it was dead-on to 750 yds (hot handloads, higher BC 60 gr bullets). Just perfect for woodchucks and varmints, though the new owner uses it to hit steel way out. You won't find any .223s here. Where I live they're considered squirrel guns.

 

[C.W. Richter]

do you have an AR-style gun or a bolt action sporter? the height from the bore to sight centers will vary widely, and thus will the necess. adjustments at diff distances (line of sight vs. the trajectory changes). If dialed in for dead-on at 200 yds, you should be good to 350ish using just 1 crosshair or open sights. 'Depends on what you're shooting at...Good luck!

 

[375Fox]

The ballistic charts are great as a reference, but if you have opportunity you really need to put out targets and shoot yourself to understand your rifle and ammo. They are all different. Every rifle I own shoots lower than the charts say it should, but I know where they shoot.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Just looking for some advice about aiming when it comes to different ranges
If I have a 223 sighted in for 100 Metres , how much lower do I aim to hit mark at 150 Metres and 200 ? Just a simple question looking for advice

@Carter123
Unless you have a mill dot, bdc or some other scope it is hard to precisely hold over at various ranges. It also depends on your projectiles weight and velocity. You really need a balistic calculator app handy to work these things out and then shoot at those ranges to verify the app.
If you are using the standard 55 grain load sight in 1.5 inches high at 100 yards and you should have a good usable range out to around 250 yards without the need to hold over.
Just my views
Bob

 

[mark-hunter]

Just looking for some advice about aiming when it comes to different ranges
If I have a 223 sighted in for 100 Metres , how much lower do I aim to hit mark at 150 Metres and 200 ? Just a simple question looking for advice

zero at 100, -10.7 cm at 200m. FMJ 69 grain.
For quick ref. go to selleir and bellot web sight, they have simpe ballistic table for their cartridges.

 

[shootist~]

Just looking for some advice about aiming when it comes to different ranges
If I have a 223 sighted in for 100 Metres , how much lower do I aim to hit mark at 150 Metres and 200 ? Just a simple question looking for advice

You would aim higher, not lower.
About 1.7" at 150M and about 5.3" at 200M.

Things such as the sight's height above the bore, and those already mentioned come into play.

If zeroed at 100M, note that your bullet path is below the line of sight for all distances except 100 to about 120M. (Unless you dial for all distances.) A 100 Meter (or Yard) zero works for many people, but makes little sense to me.

 

[CBH Australia]

@Berettaco and @Bob Nelson 35Whelen both have simple answered for you simple question.
Yes , there are heaps of variables but a good start is to have it hitting that 1-2 inches high at 100 yards or metres pending if you have a preference or range setout.
Then see where you hit at 200, it will be sure to drop quickly after 250.

An article titled Zero at 25 gives examples of numerous cartridge trajectories that when sighted dead on at 25 yards is still within a kill zone are of around 6" out to about 300. Roughly.

The idea is to get on paper at 25 and then check the point of impact at 100, adjusting only the windage.

You now know how high it's hitting at 100 and if it's an moa rifle/load it's gonna be minute of hog capable out to 300ish.

Aussie Roo shooters sight one inch high at 100, rule of thumb. Many are using larger objectives etc. But, the requirement is all head shot animals for harvest. They are shot between 100-200m and the kill zone is about 3".

 

[Hogpatrol]

Strelok basic is a good, free ballistic app.

 

[C.W. Richter]

The ballistic charts are great as a reference, but if you have opportunity you really need to put out targets and shoot yourself to understand your rifle and ammo. They are all different. Every rifle I own shoots lower than the charts say it should, but I know where they shoot.

there are many available online programs/ballistic calculators that take into account every detail of your gun/load and you can evaluate how high to sight in at 100 yds (or what velocity handloads are required) to be dead on at 300-800 yds using the diff crosshairs(and they work! you must chronograph your loads, know the bullet b.c., sight above bore height, elevation, temp., etc. etc. etc.-many variables- or have faith in the marketing claims on the factory ammo boxes Many factory loads don't perform as advertised, and certainly not out of all guns.) Most ballistic plex reticles are set up perfectly (or nearly perfectly) for the most popular calibers (or ballistically similar.) But yes, after the above it must be field tested. Many BDC reticles come with a "tape" for various calibers to simply stick on the scope as a cheat-sheet (the mfrs have already evaluated the above. the shooter must simply conform his setup (assuming rifle is properly accurized, if need be) to the scope design. Burris is excellent in this department! This "tape" shows a typical 2" high 06 sight-in at 100 yds being dead on to 500 yds using their ballistic (BDC) reticle. It's good to about 850-950 using higher velocity (.257-.338) rounds and high b.c. bullets. Mark Bansner giggled at first when I put one of these scopes on one of his ultimate ovis guns (in my .264 WSM cartridge,) but no one was laughing when we were plugging sheep at 720 yards using same (or 4" wide woodchucks at 550 yds using same and .22-250.) Most guns fit into the 1", 1.5" or 2" high at 100 to be dead-on at 200, but some higher V guns work out to be 0.9 or 1.25" (for precision accuracy at 200 and beyond, per the scope design.) 30-30, 45-70 and 54 cal muzzleloaders-lol just use 1 crosshair or open sights and don't take long shots!!! lol

 

[375Fox]

there are many available online programs/ballistic calculators that take into account every detail of your gun/load and you can evaluate how high to sight in at 100 yds (or what velocity handloads are required) to be dead on at 300-800 yds using the diff crosshairs(and they work! you must chronograph your loads, know the bullet b.c., sight above bore height, elevation, temp., etc. etc. etc.-many variables- or have faith in the marketing claims on the factory ammo boxes Many factory loads don't perform as advertised, and certainly not out of all guns.) Most ballistic plex reticles are set up perfectly (or nearly perfectly) for the most popular calibers (or ballistically similar.) But yes, after the above it must be field tested. Many BDC reticles come with a "tape" for various calibers to simply stick on the scope as a cheat-sheet (the mfrs have already evaluated the above. the shooter must simply conform his setup (assuming rifle is properly accurized, if need be) to the scope design. Burris is excellent in this department! This "tape" shows a typical 2" high 06 sight-in at 100 yds being dead on to 500 yds using their ballistic (BDC) reticle. It's good to about 850-950 using higher velocity (.257-.338) rounds and high b.c. bullets. Mark Bansner giggled at first when I put one of these scopes on one of his ultimate ovis guns (in my .264 WSM cartridge,) but no one was laughing when we were plugging sheep at 720 yards using same (or 4" wide woodchucks at 550 yds using same and .22-250.) Most guns fit into the 1", 1.5" or 2" high at 100 to be dead-on at 200, but some higher V guns work out to be 0.9 or 1.25" (for precision accuracy at 200 and beyond, per the scope design.) 30-30, 45-70 and 54 cal muzzleloaders-lol just use 1 crosshair or open sights and don't take long shots!!! lol

View attachment 445991

I find all this interesting for shooting but I won’t hunt much beyond 300 yards. I’m lucky enough to have a 100, 200, 300 yard range in my backyard and know where my rifles shoot. I have found inside these hunting ranges my guns all shoot slightly to significantly lower than basic trajectories show they should. I interrupted the original post as a new hunter asking about shooting inside practical hunting ranges with a rifle with limited experience. I may be wrong on my assumption.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

The only way to know for sure is to shoot your rifle at the ranges you want to know, and see for yourself. There is no replacement for the real thing.

 

[Newboomer]

The only way to know for sure is to shoot your rifle at the ranges you want to know, and see for yourself. There is no replacement for the real thing.

Set up a string of targets, one behind the other on level ground, at varying ranges: 50, 100, 150, 200 yds, etc. Set the targets as near the same height as possible. Shoot one round at center mass of the 50 yd. Check each of the targets and see where the hole is. That's your rise and drop. Simple and effective.