Rifle sight in range

[Borngeechee]

When you guys hunt in forest for deer what range do you sight in for. Do you go for 100 yards, 50 yards or something different all together?

[stoneam2006]

Depends on rifle set up....but mist will probably say 0 for 100 yards. Will put you slightly high at 50 and low at 200 more than likely....but I am no means a expert shooter.

[NFA-ADK]

50 yards because I have never had a shot "in the woods" over 100 yards.  If you have the opportunity to shoot longer distances sight in at 100 and know where to aim from 5 ft out to as far as you can comfortably shoot regardless of what yardage you are zeroed in at. 

 

You can set the gun at any distance IF you know where your bullet will hit at other distances. 

 

EX: Sight in at 50 yards with a 308 and you will have to aim almost 3 inches high at 5 ft and at about 270 yards you are zeroed in again with 180 yards the peak at about 3 inches higher depending on grain and powder. 

 

 I thought I knew my trajectory until I missed a buck at 5 ft, one mistake I hope to never make again.  To say I was upset would be an understatement.

 

[Elmo]

I zero my 308 at 100 yards.

 

The ballistics of the 308 is pretty much a straight line out to 100 when zero'ed in at that range.  Even at muzzle, the only difference is the distance of the muzzle and the line of sight of the scope (an inch or two).  I always aim for center mass.  If ever the target is so small that a couple of inch push/pull or drop would be the difference between a hit or a complete miss than you probably shouldn't be shooting at it.

 

But like NFA-ADK said, it doesn't matter what distance you zero your rifle to.  Just know the trajectory of your bullet at each distance.  Example.  I sight my 308 at 100 yards.  I know the bullet drops 3.9 inches at 200 yards.  I've confirmed this as I routinely shoot out to 200 yards at the range.  I leave it sighted in at 100 but if I ever encounter a deer at 200 yards, I know I just have to aim 4 inches high.

[adkbuck]

I'm not an "expert" but the trick is to zero your rifle to be about 1.5 to 2 inches high at 100 yards. Your centerfire rifle is a an extremely capable weapon and can be made to shoot very flat deviating no more than 1.5 or 2  inches from muzzle to over 200 yards out.  If you are using any cartridge in the 30-06 family, 308 family or any other high performance flat shooting high velocity round there is no reason to not zero your rifle under 200 yards.  A 200 yard "true zero" or BZ0 "battle sight zero" will result in your bullet approximately doing the following (assuming you have a scope mounted 1.5 inches above the centerline of the muzzle, with iron sight things are slightly different.)

 

Bullet crosses zero at about 40 or 50 yards ...... (this is the "near" zero or "rising" zero, not to be confused with the true zero or BZ0)

 

Bullet rises to maximum of about 1.5 inches high at 100 yards

 

Bullet Passes through zero again  200 yards

 

Bullet will be about 3 inches below zero at about 250 yards.

 

Hence you can hold dead on out to about 250 yards and not give up an significant capability at short ranges. 

 

For slower cartridges like the 30-30 Winchester if you sight in 3 inches high at 100 yards your BZ0 or true zero will be at about 150 yards.  You might be more comforatle with a 30-30 having a zero at rue zero at 100 or 125 yards so you bullet deviation is less at various ranges. It will take a little trial and error and firing a few groups to get the confidence in your gun and load. 

 

Pick up good book on rifle shooting accuracy for hunters, there are quite a few good ones out there. 

Wayne Van Zwoll's Hunter's Guide to Accurate Shooting: How To Hit What You'Re Aiming At In Any Situation.  Is a favorite of mine. 

 

The bullet drop becomes more pronounced over 250 yards.   Now we are talking about long range shooting and knowledge of your bullet's path is more important.  There are fancy reticles and sighting software but it can be kept simple and "foolproof" without the added stuff.   If a little common sense and knowledge of the external ballistics of your cartridge are applied,  an ordinary practiced rifleman can be deadly to 400 yards (not necessarily advocating taking long shorts).  

 

Even hunting in forested areas you might have some longer range opportunities at or beyond 100 yards near a beaver meadow or a clear cut.  Sighting in this way gives you some respectable capability without giving up anything short-range-wise.

 

Edited August 8, 2014 by adkbuck

[Doc]

My .270 and my .223, and my 22 hornet are all sighted in at about an inch-and-a-half high at 100 yards. The 100 yard range is on top of the hill.

 

I have another range down here in the valley behind the house that 80 yards long that I use for bow target practice, and the 30-30, .22, and shotgun are sighted in at about 2" high at 50 yards where I have set up a shooting bench.

[Borngeechee]

I was going to get a savage 30-06 for this season but I'm really fond of my 44 mag carbine. I can carry it all day and don't notice it's there. It's currently sighted in at 50 yards and about 2 inches low at 100 yards

Edited August 8, 2014 by Borngeechee

[growalot]

So ..as you know I usually don't use a scope...how do you guys handle the close encounters? Say your zeroed in at 100...wide open shooting from 50 to 200...but near the stand blind what ever in slips the boy your after and he isn't going to give you any shot farther than 20yrds before disappearing....

[Doc]

So ..as you know I usually don't use a scope...how do you guys handle the close encounters? Say your zeroed in at 100...wide open shooting from 50 to 200...but near the stand blind what ever in slips the boy your after and he isn't going to give you any shot farther than 20yrds before disappearing....

The first deer I shot last year was at about 85 yards. A second one with it ran to me and stopped at about 15 yards. I shot that one too. The scope was set at 9X and the gun was zeroed in at 100 yards. Not really a problem, both deer folded up within a couple steps.

[NFA-ADK]

At 20 yards your bullet is still rising so I would aim a little high.  2 inches or slightly less should keep the bullet relatively close to where you want the shot.

So ..as you know I usually don't use a scope...how do you guys handle the close encounters? Say your zeroed in at 100...wide open shooting from 50 to 200...but near the stand blind what ever in slips the boy your after and he isn't going to give you any shot farther than 20yrds before disappearing....

 

[ATbuckhunter]

I zero my 30-06 for 100 yards because i'm not likely to shoot over 100-150 yards. 

[Culvercreek hunt club]

all my rifles and my 308 pistol are all sighted at 1" high at 100. the only exception is my 223 which is zero at 200

[stubby68]

just sight the gun in for what you feel comfortable shooting. I personally sight mine for 2 inches high 50 yards. Even in open woods shots of 100 are rare. At 2 inches high for 50 yards I have never had a prob in the woods or takeing long shots in open fields. Don't let all the moa,bzo or any other sniper talk confuse you. Just remeber hunters are not snipers and if you are comfortable with your gun and practice and know what your limits are you will do fine. If you are shooting far enough that you need to figure moa bzo or calculate windage the deer is prob to far away to be shooting in this state

[Woodjr55]

I sighted my rifle in at a 100 thinking in my woods no way would I ever take a shot that far. The buck I shot last year the second shot on it was 130 yards so you never know so what ever you do sight it in at make sure you know what you shot does when you shoot beyond that shot

[ants]

My slug gun is zeroed about  2" hight at 50. Rifles at about 2" high at 100. Works for me.

[growalot]

Hell I just might be slinging one over each shoulder...I do not handle change well...but have watched too many bruisers just walk on by the last few years too far out...hang one and hold the other ...just in case....lol

[adkbuck]

I was going to get a savage 30-06 for this season but I'm really fond of my 44 mag carbine. I can carry it all day and don't notice it's there. It's currently sighted in at 50 yards and about 2 inches low at 100 yards

For your 44 magnum I think you should use a ballistics calculator like this free on-line one:  http://www.handloads.com/calc/

 

All you do is input the weight of your bullet in grains, its muzzle velocity, at what range would you like to sight in for zero, the height above the bore of your sight or centerline of your scope and a couple of other variables and you can easily test out a whole bunch of sightings.  Look at the resulting bullet path and see which one you think you like and fits you requirements. 

[beachpeaz]

the more important thing isn't what it is zeroed at, it is knowing where your gun shoots at all possible distances you will be shooting.  It makes no difference if you sight your gun in at 50, 100, 300, whatever.  To each their own.  You are going to get a different opinion from everyone you ask.  Just know where it hits at all those distances and you will be succesful.

[rjf611]

.35 Remington with peep sight @ 25 yards

1" high @ 50 yds

1.5" high @ 100 yds

0 @ 150 yds

Where I hunt 50 yds is probably maximum.

Edited August 9, 2014 by rjf611

[Mr VJP]

My deer rifles in 7mm-08. .308. and .30-06 are all hitting 2" high at 100 yards.  That puts them on at 200 yards and about 4" low at 300 yards.  No hold over or holding low on anything if it's within 300 yards.  That keeps things simple.

 

 

[Jeremy K]

I use a Bushnell scope with the 600DOA reticle ,center cross is for 100 yards , has a line for 50 yards and lines up to 600 . I have only shot it 300 yards and it is scary accurate .

[Pygmy]

Jack O'Connor wrote a column in "Outdoor Life" in the early sixties..

SURELY all of you guys remember that..Hehehehe.

The Title of the article was " Sight in at 25 yards".

The gist of the article was that with MOST centerfire cartridges, if you sight in dead on at 25 yards, you will be about 2-3 inches high at 100, a little high at 200, dead on at around 250, and a few inches low at 300.

SO if you hold center mass on a game animal's rib cage, you don't have to hold over or under until you get out around 300 yards, which is a pretty good poke for most of us mere mortals.

It's called point blank range...The distance you can hold dead on and still hit your target.

Keep in mind, pistol rounds ( like the .44 mag.) and cartidges with a rainbow trajectory like the 45-70 will have a shorter PBR , and flat shooters like the weatherby mags will have a longer PBR, but for many commonly used cartridges, like the .243, .270, 7mm08, .280, .308, 30-06, and 7mm rem Mag and many others, it works out pretty well.

....KISS....