Sighting the rifles in

[Team Hoyt]

Now that the rain has stopped for the evening finally got out to sight the rifles in. 2" high at 100 yards. Wish I was closer. But hopefully I'll get out again 

[airedale]

Two inches high at 100 yards is the norm for the way I sight most of my rifles. My lever action close cover Marlins in 45-70 , 357 mag and 44 mag  are sighted dead on at 75 yards.

Al

[Team Hoyt]

Yeah it's not bad, still will be a kill shot. Would rather be on since I don't see myself having to shoot over a 100

[Pygmy]

1 hour ago, Team Hoyt said:

Yeah it's not bad, still will be a kill shot. Would rather be on since I don't see myself having to shoot over a 100

Why limit yourself  ?   2" high is certainly not going to make you miss or make a marginal hit at 100 yards...And what if you DO get a chance at 250 yards  ?   I agree with Airedale that sighting in at 100 is fine with high trajectory  chamberings such as 44 Mag or 45-70,  but with  many  flat shooting standard calibers, why waste perfectly good trajectory ?

[Five Seasons]

Why limit yourself  ?   2" high is certainly not going to make you miss or make a marginal hit at 100 yards...And what if you DO get a chance at 250 yards  ?   I agree with Airedale that sighting in at 100 is fine with high trajectory  chamberings such as 44 Mag or 45-70,  but with  many  flat shooting standard calibers, why waste perfectly good trajectory ?

Agreed here too. Just a reminder to others reading to check your ballistics too. Shotgun slugs are different than rifles.


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[Team Hoyt]

48 minutes ago, Pygmy said:

Why limit yourself  ?   2" high is certainly not going to make you miss or make a marginal hit at 100 yards...And what if you DO get a chance at 250 yards  ?   I agree with Airedale that sighting in at 100 is fine with high trajectory  chamberings such as 44 Mag or 45-70,  but with  many  flat shooting standard calibers, why waste perfectly good trajectory ?

Agreed. I was shooting a 30.06 and 308. Unfortunately I only have access to hunting in hard woods. That's why I figure 100 yards. I'd love to shoot farther

[wildcat junkie]

19 hours ago, Team Hoyt said:

Agreed. I was shooting a 30.06 and 308. Unfortunately I only have access to hunting in hard woods. That's why I figure 100 yards. I'd love to shoot farther

I've hunted open hardwoods where 150 yd shots are common when the deer is on the other side of a ravine.

[dbHunterNY]

good to go. don't bump the scope and shooting a nice one.

[wildcat junkie]

On 11/4/2018 at 6:08 PM, Team Hoyt said:

Now that the rain has stopped for the evening finally got out to sight the rifles in. 2" high at 100 yards. Wish I was closer. But hopefully I'll get out again 

 

On 11/4/2018 at 6:21 PM, Team Hoyt said:

Yeah it's not bad, still will be a kill shot. Would rather be on since I don't see myself having to shoot over a 100

 

On 11/4/2018 at 7:59 PM, Pygmy said:

Why limit yourself  ?   2" high is certainly not going to make you miss or make a marginal hit at 100 yards...And what if you DO get a chance at 250 yards  ?   I agree with Airedale that sighting in at 100 is fine with high trajectory  chamberings such as 44 Mag or 45-70,  but with  many  flat shooting standard calibers, why waste perfectly good trajectory ?

If you are using a cartridge that shoots a bullet with similar BC as say a 140 gr .284 Polymer tipped projectile at 2800-2900 fps. 2" high at 100 yds would put you dead on at a little over 215 yds and 2" low at about 250 yds. You would never be more than 2" above or below the LOS (Line Of Sight) at any distance from the muzzle to 250 yds.

 

However, if you sight in at 100 yds with the same combo, you will be zero from about 70 yds to 100yds and start falling below LOS from then on. At 250 yds you would 7" or more low. At the 35 yds distance that the 2" high zero crosses the LOS, you would still be almost 3/4" low with the 100 yd zero..

 

What many don't realize is that you will start out at about 1 3/4" low using medium height rings and the bullet path will be rising in relationship to the LOS until it crosses it. Sighted in 2" high at 100yds, that would occur at about 35 yds. The path would peak at 2" high between 100 and 150 yds and drop slowly until it crosses the LOS again at around 215 yds.

 

Conversely, zeroed at 100 yds, that combo will be below the LOS until it peaks at 70 yds and will stay near that peak out to 100yds where it will start to drop below the LOS.

 

With a rifle that shoots a bullet with a BC (Ballistic Coefficient) of .400 or better at moderate to high Mv (2800+ fps) there is no good reason to sight in zeroed at 100 yds when hunting anything larger than a squirrel.

 

I sight in between 2 1/2 to 2 3/4" high at 100 yds depending on caliber. That keeps the trajectory + or - 3' to between 275 to 310 yds depending on BC and MV. I just aim from the vertical center of the vitals at any distance that I normally encounter deer from my tripod stand. Most shots are between 75 and 250 yds. Of the 30+ deer I have killed from that stand, I have had to shot 1 twice when I hurried the shot at 240 yds and held high on the vitals hitting the spine. The deer dropped in its tracks and I did not wait to see if it was down for the count. AS I walked the distance the deer has reviewed enough to crawl about 10 yds. I  distathed the 2 1/2 year old buck with another bullet through the shoulder but I learned my lesson and never held high again. 

Sighting in zero at 100 yds is inviting a wounded deer if that occasional long shot presents itself. Calculating "holdover" is fraught with error in the heat of the moment.

Edited November 6, 2018 by wildcat junkie

[CapDistPatriot]

On 11/4/2018 at 6:08 PM, Team Hoyt said:

Now that the rain has stopped for the evening finally got out to sight the rifles in. 2" high at 100 yards. Wish I was closer. But hopefully I'll get out again 

What's your setup? Caliber/glass?