long range zero?

[Coach W]

Thanks this is the type of responses I was looking for.

I was mostly wondering if its better to have it dialed in farther to keep from dialing up as much in a hunting situation. If I'm just out punching paper that doesn't matter but under hunting conditions you want things as quick as possible, or I do.

I thought it pointless to have a 100yd zero if when sighted in at 200yd it's only an inch off at 100 but others seem to like it.. Again purely for hunting

While hunting I never dial in. I just hold over. That's why I have my rifles zeroed like this. 257 breaks down like this:
100=+2.7
200= +3.3
300= 0
400= -7.9
500= -21.2

Most of my shots are shorter than 300 average being 90-125 yards. But in that second I can steady the rifle see where the target is, holdover and squeeze.

Anything 300 under I center crosshairs vertically on the target and squeeze. At 400 rest the crosshairs on the back. No need to fiddle with clicks in the heat of the moment.

I've been holding over for years with the 30-06 my longest kill was 450 yards on a full moon night. piled up a few pigs in that same spot that night... Silhouetted by the moon reflecting off the water. I usually don't shoot at stuff past 500 yards though..

[bphillips]

cool thanks guys... looks like I'll be putting quite a few more rounds down the tube tomorrow just to make sure I can hold her steady

[ducks-and-bucks]

I don't understand what's funny. With a 100 yard zero I can shoot my 100 yard groups, no worries about anything. After that I just use my turrets for whatever range I shoot. If you use the scope there's no reason to play the holdover kentucky windage game.

[ducks-and-bucks]

I can understand some people that are quick to pull the trigger wanting a 200 yard zero so they can throw their gun up and shoot as fast as they can. For me its totally opposite. And again this is just me... I save the throwing a gun up quick and shooting for bird hunting and shooting clays with a shot gun. All of the shooting I do with a scoped rifle is dialed in and squeezed off. Sure, I'll be the first to admit that I have missed shot opportunities, but for me a missed opportunity is much better than a badly placed shot. Mostly speaking for deer hunting here...

[westtexducks]

I can understand some people that are quick to pull the trigger wanting a 200 yard zero so they can throw their gun up and shoot as fast as they can. For me its totally opposite. And again this is just me... I save the throwing a gun up quick and shooting for bird hunting and shooting clays with a shot gun. All of the shooting I do with a scoped rifle is dialed in and squeezed off. Sure, I'll be the first to admit that I have missed shot opportunities, but for me a missed opportunity is much better than a badly placed shot. Mostly speaking for deer hunting here...

Wow, you honestly think people that zero at 200 are just quick shooters? It is all about simplicity when you are in the field, me having to jack with a turret could cost me the shot of a lifetime when that monster deer pauses for the 10 seconds needed for me to acquire the target and shoot. I site my rifles in 1.5 high at 100 dead at 200 around 6 low inches for 300 and 17 low at 400 that is all on fur hold over for a normal sized deer and if I miss judge the range say it is 200 and not 300 I will still be in the vitals so it gives me some room for error compared to me missing if I had played with the turrets. Heck I have smoked more than a few muley does at 300-350 yards with MLD tags that would have got away if I was playing with a turret, just pulled up the gun, put the reticle about 3/4 way up the deer and squeeze the trigger.

[trophy8]

I don't understand what's funny. With a 100 yard zero I can shoot my 100 yard groups, no worries about anything. After that I just use my turrets for whatever range I shoot. If you use the scope there's no reason to play the holdover kentucky windage game.

whats funny is you assumed folks who zero at 200 dont know what they are doing.... that is all

as for shooting groups at 100, the group will be the same size regardless if you hit dead center or not. if its shooting 2 inches high or 8 inches left, as long as your point of aim stays the same, the group will be the same size....

if it gives me a couple more inches at 300, then it helps.... i can adjust my turrets based off of a 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 yard zero.... like you said, if you USE the scope, you can do as you please really. but a further zero CAN help in certain situations.

i dont really care to guess at a hold over. i wont shoot if i dont feel confident i can make the shot. each shooter is different and has their own comfort level and prefferances

[wsteffen]

Keep it at 200.

Yup and a good scope with BDC

[browndown]

200 yds. on my .270 with Buckmaster Nikon with BDC. Works like a charm.

[d_e_smith]

I'll zero my magnums @ 300 ...Since their ballistics almost mirror each other past that and I've got the same scope/reticle on all of them I've got a quick holdover cheat for hunting. For the rifles w/ CDS I'll just start from 100. I can turn it for 300 and use holdover or just go ahead and dial if there's time.

[db@100]

just like it says;

db@100

dead bull at 100

[Boomerang]

If you are shooting deer sized targets, zero for 300 yards is good because you don't have to worry about hitting a coyote sized target and if you are shooting long range. Shots under 400 yards I zero for 200 yards.

[Jason19]

I don't understand what's funny. With a 100 yard zero I can shoot my 100 yard groups, no worries about anything. After that I just use my turrets for whatever range I shoot. If you use the scope there's no reason to play the holdover kentucky windage game.

Almost everything is relative to what your application is so it may not apply to everyone but, coming from the military and using hold offs on moving targets I have found that applying the same for game or hunting works just as well. If you know your rifle and your BC it is a lot faster then dialing in.

This is a crappy video shot with a phone but it shows my partner and I at a competition shooting with hold offs from 300m out to 750m with a 500m zero.
Again, this is simulating a combat environment with various targets at different ranges but I have found it to come in handy around the ranch.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HvG9fMnIQY

[ducks-and-bucks]

Ah, makes since I guess. I can see how the different areas would come into play too.

[BrianL]

I don't understand what's funny. With a 100 yard zero I can shoot my 100 yard groups, no worries about anything. After that I just use my turrets for whatever range I shoot. If you use the scope there's no reason to play the holdover kentucky windage game.

Guess it is what someone got use to shooting. I'm trying to learn to use the turrents, but for now I can Kentucky windage better than figure out turning knobs while hunting. I can see 6" high and 4 " to the right in my scope. Figuring out how many clicks that is at 370 yards, which way to turn the knob without looking, may be second nature someday, but not today.

[ducks-and-bucks]

IMO only. Thats what the mils in my scopes are for and why I use mils/mils. If I know I need to go up 4 mils on my turrets, I can just use the reticle and use the 4 mil hold off. Then there is no adjusting in a quick situation. You kind of get your closer firing solutions memorized after a while. But not every scope can do this kind of stuff.