Sighting In Rifles

[oneshot]

Use to be I would Sight my Rifles in for 50 yards and do just fine even shooting over Grain Fields. But got away from this went to 100 yards because everyone said that this was what I had to do.

Here it is Woods hunting and very seldom shoot a Deer over 50 yards. So I’m thinking just sight my Rifles in couple inches high at 50 yards.

Thoughts???

oneshot

[fishinwrench]

Download the Strelok Pro app and play with that awhile.   If all your input data is correct it will be 100% balls on.

[MOPanfisher]

Sight it in dead on at 50 yards or an inch high and never think twice about it again.  

[fishinwrench]

11 minutes ago, MOPanfisher said:

Sight it in dead on at 50 yards or an inch high and never think twice about it again.  

While that probably works fine (close enough) in most cases, your way better off setting your windage adjustment at your furthest range.   A zero at 50 could easily be 2' right/left at 150.

[MOPanfisher]

You have been reading too many baloney articles about Maximum Point Blank Range.  Sight it in at the most common distance to be dead on, test fire it at your longer range and sleep well at night.  Way back when I didn't think twice about long range shots and shot a 7 Mag the dead on at 100 yards and know a little bit about the ballistics left a bunch of critters kicking in the dirt.  50 to 100 yards the difference in drop is gonna be less than the human factor for most people.  

[MOPanfisher]

FW I just re-read your reply.  You are talking about Windage i.e.left/right yes?  Shouldnt change unless there is a crosswind or something else is affecting it.  Or am I missing something here, which is quite possible as I am enjoying some decently good pain meds right now.

[fishinwrench]

Aside from true wind effect, even in totally calm conditions, you're very likely to have a significant windage error at long range if sighted in at a mere 50 yards.  

Consider that 4 clicks is hardly measurable at 50, but is a significant adjustment at 150-200

[jdmidwest]

There is no standard.  Different loads, barrel length, calibers all come into play.  Download a good ballistic app and plug in your rifle and load to see how to sight in.

223 out of a 16 barrel will be pretty flat out to 200 yards.  30 cal and above perform more in an arc and will drop considerable.

[Terrierman]

Nearly every manufacturer of every load posts external ballistics data and charts.  Also widely available for blackpowder shooting.

[MOPanfisher]

JD well there are standards but certainly no absolutes.  The MPBR is an example, one which i obviously have never agreed with.  A good 30--30 load shouldn't be much different at 50 than 100 but will drop faster as the distance grows for sure.  FW on most scope 4 clicks is very measurable, should be 1/2 inch at 50 yards as most scopes are one click to a quarter inch at 100.  I guess I am assuming perfect dead center windage adjustment.  Which is most certainly more noticeable at longer ranges, you are correct there.   All that aside a .30-30 sighted deadon or 1 inch high at 50 will easily hit within the kill zone at 100.  Assuming the shooter does their part correctly and the rifle is accurate enough to begin with.  I have had rifles that with some loads would have a 4 inch group at 50 yards, but give it a load it likes and it suddenly made beautiful small groups at 100.  For some guys it is almost witchcraft what they can do, I left that behind years ago when I realized I just wasn't good enough for that level.  Good enough is still good enough. 9 times out of 10 a miss is due to the shooter, too many times with family members or at special hunts I have seen shooters lament the inaccuracy of their rifle, or the scope must have gotten bumped, quick trip to a range shows it is shooting perfectly.  I have also seen hunters show up with a rifle they have used before but with a new unopened box of wonder bullets that often don't impact any where close to where their original ones did.  I am enjoying a little shooting related stuff this time of year.