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Old 05-05-2011, 01:53 PM
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CPTBeaker CPTBeaker is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stevelee24 View Post
i zero from 10 yards then tried a few shots from 50 yards and it was about 7 inches off.

This is likely the problem. If you zero at 10 yards, you are going to be off at 50 yards. By definition, 'zero'ing means to adjust your sighting system to hit where you are aiming (at your zero distance). By adjusting your scope at a 10yard range, you are setting it up to, well..., hit your target at a 10 yard range.

I zero my scope at a 50 yard range and get the group you see in the picture in my link at 50 yards. If I keep the same setting on my scope and shoot at a 100yard target, aiming the crosshairs at the bullseye, I'm always going to be off target 5-8" depending on ammo. It's simple mechanics and sighting theory.

Also, don't forget that your scope sits a couple of inches above the bore line of your barrel. The closer you get to your target, the more effect this distance above your boreline has on your point of impact. It's most common to zero a .22 at 25yds or 50 yards, not 10yds. At 10 yds, the distance your scope sits above your boreline is going to be an issue. For distance closer or farther than your zero'd distance, you have to adjust your point of aim (POA) to compensate.

If you already know this, I appologize for the basic explanation.

Also, if you are using a centerfire scope, it's likely the parallax is set at 100yds. This means that any movement of your eye off center of the scope will have an effect on your point of impact at a distance other than 100yds. Rimfire scopes often have a fixed parallax of 50yds. Some scopes have a side focus that allows you to adjust the parallax to different ranges.

Last edited by CPTBeaker; 05-05-2011 at 02:04 PM.
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