26 yard zero?
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ChattanoogaPhil
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No need for guessology.
Measure sight over bore for your rifle and enter the data accordingly. Make sure to click "Advanced Options".
Ballistic Calculator GunData.org
Measure sight over bore for your rifle and enter the data accordingly. Make sure to click "Advanced Options".
Ballistic Calculator GunData.org
OP
Inkedpreacher
Member
I appreciate all the replies.I woke up sick today, so I skipped the range. But I will be trying this out soon.
cowart
US Veteran
Back in '72 at Fort Polk we zeroed our M-16s at 25 yards. I was a novice 17 year old shooter and could hit the 400 meter silhouettes. Sure surprised me.
model70hunter
Member
All three are nice choices.
Look at the chart Cowart added. Pretty nice.
A positive difference for you might be using 110 grain bullets for coyotes. Faster bullet, shoots flatter with less recoil.
Double Tap sells 110 grain new loads. Muzzle Velocity: 3465 fps ** pricey.
Federal's 110 grain load is cheaper and does 3400 FPS.
One needs to learn to reload. Cheaper in the long run if you shoot much.
One of my Dad's friends was a highway patrol man that reloaded for Dad who always had 270 110 grain reloads around. I can tell you from experience they were almost like a lazer and coyotes went down as soon as the bullet hit. The bullet did not leave a large exit wound, it seemed to explode in side.
I had one friend who swore by the 270 Win and 110 grain hand loads for deer. Jellied the lungs.
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I've used my ballistic software...
I've charted the load for my 30-06 and I know it works at the nearer ranges but I don't shoot past 100 yards. Having the highest ballistic coefficient you can get helps, but don't expect it to work with a flat tip 30-30 bullet. I like getting the theory and going out and trying to prove it in the field
I've charted the load for my 30-06 and I know it works at the nearer ranges but I don't shoot past 100 yards. Having the highest ballistic coefficient you can get helps, but don't expect it to work with a flat tip 30-30 bullet. I like getting the theory and going out and trying to prove it in the field
My Speer #9
My Speer #9 had similar data along with the velocity, energy, etc. Some loads dropped like 24" at 200 yards.
My Speer #9 had similar data along with the velocity, energy, etc. Some loads dropped like 24" at 200 yards.
And you can cook up......
Reloading REALLY saves on rifle bullets but another big attraction is that you can cook up loads at any velocity with any bullet rather than being limited to what you can buy.
Reloading REALLY saves on rifle bullets but another big attraction is that you can cook up loads at any velocity with any bullet rather than being limited to what you can buy.
Recall some advocates for a 37 yd zero on an AR in .223...... keeps everything inside a 5" diameter circle out to 300yds.
200yd
100yd
+ zero
25yds
300yds
200yd
100yd
+ zero
25yds
300yds
LittleCooner
Member
Quote from the OP and link to the article
"Using ballistic software downloaded from Remington.com, I manipulated the zero range input data until it was optimized for the greatest point-blank range. (Another great website for finding maximum point-blank range is ShootersCalculator.com.) I found that by zeroing my rifle in at 26 yards, the .270 will deliver its bullet 2.81 inches high at 100 yards, 2.80 inches high at 200 yards and 2.12 inches high at 250 yards before finally falling out of the 6-inch vital zone at 310 yards. This means that with a 26 yard zero, I can hold dead-center of a deer's vitals and kill it cleanly from 0 to 310 yards without adjusting my hold."
For many years, the whitetail deer guns in my collection have been sighted in very similar to this idea. Yes they do work, and my rule on this 270 Win and similar cases, I will just make them about 3 to 3 1/2 inch high at 100 yards so the "dead center hold on the chest" for a deer size animal will produce a hit up to the neighborhood of 400 yards. First Whitetail every shot by me in Kansas was taken because of this idea. Decided to shoot a walking large racked buck and no time for range idea, so I shot. Took the guy home and looking at the rack now. Was this woods hunter ever surprised that I hit the critter at just over 400 yards with that dead on hold? Yep, I would have guessed 250-275 yards if he had gotten away., but with that sightin idea, I put meat in the freeze and a large Kansas rack on the wall. Like everyone else, always shoot at longer ranges for fine tuning after that 26 yard zero. Remember, shooting factory stuff in factory guns at 200 yards, from a bench, will produce groups in the 2 inch size most of the time, so you never know if the gun is 2.81 inches high or 3" high at 200.
"Using ballistic software downloaded from Remington.com, I manipulated the zero range input data until it was optimized for the greatest point-blank range. (Another great website for finding maximum point-blank range is ShootersCalculator.com.) I found that by zeroing my rifle in at 26 yards, the .270 will deliver its bullet 2.81 inches high at 100 yards, 2.80 inches high at 200 yards and 2.12 inches high at 250 yards before finally falling out of the 6-inch vital zone at 310 yards. This means that with a 26 yard zero, I can hold dead-center of a deer's vitals and kill it cleanly from 0 to 310 yards without adjusting my hold."
For many years, the whitetail deer guns in my collection have been sighted in very similar to this idea. Yes they do work, and my rule on this 270 Win and similar cases, I will just make them about 3 to 3 1/2 inch high at 100 yards so the "dead center hold on the chest" for a deer size animal will produce a hit up to the neighborhood of 400 yards. First Whitetail every shot by me in Kansas was taken because of this idea. Decided to shoot a walking large racked buck and no time for range idea, so I shot. Took the guy home and looking at the rack now. Was this woods hunter ever surprised that I hit the critter at just over 400 yards with that dead on hold? Yep, I would have guessed 250-275 yards if he had gotten away., but with that sightin idea, I put meat in the freeze and a large Kansas rack on the wall. Like everyone else, always shoot at longer ranges for fine tuning after that 26 yard zero. Remember, shooting factory stuff in factory guns at 200 yards, from a bench, will produce groups in the 2 inch size most of the time, so you never know if the gun is 2.81 inches high or 3" high at 200.
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ChattanoogaPhil
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An AR has a very high sight over bore around 2.5in. I use a 50yd zero on my AR. Keeps it within +/- 2in of line of sight out to 250yds. Perfect for my area which is heavily wooded.
In contrast, A 25yd zero woukd put the bullet a half foot above line of sight at 100yds and a whopping 9in high at 200yds.
Sight over bore and your shooting environment will dictate the best zero for you.
In contrast, A 25yd zero woukd put the bullet a half foot above line of sight at 100yds and a whopping 9in high at 200yds.
Sight over bore and your shooting environment will dictate the best zero for you.
armenius
US Veteran
One great source for shooters is the book"Shoot Better II By Charles Matthews".It is out of print but Amazon has a few used copies.At the time of it's 1995 edition it listed the path of each commercial bullet-cartridge combination made.Better yet it explained the Point Blank technique where no over or under hold for various ranges was not necessary. You should see the looks I get explaining this to my deer hunter friends who buy the latest " Long range rifles and expensive high power scopes" ,sight in at 100 yards dead on,brag about their groups then miss a 250 yard deer by "holding over",when a center mass aim would have been perfect if sighted in correctly.
I just sighted in my DPMS AR-15 using the 26yd Zero... UTG 4x32 scope mounted low no riser firing 55gn FMJ.
In concept it seems to work but the bottom line. Nothing replaces taking the shot at distance and verifying. I found that 100yd shots were on paper at best. At 26yd I had 3 shot groups inside a dime 3 straight times. It still took adjustments to be 1" high at 100yd.
So I'm going to beat the dead horse of a lot of previous posters. Get out and shoot... Nothing beats the smell of gun powder and hits on target.
In concept it seems to work but the bottom line. Nothing replaces taking the shot at distance and verifying. I found that 100yd shots were on paper at best. At 26yd I had 3 shot groups inside a dime 3 straight times. It still took adjustments to be 1" high at 100yd.
So I'm going to beat the dead horse of a lot of previous posters. Get out and shoot... Nothing beats the smell of gun powder and hits on target.
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5Wire
Member
I use something like this set up at a known distance, say 25 yards. Pick a "ladder" crossing for point of aim that corresponds to the trajectory rise or fall at that distance in order to hit the bull.
This uses .22 caliber as an example but should work with any caliber within the ladder and trajectory range. Adaptations might be necessary to accommodate larger drop values.
Like this, maybe:
This uses .22 caliber as an example but should work with any caliber within the ladder and trajectory range. Adaptations might be necessary to accommodate larger drop values.
Like this, maybe:
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DWalt
Member
As has been mentioned many times previously, you really must know the muzzle velocity and the weight and ballistic coefficient of the bullet you are using, plus the distance between the bore centerline and the line of sight, to choose a proper zero distance to maximize your PBR. Having said that, the use of an approximate 25 yard zero will in most situations assure you of getting within the kill radius of any larger game at up to 150 yards, and possibly further. However, it is always better to sight-in at a longer distance, say 100 yards, if at all possible. Getting your group center at about 1.5"-2" above the point of aim at 100 yards will pretty much ensure a good hit within the kill radius at up to 250 yards or thereabouts. Now, whether you can lead on a moving target enough to make a good shot is an entirely different matter. Sometimes game doesn't stand stock still long enough so you can shoot it without worrying about such things as leading enough or too much.
For those who have not used it, there is a very excellent website ballistic calculator at JBM - Calculations - Trajectory which will do all of the PBR arithmetic for you. It is good enough that even the ammunition companies use it.
For those who have not used it, there is a very excellent website ballistic calculator at JBM - Calculations - Trajectory which will do all of the PBR arithmetic for you. It is good enough that even the ammunition companies use it.
LVSteve
Member
There is a special chart on one of my computers for zeroing an AR-15 with an EOTech that uses a short distance (15-25 yards, I forget) and a laser boresighter. It probably wouldn't please a bullseye shooter, but it's close enough for killing men, apparently.
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