At what distance should you zero your rifle?
Well, that all depends on what you are doing, where you are doing it, and what caliber you are shooting.
The most common distance to zero your rifle is 100 yards. In my opinion, this is the best place to start. Other common distance are 50, 200, and 300 yards. Each distance has a specific purpose.
We'll start with the most common zero of 100 yards.
With most common rifle calibers for hunting and target shooting (e.g. 223, .308, 30.06) with 100 yard zero, anywhere from 10 - 150 yards you will likely be within about 2 to 3 inches of your bullseye. This is acceptable for almost every type of shooting other than precision and competition. With hunting, depending on your location, most animals will be taken within this distance. For precision longrange and competition shooting, I like to use a 100 yard zero. One reason for this is, I like to dial my elevation on my scopes' turrets to take a shot. With a 100 yard zero, if I have a target past 100 I will have to dial up. With a target closer than 100 yards, I will also dial up. I don't like having to dial down or hold under. Dialing up or using a hold over is much more simple.
The next most common zero is probably going to be 200 yards. (Some people will use 150) This is most common for hunting purposes with a scope that is not meant to dial on the turrets to take a shot. From 100 to 300 yards with a 200 yard zero, your bullet will be within the vitals of most medium game.
Also for hunting purposes, a 300 yard zero may be used with high powered magnum or very fast moving, aka "flat shooting" cartridges. To me, this sounds like the best way to get "lost". Unless you have a lot of practice judging distance up and down hill,(assuming you are hunting bigger game in North America, which is why you are using a magnum caliber) 250 - 300 can be very hard to tell apart. Just like 300 - 350 and 350 - 400. Now, add in the element of the deceitfulness of shooting up and down hill (up hill can look closer and not as steep and down hill can look further away and very steep) and needing to compensate for angle of fire. This just doesn't sound very efficient to me.
Under certain conditions, in a military application, a 500 yard zero may be used (just like the 300 yard zero) with calibers like .300 Winchester Magnum, .338 Lapua Magnum and .50 BMG. If you have a sniper aka "Overwatch" protecting a platoon, they may be out past 200 to 300 yards. You may not have a soft target interdiction within 300 to 500 yards. So a 500 yard zero may be appropriate in this situation. You would use your drop chart and data to dial in at 500 yards, then use your mil-dots in your scope for a reference to hold over at targets further away.
Even though you can use any distance to zero your rifle, another common distance is 50 yards. This will be most common for
.22lr or rifles shooting subsonic ammo, like 300 blackout. Some common reasons for zeroing at 50 yards is, with a .22, you will most likely just not shoot that far. There are also .22 competitions done at 50 yards. With 300 blackout being commonly used to hunt pigs, using subsonic ammo with a silencer is very quiet and can confuse the pigs, allowing you to take multiple shots with success. Being a slower moving round, it's best for shorter distances. Another reason for a 50 yard zero would be hunting in a very dense area with lots of trees and brush (so dense that you cannot see past 50 yards).
All in all, choose what best fits your needs, environment and style. Try different zeros and see what you like best. Keep shooting and be safe.
The Overwatch
📷
Commenti