Sight in range for elk?

[SwampLander]

Hello,
Southern white tail hunter here and I generally only sight the rifle I intend to elk hunt with in at 100 yards. It is a 270 WIN with 3x9-50 Leopold. I dont have target turrets on this gun, nor do I have a BDC reticent. This is my setup if I want to afford the tag so it is what it is. What do most guys singht in at for elk hunting? I ask because listening to a pod cast the other day and a well respected elk hunter mentioned his was sighted in at 300.

 

[OhBoneCollector]

Depends on the rifle. Review the drop charts for your round and go from there. Most folks use 300 yds as a general rule of thumb and it actually works very well. However, if you are OCD like me, you will want to be 4" high and 4" low of center point of the elk vitals (this leaving a little for error). Find this range/distance and you'll be set. Be sure to verify at the range.

 

[Deleted member 20812]

Your setup is fine. I use the MPBR method because I do not have turrets, and I use a duplex reticle.

What is Maximum Point Blank Range

Here is an example: Let's say you are deer hunting. The vital zone of deer is roughly 8 inches. Using the calculator it tells you that you should zero your rifle at 250 yards and that the MPBR is 300 yards. That means that if you aim at the center of the vital zone of a deer at any range between 0 and 300 yards, you will hit the vital zone. This means that you do not need to worry about any bullet drop or holding over if the animal is within the MPBR.

One description of the MPBR concept that has been used a lot over the years is to visualize shooting with your barrel centered inside an imaginary pipe. The size of the target determines the size of the pipe. The maximum point blank range is the furthest distance at which a bullet fired from a rifle will stay inside the pipe without hitting the top or the bottom.

If you've shot over a chrono and have accurate coefficients for your bullet, you can simply calculate your drops at 300-400 and use holdover.

A 300 yard zero may put you pretty high at 150-200. For elk it might not be an issue, but for deer it sure could be.

 

[OhBoneCollector]

Better stated by JLS. Thanks.

 

[Ridge Ghost]

A 300 yard zero might not be the best of a deer pops out at close range. Look into a 200 yard zero, which should put you at 1.5" high @ 100y.

 

[Bambistew]

Don't over think it. 3" high at 100, is about 3-4" low at 300. 99% of the animals I've shot have been inside 300 yards. No clue how many that is, but at last count it included 26 elk, a few even shot with a lowly 270 and a 4x scope...

 

[VikingsGuy]

. . . use the MPBR method . . .

+1 for MPBR and stay inside of 300yds (pretty much max pbr for all factory non-magnum rounds)

 

[wannakillabigbull]

MPBR is the best way to go in my opinion. But based on how you stated the question you don't sound like you want to get super sciency about it, and frankly for most people it's not truly necessary. To keep it simple I would sight it in dead on at 200. You'll be somewhere around 1.5 inches high at 100 yards and 6 inches low at 300 yards depending on your load.

Regardless, whatever you do, shoot your rifle out to 300 yards after sighting in so you know where it hits. And consider doing so once you arrive at your elk hunt as I imagine the elevation will be significantly higher which will flatten out your trajectory a little bit. Good luck!

 

[5Speedjim]

I'm about 3 1/2" high at 100yds with my 7mm SAUM. I put it on them and shoot. Got a doe antelope at 300yds. No guessing

 

[nrpate05]

I like to sight in to be dead on at 200 yards. With my 7mm, this is about 1.5" high @ 100 and about 7" low @ 300. Head to the range and see where your bullet hits at 300 yards and hold however high you have to when shooting at an animal. With a .270 you shouldn't have to hold that high. Definitely not out of the fur. I wouldn't feel comfortable shooting farther than 300 with a duplex reticle.

 

[huntrfish]

I like to be dead on at 250 yards. However, I will shoot at 100, 200, 250, 300, 400 and 500 while practicing, to know exactly what my bullet will do. If I need to make 100 yard shot, I know where to hold. If I need a 400 yard shot, I know where to hold.

I usually will tape a "drop Chart" to my stock too. This can help quickly if you know an animal is at 350, and you cant remember if your shooting the 30-06, or the .243. Just food for thought.

 

[Sytes]

Center @ 200. I find my 300 and it's typically tight with the ballistics calculator.

However, it makes sense... I may try that.

We all have our skillz to ponder. Mine don't reach beyond 350 (maybe touching 4 though it would have to be a real steady shot) while feeling confident I'll make an ethical shot so 2 or 300 to zero? I dunno. May have to give this 300 a go.

 

[SwampLander]

Great thoughts guys I am liking the MPBR method. I have never heard of this which is surprising to me. I am into long range shooting just with a different gun which I am sure as hell not lugging around the mountains of Colorado. I do intend to upgrade this gun to a VX3i sometime. I actually like to science up stuff so I hand load and chrono my stuff this gun is shooting 2946 (5 shot average) pushing Barnes LRX 129gr with a BC of .463. in shooter giving a 5 inch up down variation (for elk) I am good out to 350 if I zero at 300. Does this sound right?

 

[Brian in Montana]

Don't over think it. 3" high at 100, is about 3-4" low at 300. 99% of the animals I've shot have been inside 300 yards. No clue how many that is, but at last count it included 26 elk, a few even shot with a lowly 270 and a 4x scope...

This.

This is exactly what I do. Its very simple and allows for an appropriate margin of error at reasonable hunting ranges.

 

[mtmuley]

Don't over think it. 3" high at 100, is about 3-4" low at 300. 99% of the animals I've shot have been inside 300 yards. No clue how many that is, but at last count it included 26 elk, a few even shot with a lowly 270 and a 4x scope...

Yep. mtmuley

 

[SilverDollars]

Don't over think it. 3" high at 100, is about 3-4" low at 300. 99% of the animals I've shot have been inside 300 yards. No clue how many that is, but at last count it included 26 elk, a few even shot with a lowly 270 and a 4x scope...

Ditto 3 inches high at 100 yards!

 

[LMD423]

We run 3 inch high at a hundred . 300wsm and 308 win both vx 2 scopes

 

[Elkdog]

We do the same. It's always worked just fine.

 

[OhBoneCollector]

If you really want to get technical, find the sweet spot (will not be 200 or 300 yards) and sight the gun it for said yardage. There will be no hold-over. As an example, a rifle is zeroed at 240yds. This puts bullet 3" high at 100 and 3" low at 300 yards. There is never any guess work. Aim and shot out to 300 yards.

* For the ballistic 'geeks' (my hats off to you) this is purely an example.

 

[VikingsGuy]

If you really want to get technical, find the sweet spot (will not be 200 or 300 yards) and sight the gun it for said yardage. There will be no hold-over. As an example, a rifle is zeroed at 240yds. This puts bullet 3" high at 100 and 3" low at 300 yards. There is never any guess work. Aim and shot out to 300 yards.

* For the ballistic 'geeks' (my hats off to you) this is purely an example.

And that is what is known as maximum point blank range . . .