Zerod

[sep0667]

What yardage do most of you zero your scopes at?

Thanks for the tips on rifle/scope recommendations that I posted earlier this summer. I went with the Tikka TX3 Lite .270 topped with a Luepold VXI 3-10x40 and I have Caldwell bipods mounted on it. I took it out this week and did some shooting, it was a lot of fun. I was shoot 130 grain bullets.

First I zeroed it in for 100 yards, but felt that at 200 yards there was to much drop. So I rezeored the scope in at 150 yards. By that point I had shot about 25 rounds or so and decided to hold off as my shoulder was feeling it a bit and I want to start fresh again the next session. I feel really good at 150. I was shooting really good groups from the start just with having it bore sighted, I just needed to mainly adjust left and right mostly.

I'm thinking maybe I need to zero it in at like 175 or 200 as most shoots from what I hear are around 200 yards. I do wish I could zoom in the magnification a little more.

 

[JohnCushman]

I zero most everything at 250 yards.

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

I zero my 270 in at 200 yards. You don't have to worry about holding high or low at anything under 300 yards.

 

[406dn]

I have always adjusted the scope on my rifle so that a bullet hits 3 inches high at one hundred yards. The maximum rise is about 3.5 inches somewhere around 150 yards or so. It will be dead on at something around 275-300 yards depending on the muzzle velocity and the bc of the bullet. That lets me to hold somewhere on the body, from point blank to 400ish yards.

 

[Mallardsx2]

100 yards. I shoot a flat enough gun that I dont have to worry about holdover out to 300 yards. I rarely shoot past 200 yards anyhow.

 

[VikingsGuy]

I typically zero at 200y. But when a 100y range is all you have you can just use jbmballistics and "zero" at the indicated inches above true zero at 100y. For example with the rifle I am taking pronghorn hunting in a few weeks I have it "zeroed" at 1.5" high at 100y - which is just a tiny bit high at 200y and flat enough to take an animal out to 285y without further adjustment of turret or hold over. Using a chrono to verify velocity and then looking for a few minutes at the jbmballistics output gives one a good sense of the tool they are about to hunt with.

 

[D4570]

Ever hear of "Point blank" for any given caliber, speed, and weight bullet.
It is the point your bullet will hit in a 6" kill zone "From - to".
My 8mm rem mag with a 200 gr Barnes at 3200 fps is at like 233 yards zero,
good from 100 to 300 without any adjustment.
calculator

ShootersCalculator.com | Point Blank Range Calculator

Calculates the maximum point blank range of a firearm cartridge fired from a rifle or handgun.

www.shooterscalculator.com

Try it and see. I use it for each gun I shoot, they're all a little different.

 

[VikingsGuy]

Ever hear of "Point blank" for any given caliber, speed, and weight bullet.
It is the point your bullet will hit in a 6" kill zone "From - to".
My 8mm rem mag with a 200 gr Barnes at 3200 fps is at like 233 yards zero,
good from 100 to 300 without any adjustment.
calculator

ShootersCalculator.com | Point Blank Range Calculator

Calculates the maximum point blank range of a firearm cartridge fired from a rifle or handgun.

www.shooterscalculator.com

Try it and see. I use it for each gun I shoot, they're all a little different.

And you can do the “zeroing” at a 100y if that is easier, you just vary your “inches high at 100”.

 

[Dsnow9]

200 for all the rifles

 

[NEWHunter]

The 7mm and .243 my Dad and I will be taking for antelope this fall are both zeroed at 225. I’d be looking to zero around 200 with a .270 depending on the make up of the round you’re using - YMMV. Good luck.

 

[rmyoung1]

I have always adjusted the scope on my rifle so that a bullet hits 3 inches high at one hundred yards. The maximum rise is about 3.5 inches somewhere around 150 yards or so. It will be dead on at something around 275-300 yards depending on the muzzle velocity and the bc of the bullet. That lets me to hold somewhere on the body, from point blank to 400ish yards.

I do exactly what @406dn said above. For everything out to 325 or so, you can just hold behind the shoulder and give it a slow squeeze. Even at 400, you’re still only holding at the top of the shoulder if using a high ballistic coefficient bullet. It makes things quick and easy.

 

[nrpate05]

I zero my .270 at about 250 yards. At 150 yards its maybe 3" high and at 300 yards its about 3" low.

 

[homers]

I say it depends on what's the max distance you are willing to shoot at an animal with high degree of confidence. You could zero at 100 and use a dope card or a CDS system for longer shots. Or you could zero using the previously mentioned Max Point Blank Range https://www.chuckhawks.com/sight_rifle_mpbr.html if that covers your range based upon the max distance you are willing to shoot, the particular gun/ammo. It really depends upon your preference and answering the question in the first sentence.

 

[Mule3006Elk]

236 yards. Puts me 2.3 high/low out to 275 yards. Beyond that I dial.