What distance to zero red dot on shotgun?

[IanON]

I am putting a red dot on a shotgun I will be carrying with me on my acreage, it will be utilized for pest control and bear defence.

What distance would you guys suggest zeroing the dot at?

CGN Chat GPT engage!

 

[Blastattack]

25-50 yards.

 

[Winchester1973]

50 yards

 

[mcaswell]

About the distance where you're gonna say "Oh s**t, I'd better hit this bear or I'm dead."

Now that I think about it, I've never gotten within 25 yards of a bear before it wandered off or I backed away (that was a momma bear whose cub I'd scared up a tree). We only have black bears around here though.

 

[emerson]

Slugs or buckshot? Buckshot 25-30 yds. Slugs 50.

 

[Bubba Yugga]

50 yards. Anything under that won't make a difference.

 

[enefgee]

Slugs at 50, buckshot will be close enough to that at 25 because of the spread - 1 inch per yard, unless your barrel is choked or Vang Comped. Either way spend an afternoon patterning the SG with the ammo you intend to carry from 10 feet to 25 yards. Know your spread, don't guess. Use a circle dot reticle.

 

[lucky07]

When I zeroed the one I sometimes use for coyote hunting I used cheap 00 buck that patterned very well in that shotgun and shot into the 50 yard berm when it was covered in snow which made it real easy to see where I was hitting, just put the dot dead center of the main pattern ignoring any flyers.

 

[Butcherbill]

I zero at 50 with slugs and then shoot at 25 & 15 to verify poi, as well as pattern some buckshot out to 25y

 

[Boombb]

Aim small miss small. ... 50s my vote

 

[Snider shooter]

My Mossberg 535 is set up for shooting slugs. It has a fully rifled 24” barrel. I site in for 100 meters as it gets used for slugs only If I was using a smooth bore with buckshot I would go with 50 meters.

 

[0faustus0]

50 meters ... and know how to holdover/compensate for 100 meters ...


0 to 50 meters .... there is no difference with respect to point of aim ....

 

[brybenn]

I zero mine at 30 yards

 

[GimpyGolden]

I zero at 15m, gives me a second zero just past 50m and a 7" hold at 100.

 

[the spank]

The first bear you shoot at will tell you if you're zero'd in or not...

 

[emerson]

The first bear you shoot at will tell you if you're zero'd in or not...

Yup. Sometimes these things just work themselves out naturally.

 

[IanON]

So it seems like a 50 yrd zero with slugs is the winner, or take a shot at an angry bear and figure it out from there lol.


Thanks CGN.

 

[mudgunner49]

Slugs at 50, buckshot will be close enough to that at 25 because of the spread - 1 inch per yard, unless your barrel is choked or Vang Comped. Either way spend an afternoon patterning the SG with the ammo you intend to carry from 10 feet to 25 yards. Know your spread, don't guess. Use a circle dot reticle.

Pretty much this right here...

 

[alpining]

Whatever you zero at, realize that your height over bore can be a significant issue at close range.