.308 - What range did you zero your rifle?

Jasonsmack

Jasonsmack

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
51   0   0
Location
Sask - Southwest
Still just starting out with the Savage 10fple2b. I was just wondering what sort of range everybody is zeroing their scopes/guns in at. I am thinking 400 yards. Is this reasonable? It seems to be shooting that range fairly consistant so far considering the winds I was up against and the ammo I am using.

Anybody with a heavy contour 308 - your input/opinion would be appreciated.
 
Depends on what you want to do with it. If you want to hunt deer at reasonable range, set it in for 150. If you want to set it in for target shooting, set it in for 300-400 yards depending on what range you are shooting at. It all depends on what you're going to use the rifle for.

-Rohann
 
I have a 250-3000 for deer so this is more of a gun for paper and long-range coyote and wild boar destruction from a hidden position on the flat lands that are endless in this area. I have a target turret equipped scope and a decent laser range finder to give you guys a little better idea of my intentions. I am a little worried that if I sight the gun in at a closer range my graduations will be multiplied at further distances to the point of being to wide.

But as I said any input is going to be considered.

PS. Yes we were recently blessed with wild boars escaping a farm in the area and they are now considered varmints due to their numbers. They are very nervous and often tough to get near to out here on the prairie.
 
I live in Speedy but do most of my shooting north of here(Kyle,White Bear Lacadena, Beechy). The boars supposedly came from a farm NorthEast of Stewart Valley and have spread out and multiplied in a couple short years. They have been seen as far away as Riverhurst and Elrose. A similar thing had happened near Carlisle a few years back too and they are in the Moose Mountain Park and the game wardens there were giving permits to shoot them in the park with 30 cal and bigger centerfire only.
 
A 400 yard zero is not pracxtical for most hunting applications with the 308, IMHO.
I zero my 308's at 200 meters for hunting, and recomend all that I handload for to do the same.
For targets , I zero my rifles are zeroed at 100 yards , then I twist turrets or use simply use the MP8 reticles on my IOR scopes.

My Unertl RTB scopes don't have mil system reticles so I use the turrets....
Cat
 
Last edited:
Jason maybe I didnt read far enough, but what type of scope are you using?
do you shoot using Hold-over or do you dial in your comeups?
is it a mil-dot or hash mark scope?

This is just an opinion here, but it depends on all these things as well as how far you plan to shoot and the bullet weight.

what I found worked for me with 168gr and a mil-dot 10x scope if you have a zero of 300 yrds you can work the range from 100-800 yards using your mil-dots for hold-overs at the 10x power band. a zero at 100 yrds and you are usually out of scope at 600yrds. If you dial in your comeups its no big deal, but for quick follow up shots using holdover I found a 300 yrd zero perfect for me.

just an opinion
 
I agree with Big JD. I zeroed my scope for 200 yards and figured my come-ups from there. As long as you can determine the range this is the best method, rather than relying on hold over/under with your mildot reticle and keepign the scope set to an outlandish zero range.
 
Why not get a small notebook and write down what you zeros are for different ranges. If you are shooting targets refer to you book (or a sticker on the stock). If you are hunting your experience should tell you where to set your sights. You work in minutes of angle right? Not clicks!
 
you didn't tell us the bullet weights you're planning on using- the 180( my fav) throw a little longer but a little slower-the mpbr( maximum point blank range ) for the 308 is 267 yards- that's zero plus and minus six inches ( ie 6 inches both ways) so maximum practial is about 300- i think it drops about a foot - fifteen inches when you get to 400- out of the vital zone
 
I am not reloading yet so all I have is Hornady 168 grain Amax for now. I am planning on shooting a total of 80 of these through the gun first and then moving on to moly-coated handloads of some sort.

I am using a Barska Scope. It has the mil-dot reticle but I am not sure how accurate it is compared to the real mil-dot setup. I really have no idea how to use the reticle properly anyway. The scope has 1/8 moa click target turrets on it and that is how I plan on adjusting for range and wind conditions. I have a 20 moa Badger Ordinance rail on the gun too. I also bought a Leopold pull tape that mounts on top of the scope so I can write the ranges/moa on it once I get everything dialed in but it is blank until I get just the right cartridge for the gun.

I am starting to lean towards 300 yards after everybodys input. My gun weighs in at 14 lbs right now so I doubt I will be shooting it standing up very often. I only have 8 bullets down the barrel so far and it was zeroed at 100 yards with a laser to start with. I adjusted for range and was hitting fist-sized snow lumps with it in a dirt field by the 4th shot which were 400 yards out. If I remember right it was shooting 1/2 moa to the left and about 7moa low on the first shot. I never set up the chrony yet but that will be on the list next time I go out. I suppose I better take some targets too.
 
There are several variables to concider...
I shoot .308 from 100 to 900 yards... My zero is at 100.
Your best bet will depend on your scope/ammo combination
Knowing the velocity, weight and BC of the bullet I'm using I can print off a handy chart using one of the many free on-line ballistic calculators...
The chart will tell you what adjustments to make at given ranges...
Keeping notes is a good idea... without a written reminder I'd forget how many clicks I need to return to my original zero...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom