I am looking for the best distance to sight my Mosin w/scope and I came across a bit on info that confuses me. Some people are sighting 30-06's for 300 yards which they say allows them to hit zero at 100 yards, hit 2.5" high at 200 yards and hit zero again at 300 yards. Is there any truth to this because I was planning on sighting for 200 yards which should give me about 2.5" high at 100 yards and about -8" at 300 yards. I did look on the net but very few people are talking about bullets passing through zero more than once.
Best sighting distance for hunting
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deadeyes40
CGN Regular
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- nova scotia
depending on the bullet you choose.we have always sighted our 30-06's for dead on at 25 yards which puts them 2/2.5 inches high at 100 and should be about dead on 225 yards.this will allow you to hold about center or a touch higher on a deer sized animal out to 300 yards and still make a vital hit.
Pretty common to sight in for 200 yards. Take your load and plug it into this calculator:
http://www.biggameinfo.com/BalCalc.aspx
Play around with your zero and see how high you are at certain distances. This calculator will also give you what is called maximum point blank range. That is the maximum range you can zero your rifle where you have no holdover and can hold dead on.
With your Mosin MPBR is proabably about 265 yards when zerod at 220 yards. Meaning if you zero your rifle at 220 yards you can hold dead on a target out to 265 yards. Obviously these numbers will change with differnet loads.
http://www.biggameinfo.com/BalCalc.aspx
Play around with your zero and see how high you are at certain distances. This calculator will also give you what is called maximum point blank range. That is the maximum range you can zero your rifle where you have no holdover and can hold dead on.
With your Mosin MPBR is proabably about 265 yards when zerod at 220 yards. Meaning if you zero your rifle at 220 yards you can hold dead on a target out to 265 yards. Obviously these numbers will change with differnet loads.
When shooting a scope you will always hit zero once on the way up with the bullet and once one the way down since it travels in an arc. To determine where the zero points are on both ends you pretty much have to work it out on your own with your own gun and loadings.
As far as I recall when sighting for 100m you pass above your zero at around 25m and down at 100m. The 100/300m you mention could be possible but I personally have no experience with sighting as such.
As far as I recall when sighting for 100m you pass above your zero at around 25m and down at 100m. The 100/300m you mention could be possible but I personally have no experience with sighting as such.
In my opinion, and this is only what I do:
I look at a trajectory calculator and depending on the load I find the farthest distance I can zero at where the highest point of the arc of the bullet is no more than 3" high. I figure that my own abilities are limited (I am human you know
) so with a free hand shot closer than my zero, with no ability to brace on anything, I can make a fast and accurate shot into the boilermaker of a deer every time.
I know this puts some zeros at odd distances: I think my Norc M305 is zeroed at 260 yards or something, but the max height on the arc is 2.9" at 175 yards or so. I also know that even rested for far shots I would not push farther than 350 yards with my M305: the accuracy inherent to the gun combined with my skill level defines this. I never bother with the 25 or whatever close sight-in: I always find a way to sight in at 100 yards or more, but with a good ballistics calculator I can figure what is right at 100 yards after only a few far zero practice shots. The key to this is knowing that on a fast free hand shot within that 260 yards I can hit that deer and drop it everytime: no tracking. I don't practice for bench shooting and/or perfection: I practice for real application to bring home my winter's meat.
As for applying this to your gun: it is your choice. If it does what you need it to, I suppose there is no right or wrong in some sense.
I look at a trajectory calculator and depending on the load I find the farthest distance I can zero at where the highest point of the arc of the bullet is no more than 3" high. I figure that my own abilities are limited (I am human you know
) so with a free hand shot closer than my zero, with no ability to brace on anything, I can make a fast and accurate shot into the boilermaker of a deer every time.I know this puts some zeros at odd distances: I think my Norc M305 is zeroed at 260 yards or something, but the max height on the arc is 2.9" at 175 yards or so. I also know that even rested for far shots I would not push farther than 350 yards with my M305: the accuracy inherent to the gun combined with my skill level defines this. I never bother with the 25 or whatever close sight-in: I always find a way to sight in at 100 yards or more, but with a good ballistics calculator I can figure what is right at 100 yards after only a few far zero practice shots. The key to this is knowing that on a fast free hand shot within that 260 yards I can hit that deer and drop it everytime: no tracking. I don't practice for bench shooting and/or perfection: I practice for real application to bring home my winter's meat.
As for applying this to your gun: it is your choice. If it does what you need it to, I suppose there is no right or wrong in some sense.
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Im not sure one can be zero at 100 and zero at 300 and +2.5@ 200 with a 30-06.
Maybe zero at 25yd, +3@100, +4@200 and zero @300yds with the 150 gr
30-06.
Look at a ballistic calculator using your loaded caliber and weight bullet.
Set the Ballistic calc. zero @ 300yds with your scope height.
See what the ballistic calc says bullet height is @100yds.
Then set up and shoot @ 100yd until you are where ballistic calc says bullet should impact @100.
Now place target @ 300 yds and shoot. See where it actually impacts compared to the ballistic calc.
Then adjust the velocity used in ballistic calc until the calc matches your actual impact results @ 300yd.
You have now "trued" the ballistic calc to your gun/barrel/scope out to 300yds.(I usually go back and shoot @ 100 and 200yds to verify them also)
The ballistic calc can now be used to project your impact out to longer distance. Which will tell your holdover.
Maybe zero at 25yd, +3@100, +4@200 and zero @300yds with the 150 gr
30-06.
Look at a ballistic calculator using your loaded caliber and weight bullet.
Set the Ballistic calc. zero @ 300yds with your scope height.
See what the ballistic calc says bullet height is @100yds.
Then set up and shoot @ 100yd until you are where ballistic calc says bullet should impact @100.
Now place target @ 300 yds and shoot. See where it actually impacts compared to the ballistic calc.
Then adjust the velocity used in ballistic calc until the calc matches your actual impact results @ 300yd.
You have now "trued" the ballistic calc to your gun/barrel/scope out to 300yds.(I usually go back and shoot @ 100 and 200yds to verify them also)
The ballistic calc can now be used to project your impact out to longer distance. Which will tell your holdover.
For decades, I have used +3" @ 100 yards for all my scope sighted rifles.
Then, after chronographing the load I will use, I plot the trajectory.
Then as a final check, I shoot the rifle at all anticipated distances to see if the path is correct.
Sometimes it is good, sometimes it is not. I adjust accordingly.
With some chamberings, the PBR is less than 300 yards, with others over 300.
For example, in my 30-06, if I sight the 165 Accubond +3" @ 100,[2910 fps] it will have a PBR on a deer size target of right around 325 yards.
Regards, Eagleye.
Then, after chronographing the load I will use, I plot the trajectory.
Then as a final check, I shoot the rifle at all anticipated distances to see if the path is correct.
Sometimes it is good, sometimes it is not. I adjust accordingly.
With some chamberings, the PBR is less than 300 yards, with others over 300.
For example, in my 30-06, if I sight the 165 Accubond +3" @ 100,[2910 fps] it will have a PBR on a deer size target of right around 325 yards.
Regards, Eagleye.
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
The zero range for your rifle should be relative to the velocity of its load. A cartridge which produces 2100 fps does well with a zero range of 150 yards, 2500 fps, 200 yards, and 3000 fps could manage a 250 yard zero.
there's a table out there that gives a mpbr( maximum point blank range) and "first crosses line of sight at "- ie, for the 308/180/2610 it says 267 yards- and 27 yards- so, you sight your rifle at the 27 yards and check it at say 250- the mpbr is the maximum point blank range plus or minus 3 inches- that still puts you in the kill zone- for the 06. it's 276, all others are the same, and for the 300 win mag it's 325- you can see the range getting longer as the powder consumption goes up
You can set zero on your rifle at any range you bloody well want.
If that distance is beyond the abilites of either the shooter or the rifle or both...your living a dream.
Sight in so that you make the most of yours and the rifles capabilites.
Get off the bench and shoot in the field positions you like to use, be it standing, kneeling, sitting, off a shooting stick what ever. When your group size on repeated groupings (3) stay under 10" that is as far as you the hunter should be shooting.
I'd wager that is not much more than 200yds for the average hunter.
A lot less if your an offhand shooter.
Then establish what your rifle actuially does for the trajectory within your limits.
Sight in the rifle accordingly.
Sorry but tables and books mean nothing unless you the "Nut Behind the Bolt", can put the pill where it counts, on a very regular basis.
If that distance is beyond the abilites of either the shooter or the rifle or both...your living a dream.
Sight in so that you make the most of yours and the rifles capabilites.
Get off the bench and shoot in the field positions you like to use, be it standing, kneeling, sitting, off a shooting stick what ever. When your group size on repeated groupings (3) stay under 10" that is as far as you the hunter should be shooting.
I'd wager that is not much more than 200yds for the average hunter.
A lot less if your an offhand shooter.
Then establish what your rifle actuially does for the trajectory within your limits.
Sight in the rifle accordingly.
Sorry but tables and books mean nothing unless you the "Nut Behind the Bolt", can put the pill where it counts, on a very regular basis.
Republic of Alberta
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
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- ,location, location
Don't get carried away and sight in for too long of a range with your mossin. If you start to get to high at 100 yards it will be even higher at around 150 yards. I personally sight in so my bullet never rises higher than 3" any where along it's flight path.
Trust me, if you shoot any further than 150 - 200 yards at game you will want to hold high. I have shot many deer high in the body at the 150 to 200 yard range just because I held a little bit high because I thought it was further.
Trust me, if you shoot any further than 150 - 200 yards at game you will want to hold high. I have shot many deer high in the body at the 150 to 200 yard range just because I held a little bit high because I thought it was further.
"tables and books mean nothing?" utter b/s- what a table or a book allows you to do is "see " the other side of that arc beyond where you sighted that rifle for- and you may not like what you see- that same load of 308/180/2610 that's zeroed for 276 yards will be 4 inches low at 300, but some 44 INCHES LOW at 400- IN OTHER WORDS, A wasted shot-without that table, at 400, you'd be wondering why you missed, but your bullet would be down in the dirt
I'm going to jump back in and say that I learned a lot more than just a lot. Thanks all. Every bullet passes through zero twice even my Mosin at 150 grains. What I forgot is 'sight height'. With 2 inches of sight height my Mosin pases through zero at 50 yards, reaches a peak of 1" at 110 yards, passes through zero at 180 yards and is -2" at 225 yards. I consider this perfect for a Newbie like me but like the man says it don't mean nothin' unless me and my rifle can put the pill on the target. That said I find the ballistics tables an invaluable learning tool and an excellent starting point. I could say the same about this forum.
The JBM calculator is an easier tool to use... plug in your data, mostly it will be in the drop down table... and then play with the parameters until you find the combination that you are looking for.
http://www.jbmballistics.com/cgi-bin/jbmtraj-5.1.cgi
X2 (Maximum Point Blank Range)
Plus depending on the game you are after ( 8 or 10" vital zone )
Get this book here:
Tells you everything you need to know ( most caliber including wild cat ).
