I have used the +3" at 100 yards setting on centerfire rifles with scopes for 4 decades now. I practice and practice with this setting until I know exactly where a bullet will land right out to 500 yards or so. Most flat shooting chamberings so sighted will have a MPBR of just over 300 yards. As has been said already, the difference between a stomping magnum and a somewhat milder chambering is really not that much. Regards, Eagleye.
Maximum Point Blank Range: How many do YOU know who understand it?
- Thread starter Silverado
- Start date
The old 3 high at a hundred practice is bang on. With a 30-06 or other popular chambering, in a rifle that shoots a 1.5" average 100y group, it takes care of MPBR and average dispersion all in one shot (if you'll pardon the pun).
For the same guys who ask, I hand them one of these targets, printed from the interwebs, and tell them "Aim for red, hit on green, and go hunting":
Here's the link to a PDF of it. http://www.mytargets.com/target104%20grid%203inch%20high.pdf
For the same guys who ask, I hand them one of these targets, printed from the interwebs, and tell them "Aim for red, hit on green, and go hunting":
Here's the link to a PDF of it. http://www.mytargets.com/target104%20grid%203inch%20high.pdf
A LRF is priceless and no amount of practice guessing range should ever thought to be its replacement. I don't worry about MPBR anymore I use scopes with turrets or my current favorite the Zeiss Rapid Z reticle, I have several on hunting rifles with clips.
shortaction
CGN Regular
- Location
- Manitoulin Island, Ontario
I agree most hunters have no idea about MPBR.
But most of the hunters in my area don't have an opportunity to shoot past 150 yds most under 100 yds so it makes for sense for them to sight in their guns for 50 - 100 yds as they will more likely have to thread a shot through some bushy path and the closer the bullet path is to the sight line the better.
Also anyone who only has 1 or 2 rifles and use them for everything (groundhogs to moose) needs the bullet path to close to the sight path also.
Personally I sight my 280 Rem in 2" high at 100 yds which is just about dead on at 250 yds and about 4" low at 300 yds and I use this gun in the open fields. I sight in my 308 Win for 50 yds which puts me about 1" high at 100 yds and and just about 2" low at 200 yds and use it in the bush.
I had a 300 WSM loaded with 130 gr TSX that I sighted in for 300 yds which put me about 3" high at 200 yds and used in a long field that I have with a shack and a table to shoot off.
So, MPBR is a good tool but your hunting situation can be an over riding factor also.
But most of the hunters in my area don't have an opportunity to shoot past 150 yds most under 100 yds so it makes for sense for them to sight in their guns for 50 - 100 yds as they will more likely have to thread a shot through some bushy path and the closer the bullet path is to the sight line the better.
Also anyone who only has 1 or 2 rifles and use them for everything (groundhogs to moose) needs the bullet path to close to the sight path also.
Personally I sight my 280 Rem in 2" high at 100 yds which is just about dead on at 250 yds and about 4" low at 300 yds and I use this gun in the open fields. I sight in my 308 Win for 50 yds which puts me about 1" high at 100 yds and and just about 2" low at 200 yds and use it in the bush.
I had a 300 WSM loaded with 130 gr TSX that I sighted in for 300 yds which put me about 3" high at 200 yds and used in a long field that I have with a shack and a table to shoot off.
So, MPBR is a good tool but your hunting situation can be an over riding factor also.
- Location
- Back in the Peace Country
I had a lengthy discussion about this with an avid marksman..
He wasn't overly impressed with the 3" high at 100 rule of thumb..
This is how I have my 30/30 shooting...
If you decide to get into what is accuracy...? Is it hitting an 8 inch circle at 200 yrds, or is it having point of aim and point of impact as close as possible...?
I resolved that the MPBR was only useful to me with shots within 250 yrds..
with a relatively large kill zone...(sya 6 inches or more)
With longer shots, accurate distance measurements, practice, quality optics, etc are all integral. I know guys who have scopes with cross hairs so thick, that at 450 yrds,the thickness of the x hairs would put them off by more than 6 inches..
My oppinion... target turrets and quality equipment..it's the only way I'll shoot beyone 300 yrds...
I used Mils a lot as well,...but still, at 500 yrds, you need more than mils unles you are on a decently large target...
He wasn't overly impressed with the 3" high at 100 rule of thumb..
This is how I have my 30/30 shooting...
If you decide to get into what is accuracy...? Is it hitting an 8 inch circle at 200 yrds, or is it having point of aim and point of impact as close as possible...?
I resolved that the MPBR was only useful to me with shots within 250 yrds..
with a relatively large kill zone...(sya 6 inches or more)
With longer shots, accurate distance measurements, practice, quality optics, etc are all integral. I know guys who have scopes with cross hairs so thick, that at 450 yrds,the thickness of the x hairs would put them off by more than 6 inches..
My oppinion... target turrets and quality equipment..it's the only way I'll shoot beyone 300 yrds...
I used Mils a lot as well,...but still, at 500 yrds, you need more than mils unles you are on a decently large target...
The trouble with your examples is that they both assume the vital zone is 6", which it isn't, and that the shooter cannot produce the practical accuracy to make this valuable, which many can.
The 6" vital zone already allows for 2MOA of dispersion. Your example does this twice.
I understand the purpose of MPBR, and it would in theory work for those with iron sights, and scopes with out BDC's or similar types of adjustments, that are not sure of accurate range as it allows for more margin of error. In todays world of high tech laser range finders, high magnification scopes with different turret adjustments ... it is not much more than sighting, ranging, dialing in and aiming for the center of the kill zone. But this takes into account ... does the shooter know his cartridge, his rifle, practiced enough, sighted on cold clean barrels, cold fouled barrels, or after it has warmed up, have they considered the different temperature and elevation of the hunt vs the target range. Most of which are silly calculations if the shot is taken inside of 150 m. And, more so how many practice the standing shot out to any range at all ( most people I see bench rest practice ), let alone practice with the gear they are planning to use in the field. At the end of it all ... if some one can bring down game with a sharp pointed stick within 30 meters ... cann't get any simpler than that
I've used the 3+3=3 rule for years. One decade less than Eagle-eye.
Living in open country it makes sense, but if you are hunting in cover that makes 100 yards a long shot or if your shooting abilities end far short of 300 yards it makes less. Those that habitually hold for the center of the chest cavity instead of the center of the vitals will be better off with a shorter sight-in distance as well.
Take most any cartridge that cranks out 3000 fps or thereabouts, sight it in 3" high at 100 and shoot out to 300 yards. The 3.5-10 VX111s that I usually use on general purpose hunting rifles have a 3 minute subtention from the center of the crosshairs to where the top thick post begins when set at 10 power. This gives great aiming point for knocking a magpie off a fence post at 100. At 400 yards a .270 with 130s, a .300 Mag with 180s, 7mm Rem Mag with 150s plus a great deal of other cartridges will have dropped about an even foot. Turns out that the 3 minute spacing will have the bullets hitting the bottom post at 400. It's almost like they planned it that way.
Living in open country it makes sense, but if you are hunting in cover that makes 100 yards a long shot or if your shooting abilities end far short of 300 yards it makes less. Those that habitually hold for the center of the chest cavity instead of the center of the vitals will be better off with a shorter sight-in distance as well.Take most any cartridge that cranks out 3000 fps or thereabouts, sight it in 3" high at 100 and shoot out to 300 yards. The 3.5-10 VX111s that I usually use on general purpose hunting rifles have a 3 minute subtention from the center of the crosshairs to where the top thick post begins when set at 10 power. This gives great aiming point for knocking a magpie off a fence post at 100. At 400 yards a .270 with 130s, a .300 Mag with 180s, 7mm Rem Mag with 150s plus a great deal of other cartridges will have dropped about an even foot. Turns out that the 3 minute spacing will have the bullets hitting the bottom post at 400. It's almost like they planned it that way.
