Sighting in distance
- Thread starter Swimmer
- Start date
JimP
Administrator
Generally, you will have turrets come from the manfu. marked in MOA or maybe MILs. In that case you need to know how many MOA or MILs you need to dial and count clicks. The other and arguably easier way is to get a custom turret built for your load marked in yards, then you range say 325, dial to 325, aim and shoot. To get a turret built is easy, getting your data correct is the key. Using a chrono for your load in your gun is highly recommended, then pick the enviromental variables for your hunt, and order your turret. It is a garbage in garbage out process. The better your data, the more accurate the turret is. It's always best to collect some data via shooting as well.
Horsenhike
Very Active Member
Ya, gotta know your scope. Is it MOA? If so you need to do the math. Lot more to it than just dialing, you also need to know your drop, range, and understand minutes of angle.
One of my favorite things about the Leupold VX-6 3-18x scope I have on my 264WM is that it has a turret that can be covered by the adjustment cover cap. I leave the cap screwed on for normal hunting, if I have time to dial I have time to remove it. The gun is zeroed at 240yds and I don't touch it very often when hunting. If I need to I can remove it and dial. Love the TMOA reticle also for wind holds.
Yell Co AR Hunter
Very Active Member
After reading through this thread I decided to sight in my 270 this weekend. I bought 2 boxes of bullets. I went with Winchester 130 gr deer season XP. I sighted in 1.5 inches high at 100 yards had a 1.25 three shot group. This put me dead on at 200 yards and 6.5 inches high at 300yards.
I have never shot at a target over 100 yards in my life. I did kill a doe with my ML at 200 yards once.
My group of three at 200 yards was 2.25 and a diamond on the center dot. My group at 300 yards was 3.75 with 2 on center dot and one to the right. I had no idea how much the cross hairs move around at 300 yards. I shot off my back pack to make it as much like a field shot as possible. I was pleased with my results.
My buddy was not happy. He was sighted in 1.5 high at 100, had a 6 inch group at 200, and was not on the target at 300. He was shooting a 7MM Mag. 150 gr.
I plan to shoot a few more times before season.
I have never shot at a target over 100 yards in my life. I did kill a doe with my ML at 200 yards once.
My group of three at 200 yards was 2.25 and a diamond on the center dot. My group at 300 yards was 3.75 with 2 on center dot and one to the right. I had no idea how much the cross hairs move around at 300 yards. I shot off my back pack to make it as much like a field shot as possible. I was pleased with my results.
My buddy was not happy. He was sighted in 1.5 high at 100, had a 6 inch group at 200, and was not on the target at 300. He was shooting a 7MM Mag. 150 gr.
I plan to shoot a few more times before season.
Bonecollector
Veteran member
fackelberry
Active Member
You mean 6.5 inches LOW at 300! We get what you meant. HAHA. Sounds like your buddy needs to find a more accurate load, or quit jerking the trigger , or flinching from the expected recoil. Anyways, the more time shooting and getting to know your rifle, the more confident and more accurate you will be.
Horsenhike
Very Active Member
Yell Co AR Hunter
Very Active Member
No I aim dead on at 200 and 6.5 inches high at 300 to hit target.
Yes my buddy made a comment on how that 7mm Mag stomped his shoulder. He has a lot of different rifles and swaps out a lot. I prefer to shoot one rifle. The only other one I hunt with is my 50 cal Encore ML. Now it is a tact driver at 100 yards my 3 shot group most always touch.
I sight all my guns, 257roberts, 6.5x55, 7x57 and my 338/06, 3 in high at 100yd. There all about 2-2.5 high@ 200yd and 4-5 low at 300. I never have to aim off the animal and this has worked well for me for 20 plus years. The highest arc of the bullet comes at about 175 yds. but not high enough to miss the vitals with a center hold. I'm probably 12-14 inches low at 400yd but I never shoot that far an prefer to stalk closer. I learned this sight form a gun writer named Bob Hagel I believe he was a WY resident. He wrote a few real good books on hunting and ballistics
fackelberry
Active Member
I get what you mean now. The way you worded it in the other post makes it sound like your 1.5 high at 100, then bullet drops to dead-on at 200, then rises back up to 6.5 inches high at 300 which is scientifically impossible. Now when you say you have to HOLD 6.5 inches high at 300 yards, then that clears it up. Just how most people would of read it, well at least me.
Yep i agree, you get to know a rifle well if you only practice with the same gun and load. Just like the saying ( Be weary of the man with only one rifle, he likely knows how to use it!)
Yell Co AR Hunter
Very Active Member
wy-tex
Veteran member
Dead on at 200 yds and with a Leupold BDC reticle I know where I'm at out to 500 yds. The crosshairs make the longer shots much easier than hold over. It puts me a little over at 100 but not out of the kill zone. My longest antelope harvest was at 454 yds with a prone position shot off a bipod. Took the long shot because conditions were great for it, no wind and cool enough heat waves were not an issue.
You need to know point of impact at even down to 50 yds after you sight in.
You need to know point of impact at even down to 50 yds after you sight in.
A 270 shooting 130's is always a good choice for antelope. It looks like you're ready to go!
Dukslayer26
New Member
- Jul 24, 2017
- 15
- 0
This is a great thread!! People have so many different opinions that it can be confusing. My wife and I just finally got drawn for antelope this year, after applying for four yrs. We have never antelope hunted before. I will be shooting a 30-06 150 grn bullet myself. I just bought a Nikon 4-16x42. With the Nikon Spot on app it should help out a lot. I've been told by a lot of people to probably expect to be shooting between 250-400 yards. I know the BDC system is badass cause I used my brothers 30-06 last year in Montana to shoot a buck at 349 yards and using the dots took the guess work out and the buck took two steps and rolled down the hill. Hope the same thing happens in Wyoming this year with our antelope!!!
Colorado Cowboy
Super Moderator
Over the years I have seen and used a lot of different ways to answer the original question. I shot my first deer when I was 12 with iron sights in 1953. Got a scope (a Weaver K3 with a Lee Dot) and sighted it in to shoot 1" high at 100 yds in my 30-06. As I got older and started reloading when I was about 16, that changed to 1" high at 200 yards with my handloads. I then got a new scope (3x9, can't remember the make) with lots of horizontal lines that were supposed to let you have a built in poi at different ranges (didn't work worth a crap). Many different types of reticles have been marketed to do this, but IMHO all they do is complicate the sight picture. Finally we can now get a good range finder that eliminated the guesswork (and mistakes). Early range finders were complicated and most were junk too.
Sorry about the history lesson, but I have seen it all....and used lots of IT too over the last 60 years! I use all Leupold scopes on my hunting rifles and reload for everything too. I know my ballistics and each rifle (I have 5, all different calibers) only uses one load for hunting. I have Leupold's ballistic turrets for each one and the starting distance is 200 yds. I also have a Swaro range finder/bino combo. All my stuff has been shot out to 500 yards, so I know each one is dead on out to 500. My longest kill was on antelope at 477 yards with my 25-06. Range it, dial it and kill it! Pretty simple for me.
Sorry about the history lesson, but I have seen it all....and used lots of IT too over the last 60 years! I use all Leupold scopes on my hunting rifles and reload for everything too. I know my ballistics and each rifle (I have 5, all different calibers) only uses one load for hunting. I have Leupold's ballistic turrets for each one and the starting distance is 200 yds. I also have a Swaro range finder/bino combo. All my stuff has been shot out to 500 yards, so I know each one is dead on out to 500. My longest kill was on antelope at 477 yards with my 25-06. Range it, dial it and kill it! Pretty simple for me.