Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game 225 yard zero

My range at home can only go out to 225 yards so it’s been convenient to zero big game rifles at that yardage for several years now.

Using a few different cartridges 243,25-06,270, 7mm RM,30-06,300WM, 300WSM, 300WBY the simple ballistic software calculators, yardage drops on reticles, simple calculations etc. seem to make 3,4,& 500 yards+ more intuitive & easier. It make my Z800 reticle match my 300WBY perfectly out to 800. It did the same on a 7 mag out to 600 with. Z600 reticle.

I’ll be sighting in a friends 300 Win mag Sunday with a Burris FF2 4.5-14 for elk in CO. Switching the zero to 225 makes it perfect within 2 yards for the ballistic plex hash marks out to 600 when maxed out on 14.

My 225 yard sweet spot was happenstance not mathematical analysis but it works well with most modern calibers.

Anybody else found a great zero yardage that isn’t 100 or 200 traditional yard zero?

This summer I have been playing with the iStrelok app to setup my zeros to match my reticles. I end up with some funny zero ranges but it all comes down to how many inches high at 100 to set things to get the hashes to line up to something intuitive. I am happy with it so far.

225 yds is 205 meters which would probably be a good zero for European scopes

Zero rifles at 100 yards for an accurate baseline.

If you want a longer range zero, all that’s necessary is to dial to that yardage before you leave camp and leave it that way.

If you have a longer shot opportunity, you can still dial it

Zero at maximum point blank range.

If I'm using a single Point Of Aim reticle, I am paying attention to MPBR and zeroing accordingly. For a 35 Remington, that might be 150yds, even thought many zero at 100. For a .257wby, that might be 250yds, even though many zero at 200yds. If I am using a BDC-style reticle, like the Boone & Crockett or something similar, I look at what zero will allow my aiming points to line up well while still offering a reasonable MPBR for the center of the reticle. I've noticed that some loads that are sub 2,900fps will sometimes require a zero that's too far outside of MPBR for the aiming points to line up with the 300/400/500 yd aiming points. That's when I dial down the magnification to increase the drop subtension values for the aiming points so that I can still utilize a useful zero for the center of the reticle. As an example, my 12x Leupold VXR Ballistic Firedot needs to be set at 10x for the 300/400yd aiming points to be on with my 6.5CM, but this allow me to keep a 200yd zero at 2"-ish midrange rise, rather than using the full 12x and having to zero at maybe 230yds and having a 3"-ish midrange rise. It's just math. I do this with 3-4 rifles that aren't producing a MV near 3,000fps, which is what the reticle is set up for from the factory.

What size vertical envelope do you find satisfactory?

Depends on what you are shooting at. On a moose the H/L is large and I zero for 10" vertically with a 300 H&H.

You should try a real scope,if only for the FIRST time and to literally see the light. BDC,CDS,SFP and all of that other Bullschit,is something that would then make you cringe,if you had to suffer it again. Hint.

You are VERY obviously "shooting" Bed Time Stories and not actual POA/POI correlations,but it is cute. Hint.

Fhuqking LAUGHING!..............

My poor unreal Zeiss Conquests have sat on rifles that killed lots of stuff. But I’ve only shot 2 animals past 500 yard both required a 2nd killing shot, nice wild Boar & big cow elk. Wind or other conditions have kept me from taking a few shots. I prefer the reticle hash marks for hunting speed vs dialing - too slow in my limited experience.

I understand holdover isn’t something everyone is comfortable with or good at but it works for me at a practiced 800 yards with the Weatherby. It’s fairly clear from the replies who feels the can’t hit something without dialing.

RetardNeeds,

I've simply yet to see a Conquest,track,hold zero or repeat,but I actually shoot. Hint.

You'd have a better grip on your lack of motor skills and gross coordination inabilities than me,that pun be intended. I'm not slighting the merits of your ruling. Hint. Fhuqking LAUGHING!

Arranging POA/POI via subtension is a breeze,even in a breeze,thus the impetus to forget all things BDC,CDS and SFP,which were/is plainly cited. Nobody with anything bordering a First Fhuqking Clue,says the STUPID schit you do about arranging POA/POI. Read that again. Now one more time. Let it marinate. Hint.

You are in wellllllll over your pointy head,doing The Drooling Biden. Hint.

Some folks actually shoot and "lucky" for you,you "get" to read about it. Hint.

Mechanics fhuqking matter. Hint.





Mechanics fhuqking matter. Hint.





Holster your Hurt Feelers and pull your pointy head out of your ass. Hint.



Thank me later.

Hint.

Fhuqking LAUGHING!...............

I zero at 100 yards. With virtually all modern cartridges firing pointed bullets you won't be more than 1" above, or below POA from the muzzle to 130-150 yards depending on the cartridge. That is typical range for most hunters even in western states and that flat trajectory makes it easier to thread bullets through openings in brush inside of 150 yards.

Even with a 100 yard zero most cartridges will only be 2-3" low at 200 yards and out to 300 yards you'd need virtually no hold over. Just a sliver of daylight between the horizontal crosshair and the top of a big game animal will put the bullet in the kill zone.

Much beyond 300 yards all of them (even magnum cartridges) are dropping fast enough that you really need accurate range information and a scope that will allow you to compensate for it.

Zeroing at 200-225 yards means the will be several inches high at 50-150 yards which makes a tougher shot in brush. It will mean less hold over needed at 300, but beyond that it still doesn't help anything

To my way of thinking a 200 yard zero makes more sense with a 30-30 class cartridge when you know shots will be longer than 100 yards. Or if you know that you'll never get a shot closer than 200 yards.

Yup

Got my elk hunt coming up in a few weeks. The 338F is sighted in at 270 yards.

I’ll probably use my new 280ai this year for deer, in which case my zero may be less than my 338F since my target animal and kill zone will be considerably smaller than the elk I am after with the 338F.

For my maximum hunting ranges on medium game, maybe 3-400 yards, I find sighting in with this method negates the need for putting dope on the rifle.

So you’re good with going into the field with a rifle that shoots 4 1/2” high at 150 yards?

The ONLY reason this schit is soooooooo fhuqking FUNNY,is simply because you gals are doing your BEST. Hint. LAUGHING!

Coming full circle,to a scope that actually fhuqking works. 8" RPM Brux 6-06 here with 105's crowding 3400fps and a 250yd zero. Looking through the scope and it's meaningful reticle,will get it well past the 1200yd DOPE in ocular. Read that again. Now one more time. Let it marinate. Hint.



DOPE on stock,will thread needles from 10yds,to Transonic Slip. Hint.

The sheer and utter CLUELESSNESS of you Boobs,is simply fhuqking AMAZING! Hint.

Fhuqking LAUGHING!...............

I used my 30-06 for years elk hunting sighted 4 inches high at a hundred yards and did a lot of rock shooting to make sure I knew where it hit. My scope back then was a 4 power Leupold with the non click adjustments. I could by looking at the distance between the cross hairs and the post of the duplex reticle pretty close to how far away an animal was. I had excellent eyesight back then and made many good shots out to 450 yards. Oddly though most shots were under 300 yards even out in the wide open.

I’ve never hunted in the Southeast but my buddy who comes elk hunting in CO from Mississippi said it was difficult for his hunting crowd to understand distances in the wide open sage & oak brush we are in most of the time where 400 yard canyons are the norm.

Tossing out near & far our average is around 300 yards for 30 or so elk a long of 670 yards for neighbors camp so there are long shots out there not just 100-150. Some of this shots allow plenty of set up time, some don’t.

Not sure what cartridges would be 4” high with a225 zero at 100-125 mine are all under 2” high & that doesn’t bother me.

For years, going back to 1980, I sighted in my 7mag and 160 partitions 3" high at 100yds, and topped it with a Leupold vari X with duplex reticle. I knew the subtensions out to approx 350 yds. I can't begin to count the number of animals I killed with that rig, including about 75 aoudad sheep culls that landowner friends absolutely hated.

Currently have a 7-08 that runs 140 AB's 2820fps, and it's topped with a Leupold VX3 with B&C reticle. It's sighted in 2" high at 100, dead on at 220, and the reticle subtends perfectly at 300, 400, 450, and 500 yds holds. Once again, lost count of the number of big game animals whacked with it. Killing stuff ain't that hard.

225 yards for my 284.

Man, this guy seems pretty confident with all of his hints, but I have no idea what the hell he's even trying to say. I'm assuming that since everyone else is totally ignoring him that I'm violating some sort of unspoken rule by even acknowledging him, so, sorry for that.