Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Adjusting for elevation on a hunt

I have a Swarovski Z5 with the Ballistic Turret that lets me have 4 marks for elevation.

I zeroed my rifle at 100m as per instructions and when I used the Swaro ballistic calculator the number of clicks it came up with based on my bullet's BC, velocity and the weather conditions was one to two clicks off for 200m, but 300m was right on. I was able to shoot at these distances to ensure I was on.

I've driven to a different elevation (from 150 feet to 5000 feet) and the temperature has plummeted.

Now I'm not particularly shooting at long ranges here (200-300m maximum) and so I don't think the difference in atmospheric conditions is having enough of a difference. I am curious though how those that sight in under one condition and hunt in different conditions deal with this.

Do you simply put in your sight in conditions and your shooting conditions in a ballistic calculator and use the values it spits out for the # of clicks you need?

While it may be reasonable to expect there to be a place to check your zero where you hunt, you may not be able to shoot at different distances to verify the ballistic drop. Our guide here in Wyoming didn't think we needed to recheck our zero for the elevation and temperature difference since we drove and so our guns were carefully handled.

Just curious how others deal with this as I found that the ballistic drop in my case even in my zeroing location was not computed 100% accurately by the ballistic calculator I was using.

Shoot it here to be sure. I believe you might be shooting higher than you think.

Your 100 yard zero wont change unless there is something wrong with the system. After that just adjust the conditions in your ballistic program. At 300 yards you don't need to worry about it, however.

I recently went from sea level to 5,000 feet. I rechecked my zero @ 200 yds. Nothing needed changing.

I think your lungs will be a bigger issue than your rifle!

I've made many hunts at 10k+ and never had to change my zero from here at home(300'). For only 300yds, I wouldn't worry about it.

+1

You aren't going to see much of a change in POI until you are shooting about twice that distance. And then it's only a tenth or two tenths of a mil different at most. If your curious, run the numbers through JBM with temp/altitude differences and see for yourself.

I DO KNOW that from 1700 feet to about 4500 feet there is approx. 2" elevation change from E. Wa. to Central MT. for my gopher rifles.-Mudddy