For those sighting in a deer rifle this week

Horsager Said:
Nearly every hunter I know has intentions of getting their rifle sighted in well before season so as to avoid the last week rush at the range.  But, life throws everyone a curve now and then and sometimes it just doesn't happen so just a couple reminders to help folks speed up the process should they find themselves @ the range this week.

If your riflescope's adjustment dial says something like "1/4" @ 100yds" which is the vast majority of today's riflescopes, that means 4 clicks move the bullet or point of impact 1". 

If you're starting @ 25yds, it's 16 clicks to move 1".

@ 200yds it's 2 clicks to move point of impact 1".

For the vast majority of what most folks consider "Deer" caliber rifles something between 1.25" and 1.75" high @ 100yds will put you pretty much dead on @ 200yds.

Good luck and shoot straight.

catmechanic Said:

Horsager Said:
Nearly every hunter I know has intentions of getting their rifle sighted in well before season so as to avoid the last week rush at the range.  But, life throws everyone a curve now and then and sometimes it just doesn't happen so just a couple reminders to help folks speed up the process should they find themselves @ the range this week.

If your riflescope's adjustment dial says something like "1/4" @ 100yds" which is the vast majority of today's riflescopes, that means 4 clicks move the bullet or point of impact 1". 

If you're starting @ 25yds, it's 16 clicks to move 1".

@ 200yds it's 2 clicks to move point of impact 1".

For the vast majority of what most folks consider "Deer" caliber rifles something between 1.25" and 1.75" high @ 100yds will put you pretty much dead on @ 200yds.

Good luck and shoot straight.

horsager, got a good question for ya. it came up yesterday at work. i have always been told that for the most part, whatever you group at 25 yards you should group at 100. i have been sighting my rifle in this way for a few years and it seems to work. at 25 yards its easy to hold steady. i shoot 3 rounds, if i like the grouping but not the elevation or windage, i adjust. shoot 3 more to double check. if i like it, i go out to 100 and its for the most part good.

now, i don't claim to be an olympic sharp shooter or anything. for me, if i can hit an ice cream pail at 300 yards, i consider that good. to me, thats enough to kill my deer. i wish i had the time and patience that some on this site do. im lucky to even get out and hunt at all.

is there any truth to this?

Horsager Said:
Dead on @ 25yds will get you close @ 100 but a lot of how close depends on your rifle, how high your scope rings are, and even how much down angle you're shooting @ 25yds vs. 100yds.  Everything you're off @ 25yds is magnified 4x @ 100yds.  So, if you're 2" right or high @ 25yds, you're 8" right or high @ 100yds.

I rarely take more than 2 shots @ 25yds when doing initial scope sight in.  1 shot to see where I am and then make the corrections necessary.  2nd shot to verify I'm close to dead on then move out to 100yds and begin fine tuning.

catmechanic Said:
ok, so i will be shooting 2 guns this week. a 270 WSM with high rise mounts and a 3x9-40 burris with ballistic plex. the other is my GF's 243 with reg mounts and a cabelas 3x12-40.

so, here's a couple more for ya. i have a buddy with a 270 WSM like mine. told him to try his at 25 yd then at 100. he said it shot higher at 100 than at 25. any truth to that? had one guy say that the bullet is climbing all the way out to 100 yd. had another say that its dropping as soon as it leaves the barrel.

another is this. lets say i set my scope at 4x. get the gun where i want it. then turn it up to 9x. how much does this throw the shot off. or does it do anything at all?

Horsager Said:

catmechanic Said:
ok, so i will be shooting 2 guns this week. a 270 WSM with high rise mounts and a 3x9-40 burris with ballistic plex. the other is my GF's 243 with reg mounts and a cabelas 3x12-40.

so, here's a couple more for ya. i have a buddy with a 270 WSM like mine. told him to try his at 25 yd then at 100. he said it shot higher at 100 than at 25. any truth to that? had one guy say that the bullet is climbing all the way out to 100 yd. had another say that its dropping as soon as it leaves the barrel.

another is this. lets say i set my scope at 4x. get the gun where i want it. then turn it up to 9x. how much does this throw the shot off. or does it do anything at all?

The rifle shooting higher @ 100 than @ 25 is expected as the line of sight and line of the bore haven't intersected yet.  Same reason one guy says the bullet it climbing and the other says it's dropping right away.  Technically the dropping right away guy is right in theory.  That said, your scope is 1.5" or so above the line of your barrel and what you're sighting in is the place where the bullet crosses the line, and it'll cross that line twice.  Once on the way up and once on the way down.  The bullet doesn't actually rise, your rifle is very slightly angled upwards so that it shoots where the 1.5" higher scope is "looking".

Adjusting the power ring on your scope should not effect point of impact, if it does, your scope needs to go in for repair.  The erector tube that adjusts your point of impact and your power ring that adds or reduces magnification are two seperate mechanical processes within the scope case.

Horsager Said:
If you're running high-rise (see thru?) mounts I'd start out @ 1" low @ 25yds.

Agreed, a guy's gotta find a balance between seeing the target close up vs. how much wiggling one can see through the scope.  Though turning the scope down doesn't decrease the amount of wiggling, just the amount you are able to perceive.

bowhunter_24 Said:
horsager,
with that said, what power do you put your scope on when shooting say 200 yards? (for sighting in)

BX2 Said:
I hate the rage this time of year. Went out there last week, casleton. Kinda funny in a stupid kinda way. I was starting out with a new rifle.

Jiffy Said:
I just usually find a rock at ABOUT 200 yards at 11:45 Friday morning.  I shoot, if I hit 2 ft to the right, I just hold 2 feet to the left.

I may go out to the Casselton range this week with a video camera just to capture some good comedy.....

reading this thread reminds me  why i stopped smoking weed 25 years ago.  got me a bit dizzy

Horsager Said:

catmechanic Said:
ok, so i will be shooting 2 guns this week. a 270 WSM with high rise mounts and a 3x9-40 burris with ballistic plex. the other is my GF's 243 with reg mounts and a cabelas 3x12-40.

so, here's a couple more for ya. i have a buddy with a 270 WSM like mine. told him to try his at 25 yd then at 100. he said it shot higher at 100 than at 25. any truth to that? had one guy say that the bullet is climbing all the way out to 100 yd. had another say that its dropping as soon as it leaves the barrel.

another is this. lets say i set my scope at 4x. get the gun where i want it. then turn it up to 9x. how much does this throw the shot off. or does it do anything at all?

The rifle shooting higher @ 100 than @ 25 is expected as the line of sight and line of the bore haven't intersected yet.  Same reason one guy says the bullet it climbing and the other says it's dropping right away.  Technically the dropping right away guy is right in theory.  That said, your scope is 1.5" or so above the line of your barrel and what you're sighting in is the place where the bullet crosses the line, and it'll cross that line twice.  Once on the way up and once on the way down.  The bullet doesn't actually rise, your rifle is very slightly angled upwards so that it shoots where the 1.5" higher scope is "looking".

Adjusting the power ring on your scope should not effect point of impact, if it does, your scope needs to go in for repair.  The erector tube that adjusts your point of impact and your power ring that adds or reduces magnification are two seperate mechanical processes within the scope case.

And one more thing, damn right the bullet starts dropping the instant it leaves the barrel.