Sight-In procedure for a 30-30

[Guest Hardly Dangerous Updated]

i'd like to try and sight in my Marlin 30-30. There's a procedure for sighting in the 7.62x39 which starts at 25 yards. I'm told the ballistics are similar; can I use the same procedure? Starting at 100yds isn't really a viable option. Any thoughts? Thanks.

HD

[DocDisaster # 45431]

See if you can find the Ballistics on the load you are shooting and determine at what distances the line of sight and line of bore or bullet path intersect. That will give you a start then you can figure your bullet path and Point of aim verse point of impact at varying distances.

 

Doc

[Griff]

i'd like to try and sight in my Marlin 30-30. There's a procedure for sighting in the 7.62x39 which starts at 25 yards. I'm told the ballistics are similar; can I use the same procedure? Starting at 100yds isn't really a viable option. Any thoughts? Thanks.

HD

If you're using the factory iron sights, regardless of caliber, you can do a sight-in procedure as follows: With a target at 25 yards, I'd set the rear elevator at the bottom step; then, sighting at the center of the bull fire a group of five rounds and see where the group is. Just remember this simple axiom:

move the rear sight in the direction you want the group to move

.

 

If the group is low, raise the rear sight; if the group is off to the right, move the sight left, and vice versa.

 

Repeat the process at 50 yards and again at 100 yards.

 

I like five shot groups as it gives you just that much better info. You can do 3 and possibly do as well. And, you CAN start off closer. Good luck!

[Guest Chief]

Go to www.biggameinfo.com then to the ballistics page fill in all the info Ie bullet weight , dia, fps. this page will give you all that you need from 25 yds to 800. and it is quite accurate.

[Johnny Loco]

http://www.thefergusons.us/john2/zeroat25.htm

 

Find me here:

 

http://www.thefergusons.us/john2/ferguson1.html

[Rio Brazos Kid]

Since the 30-30 is basically a 100 yard or less rifle, it's nonsense to sight it in at longer ranges. It's not that good of a killer at extended ranges to be attempting them.

 

Personally I get it centered on the paper at 25 yards, and then go to 50 yards and sight it in to 1-1/2 inches high above center. It will then be approx 2 inches low at 100 yards. That's plenty accurate for any and all deer hunting and the 100 yards is the maximum you should be taking shots anyway with the 30-30.

 

RBK

[Guest Joe West, SASS#1532 L Regulator]

Maybe my mileage varies as my current 30-30 is a heavy barrel I slicked up and I load my own. I sight mine for 200 yards [iron sights only] . It seems to be still better than an arrow at 200 yards even with old style factory rounds.

 

Yep, Start at 25 on paper, keep some notes and work your way out to what ever distance you decide.

I've only had 5 30-30 rifles, but all were easy to sight with iron sights. There are some real good plastic tipped ammo options for the 30-30 now that are safe for the mag tube.

For years I used it as a single shot, top loading only handloaded bthp rounds. When you do that it's pretty silly to think it's a 100 yard only rifle.

Joe

[Rio Brazos Kid]

Joe it's apparent that you are talking Apples and Oranges, and that your sight in scenario does NOT apply to over the counter ammo and standatd off the shelf 30-30 rifles.

 

With flat point bullets of 170 grs. running at 1800 + FPS and 150 gr. FP bullets running at approx 2250 FPS out of an open sighted carbine, 200 yard attempts on deer is criminal in most sportsmans minds.

 

Yes you can soup things up, and even mount scopes, but that is very, very rare to occur. I'm sure the OP is NOT of that group.

 

Addressing the normal rifle and standard over the shelf ammo, 100 yards is all the 30-30 is capable of handling with humane shots.

 

RBK

[Nate Kiowa Jones #6765]

If you're using the factory iron sights, regardless of caliber, you can do a sight-in procedure as follows: With a target at 25 yards, I'd set the rear elevator at the bottom step; then, sighting at the center of the bull fire a group of five rounds and see where the group is.

Just remember this simple axiom: .

 

If the group is low, raise the rear sight; if the group is off to the right, move the sight left, and vice versa.

 

Repeat the process at 50 yards and again at 100 yards.

 

I like five shot groups as it gives you just that much better info. You can do 3 and possibly do as well. And, you CAN start off closer. Good luck!

 

Yep, that's pretty much SOP for any rifle. The first step is to get in on paper. A big target at 25yds will get you on. Once you find where it's impacting make the adjustment to center it on this 25yd target then move out to fine tune it.

[Pulp, SASS#28319]

I just looked it up on a Winchester ballistic calculator. A 150 grain SilverTip sighted to be dead on a 100 yards will follow this trajectory:

 

50 yards= 0.2 inches high

100 yards= dead on

150 yards= 2.2 inches low

200 yards= 7.1 inches low

250 yards= 15 inches low

 

Winchester is quoting 2390fps at the muzzle. That seems a might high to me.

 

That's also figuring from a scoped rifle, as it's figured with line of sight is 1.5 inches above the bore. Open sights are not normally 1.5 inches above the bore, so the above figures might vary by a little bit.

 

Sighted in at 125 yards, from muzzle to 125 you're never more than an inch above line of sight, and at 200 you're only 5.7 inches low.

[Captain Woodrow Cahill, SASS # 54363]

Using a laser boresighter before doing anything else will save a lot of ammo and aggravation. You can zero in the windage without firing a shot, and the elevation will be danged close.

 

For less than $40 it's a handy tool to have.

[Driftwood Johnson, SASS #38283]

Howdy

 

There are basically two schools of thought on this.

 

One is the save ammo school. You set the target way out at the distance you want, then you use a laser bore sighter or the calculations you find someplace for bullet drop at that distance, and start shooting at that distance. The fallacy in this approach is that depending on how you use the sight picture with your sights, you may not even be on the paper to begin with. So then you keep wasting ammo trying to figure out where you are hitting.

 

The second school of thought is you start in close, maybe 25 yards, with a great big target and fire a group just to see where you are to begin with, the way you use the sight picture. The key is using a great big target so you are sure to get on paper in the first place. Then you adjust your sights to bring the next group to your point of aim. Then you step the target out in increments, maybe 50 yards and then 100 yards, each time fine tuning the sight adjustment to bring the point of impact to the point of aim. Yes, this method uses up more ammo, but it is much more foolproof then not knowing where you are hitting in the first place. I always use this method, no matter what caliber the rifle is.

[Turkey Creek Vic 80846]

The 30-30 is a brush rifle. I sighted my Marlin in at 25 yards 1 inch high it was died on at 100 yards. Using 170 gr. flat point. Last week on our deer drives I shot two deer running at 25 yards . Hunting in heave woods. Drivers are moving deer to us. Deer move real fast when something is pushing them. Open sight 30-30 Marlin was perfect for that kind of hunting.

[Johnny Loco]

That 100 yard 30-30 hunting statement is funny as hell and suprises me its made by a Texan.

 

You might want to check out the new version of Hornady Leverevolution 140gr GMX at 2500fps (flextip boattail)

 

The Standard Hornady Leverevolution 160gr does a number on deer and Elk at 200 yards (flextip boattail)

 

The Winchester PowerMAX PHP is a great killer and has lots of velocity in short barrels because of the type of powder.

This is my favorite round.

 

The Winchester Silvertip even has a semi-boatail and does a good job at 200 yards.

 

All factory advertised 30-30 velocities are from a 24" barrel. The Hornady special powder loses 20fps per inch of barrel loss because its made to burn longer and the standard ammo loses 11fps per inch loss.

 

I am the master of the 30-30 with over a thousand "criminal" one shot 30-30 (30wcf) kills around the country and world. I'm aware that animals are becoming immune to the 30-30 but please don't tell them so.

[Captain Woodrow Cahill, SASS # 54363]

I would have to respectfully disagree with our esteemed Wire Pard Driftwood regarding the use of the laser boresighter. I am of the "pumpkin on the fencepost" school of sight picture ... the intended point of impact on the target sitting atop the front sight. Others may have the bead masking the POI, but I've been shooting this way for 44 years and don't plan on changing.

 

With the laser then, I adjust my sights so that the top of the front sight is just visually touching the dot and then adjust the rear sight accordingly. Once everything is lined up, then I start in with burning ammunition. 99% of the time I'm dead on, and the only adjustments needed are to compensate for elevation due to bullet drop.

 

The last two rifles I put new sights on and lasered before live firing were dead on at 100 yards, an 1895 Marlin and a Sharps that I trimmed down to cavalry carbine length, both in 45-70. With the 30-30 having a much flatter trajectory I would hazard a guess that you'll "Hardly" use more than 5 shots to trim in to absolute zero.

[Johnny Loco]

Hell, I forgot the link:

 

http://www.hornady.com/store/30-30-Win-140...Leverevolution/

[Griff]

Joe it's apparent that you are talking Apples and Oranges, and that your sight in scenario does NOT apply to over the counter ammo and standatd off the shelf 30-30 rifles.

With flat point bullets of 170 grs. running at 1800 + FPS and 150 gr. FP bullets running at approx 2250 FPS out of an open sighted carbine, 200 yard attempts on deer is criminal in most sportsmans minds.

Yes you can soup things up, and even mount scopes, but that is very, very rare to occur. I'm sure the OP is NOT of that group.

Addressing the normal rifle and standard over the shelf ammo, 100 yards is all the 30-30 is capable of handling with humane shots.

RBK

Horse apples!

4 years ago I took 3 deer outta south TX with two different .30-30 rifles, one a 94 rifle and the other a box stock, new in box (except for sighting-in) mdl 64A. The morning's hunt was with the 94, a lasered 238 yard shot off the front of my blind using a tang sight and a globe front. This rifle shoots a sub-8" group @ 400 yards with either factory load 150s or my handloaded cast which are loaded to duplicate factory ballistics. The other two were does from 40 and 115 yards respectively. All three were shot with Federal 150s. None needed a second shot; the one @ 238 yards ran about 30 yards, and flopped over in the brush. No recovered bullets, all three were thru 'n thrus. Would I attempt that today? No, cause I ain't spent over 5 months practicin' and shootin' the rifle at 200+ yards to prove a point to another BH that said I shouldn't use a .30-30 to hunt deer at that ranch cause shots would most likely be over 100 yards. I passed on several deer that were beyond my self imposed limit of 250. However, I did miss a havelina at about 280 yards, just didn't hold over quite enough! Missed my piggie tacos that night!

 

Humane shots? I'm out to gather meat. Dead is dead... I prefer most of my meat that way. One shot kills; if I can't do it with a thurty-thurty, then I probably couldn't do it with a .30-06 or a .375 H&H Mag. Capability of the ammo and the gun probably far exceeds the ability of 99% of the folks handling them.

 

Dig your head outta the gun mags and get out in the field with a little quality time, one on one with yer gun. You can learn more in one day huntin' havelina with a .30-30 carbine than you will in a year of readin' American Hunter; or some such.