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Where do you zero your rifle?


Flatwater Monte

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At a local match a few weeks ago, we had a bonus target on the last stage of the day at around 100 yards out. Both my oldest and I (we were sharing a rifle that day) hit low and to the left on our attempts. When we got home, I decided I would stick the bore sight in the rifle and true to it, the little red dot was sitting low and to the left and 12 yards (length of the hallway). Of course that will work in close up cowboy work, but for those odd long shots that occasionally pop up, it will never do. A side note: my wife's marlin was hitting to right of the target and the bore sight confirmed this as well. 

So the question is.... 

Do you zero your rifle(s) and if you do, what range? Do you adhere to the traditional 50/200 yard zero? The Maximum Point Blank Range zero? Or the pull it out of the box, drop the buckhorn sight to the lowest notch and get to blasting zero? 

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I get my main match rifle shooting on at about 20 yards.   Write down the rear sight elevator notch for that. 

 

I sight main match rifle at 100 yards next.  Get it on by adding elevator notches to the 20 yards sight setting.   Write down that notch number. 

 

Put sight back on the 20 yard zero.  Shoot matches for ever. 

 

When I have a seventy to hundred yard shot to make,. I add back those notches needed for 100 yard zero.    Same ammo, same gun.   Same cowboy hat.  :lol:

 

On my Uberti .45 Colt rifles, that would usually work out to the first notch (lowest) for match, and 3rd notch for my velocity of match ammo, which may be slightly more than most folks use, as mine makes WB power factor.

 

Why make it hard?  GJ

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Lots of folks in SASS don't zero or sight in any of their guns but IMO that's a huge mistake. You can go much faster and use all the target when you have them sighted in. There are lots of jokes and misconceptions about not needing them but many times you do and if you aren't using them it's slowing you down.

 

It's more obvious when the little targets, small bonus targets, moving stars, moving targets, plate racks, clay birds on sticks etc show up you can tell the ones that have sighted in from the ones that haven't. 

 

Not all the targets in SASS are big & close...……..95% are but it's the other 5% that'll really get ya'...…….if that matters. 

 

I sight my pistols in for 7 yards and leave them about an inch low. The rifle is sighted in for about 15 yards and I have shot it on 8 inch steel out to 30 or so and I'm still on target...…..of course that depends on yer' loads too......I don't like the puff puff loads. 

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Pistols:   8 yds with POI about 1" higher than POA.

 

Rifle:  I actually don't use, nor have, a rear sight.  I only have a front site.

BUT, I have the appropriate height that when I look down the flat surface of my octagon barrel and see

my brass bead, that will put me on a small target at 20 yds.

 

P.S. - I would likely MISS a 100 yard target, regardless of size or color because of eye sight.

 

..........Widder

 

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The local gun shop/range here is 50 feet. I zero it in there.

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Howdy,

First get a nice 25 yard zero.

Especially zero down the middle not right or left.

Now try to reset at 50 yards.

I have found if I shoot at the bottom of a rifle target

a rifle zeroed at 50 will usually hit at about the center of the

closer target.

With lead bullets at short distance windage shouldn't be much of a factor.

Now try that rifle at 100 yards. 

by aiming at the top of the target you should hit it.

Best

CR

 

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Use my range finder out back for 50 yards and sight it in that way. Out back for the pistols at 7 yards. Garage door at the back of my house to the reloader so that works a lot. Just another perk living out in the country. 

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1 hour ago, Cowboy Junky said:

Lots of folks in SASS don't zero or sight in any of their guns but IMO that's a huge mistake. You can go much faster and use all the target when you have them sighted in. There are lots of jokes and misconceptions about not needing them but many times you do and if you aren't using them it's slowing you down.

 

It's more obvious when the little targets, small bonus targets, moving stars, moving targets, plate racks, clay birds on sticks etc show up you can tell the ones that have sighted in from the ones that haven't. 

 

Not all the targets in SASS are big & close...……..95% are but it's the other 5% that'll really get ya'...…….if that matters. 

 

I sight my pistols in for 7 yards and leave them about an inch low. The rifle is sighted in for about 15 yards and I have shot it on 8 inch steel out to 30 or so and I'm still on target...…..of course that depends on yer' loads too......I don't like the puff puff loads. 

 

Amen to that! My rifles were all zeroed last spring, but obviously through the trials and tribulations of hauling them around the flatlands, they are no longer true. I have always been a 50/200 zero on all my guns, cowboy, evil black rifles or bolt action hunting rifles. Why? Consistency. I know I can pick up any long arm I have and aim it the same way as any other and be relatively close in hitting what I am aiming at. That being said. I need to re-zero my cowboy guns, because will low and to the left tells me that they are no longer shooting where I want them to. This will have to become a yearly ritual just like with the deer rifle. 

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Mine hits the close targets and the 100 yard targets, I don't load special loads nor do I make adjustments. If it were a 200 yard target I might be concerned. Y'all are really over thinking short range targets. Just relax and focus on shooting fundamentals.

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I don't zero my rifle(s) at all.  If I had windage issues I might, but so far no.  I know what the sight picture should be at the distances we typically shoot and that's about it.  Works for me.  I got multiple hits on the 200 yard buffalo at GA State last year with it (18 inch barrel, 125 grain TCFP over 2.7 of Clays) but it did take me a couple of shots to figure out what the hold over was. 

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Howdy; I zero the rifle at 50 yards. I like the bullet to hit above my sights  as sometime I pull down on the trigger. Also use the same rifle for field pistol silhouettes  with a different load.

Revolver are set to 15 yards, as minimum target must be 10 meters are  not always huge. 

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I ZERO mine at the local Bow and Gun Club.  Local indoor ranges are a bit testy about APP loads.

 

Oh, forgot.  I only "Zero" for windage.  At 7 to 15 yards elevation is mute.  I can't see a target at 100 Yds anymore so why bother??

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25 yards, but I shoot them at 100 yards to know the drop and be able to hit those bonus targets. Depending on the caliber, bullet weight, and velocity, point of impact will typically be 12-18" low at 100 yards. If you're shooting at an 18" target, hold half a target high. ;)

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Quote

When we got home, I decided I would stick the bore sight in the rifle

Use your laser bore sighter and adjust the receiver sight accordingly with the laser at 100yds - probably 2 -3 notches

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Zero at 20 yards, POA/POI for me.

We don't set any stages beyond that.

We do have an event, in our Buffalo Rifle Match, to shoot main match rifles at 100 yards.

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18 hours ago, Flatwater Monte said:

At a local match a few weeks ago, we had a bonus target on the last stage of the day at around 100 yards out. Both my oldest and I (we were sharing a rifle that day) hit low and to the left on our attempts. When we got home, I decided I would stick the bore sight in the rifle and true to it, the little red dot was sitting low and to the left and 12 yards (length of the hallway). Of course that will work in close up cowboy work, but for those odd long shots that occasionally pop up, it will never do. A side note: my wife's marlin was hitting to right of the target and the bore sight confirmed this as well. 

So the question is.... 

Do you zero your rifle(s) and if you do, what range? Do you adhere to the traditional 50/200 yard zero? The Maximum Point Blank Range zero? Or the pull it out of the box, drop the buckhorn sight to the lowest notch and get to blasting zero? 


First I must ask what cal and what loads?

 

I assume light loads as most do for cas.

 

My 38 CAS loads are not even close to accurate @ 50-100 yards and are are set at 25 yards for CAS. Attempting 100 yard shots is a waste of time

 

My 44-40 loads work well out to 75 yards...100 yards has a bit of a drop but do well with open sights on large gongs with max trailboss loads. I also shoot AT 200 yard targets for fun with the Winchester 73'...44-40 Trailboss loads, 25 yards and 265 yards

I have a special 44-40 load that groups 6" at 265 yards with my Marlin 1894CB....but we can just leave that one out! 44-40, 265 yards GolfBall Shots

 

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21 hours ago, Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 said:

I get my main match rifle shooting on at about 20 yards.   Write down the rear sight elevator notch for that. 

 

I sight main match rifle at 100 yards next.  Get it on by adding elevator notches to the 20 yards sight setting.   Write down that notch number. 

 

Put sight back on the 20 yard zero.  Shoot matches for ever. 

 

When I have a seventy to hundred yard shot to make,. I add back those notches needed for 100 yard zero.    Same ammo, same gun.   Same cowboy hat.  :lol:

 

On my Uberti .45 Colt rifles, that would usually work out to the first notch (lowest) for match, and 3rd notch for my velocity of match ammo, which may be slightly more than most folks use, as mine makes WB power factor.

 

Why make it hard?  GJ

Great minds think alike! Except mine is a .357-      SCJ

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Just curious why people are checking 50 yards...…..let alone 100? 99.8% of the targets you shoot will be 25 or less. Most like 7 -15. A rifle can't have a good POI at both.....so it seems like you would want to set er' up for where you use it most. I have never seen a target over 25 in the last 15 years.....unless it's a side match.  

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1 hour ago, Cowboy Junky said:

Just curious why people are checking 50 yards...…..let alone 100? 99.8% of the targets you shoot will be 25 or less. Most like 7 -15. A rifle can't have a good POI at both.....so it seems like you would want to set er' up for where you use it most. I have never seen a target over 25 in the last 15 years.....unless it's a side match.  

 

If your rifle is used for nothing but competition then sure I’d zero at 15 and call it good. 

But my rifle will be used for other stuff too and CAS is only a hobby so my rifle is zeroed at 100 yards

and that puts it 4” high at 25 yards and only 2” high at 15 yards. 

Knowing this the rifle can have two good points of impact. 

 

Question is what will the rifle be used for. If its life is spent on a gun cart shooting steel then sure zero it in the middle of your closest and farthest target. 

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I sight my rifle to be 3-½" high @ 35 yards.  ((Traditional 6 o'clock hold).  It's just about  7" low @ 100, dead on @ 75 yards and high everywhere closer in.    I can run close in targets with the front sight on the bottom of the target and be assured of a hit, and hold on the top of a 100 yard target and similarly (if I do my part), be assured of a hit.    Assuming standard 16" square targets... 

 

Run a ballistic calculation for YOUR load with 5 yard increments and I think you'll find it AIN'T rocket science.

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On 5/23/2019 at 4:52 PM, Savvy Jack said:


First I must ask what cal and what loads?

 

I assume light loads as most do for cas.

 

My 38 CAS loads are not even close to accurate @ 50-100 yards and are are set at 25 yards for CAS. Attempting 100 yard shots is a waste of time

 

My 44-40 loads work well out to 75 yards...100 yards has a bit of a drop but do well with open sights on large gongs with max trailboss loads. I also shoot AT 200 yard targets for fun with the Winchester 73'...44-40 Trailboss loads, 25 yards and 265 yards

I have a special 44-40 load that groups 6" at 265 yards with my Marlin 1894CB....but we can just leave that one out! 44-40, 265 yards GolfBall Shots

 

 

My 38 loads are hotter than what a lot of 45 shooters run. 125gr tnfp being pushed by 5.0 grs of Trail Boss. Now they aren't as accurate as my 308 precision loads but I also am not trying to hit a plate at 600 yards with the cowboy loads either! 

 

It really does amaze me the number of shooters who pulled their new gun out of the box, wipe it down and then go shoot a match with it! 

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 I hunt with my rifles too so they are sighted in at 100.  None of my guns are so tricked out they can't be useful besides sass. To me that's just a waste.    

  

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