Hunting Zero ?

[Bassfish1952]

Many of my friends use 1" at 100yds and call it good and say Deer vitals are 8" circle so hit inside it you're good.  At one time shooting a .270 or a 30-06 and most shots at 100yds or less I did too. Now the place I will be hunting offers shots out to 225 and a few out to my personal limit of 300 yds
I knew about MPBR but didn't give it much thought for hunting
Now shooting a 6mm.  103/90gr at around 2800-2950 My thoughts have changed bullet placement seems more important so I'm looking at a MPBR using a 3" circle and a cheat sheet from 230yds out to 300yds.

What do you guys use and or do you dial it in for each shot ?



Thanks

[Diesel Pro]

I haven't done enough with the 6arc to really have any meaningful real world experience, but I would suggest that you look at the Hornady ballistic calculator and start fudging your zero around a bit. Be sure to measure and set correctly the sight height. You may want to try to find a zero distance number that gets you approx +/- 3" MPBR from 0- 300. Then again you may want to try to stay flatter in the 100-200 range and hold up at 300.

The gas gun 556/223 does well with a 36yd zero. Some info on that out there on the web

Also I don't know that bullet placement is really any more or less important based on a shift down in caliber. I'll probably stick with my 260 bolt gun for deer, but if I do run either my 6arc or 223 AR's I'd want to be pitching Nosler Accubond bullets.

Article: https://chuckhawks.com/sight_rifle_mpbr.html

[Bassfish1952]

I haven't done enough with the 6arc to really have any meaningful real world experience, but I would suggest that you look at the Hornady ballistic calculator and start fudging your zero around a bit.  Be sure to measure and set correctly the sight height.  You may want to try to find a zero distance number that gets you approx +/- 3" MPBR from 0- 300.  Then again you may want to try to stay flatter in the 100-200 range and hold up at 300.

The gas gun 556/223 does well with a 36yd zero.  Some info on that out there on the web

Also I don't know that bullet placement is really any more or less important based on a shift down in caliber.  I'll probably stick with my 260 bolt gun for deer, but if I do run either my 6arc or 223 AR's I'd want to be pitching Nosler Accubond bullets.

Article:  https://chuckhawks.com/sight_rifle_mpbr.html

I've been looking at      https://shooterscalculator.com/. was thinking a 3" circle and hold up on the long shoots , Just was interested in what others are doing

Thanks

[Diesel Pro]

We'll see if this comes across with copy/paste. This is the 87 Vmax and a 50 yd near zero, but the 90 ELDX or 90 accubond should be very similar.  The ELDX should be flatter yet.

Velocity is pretty quick as I have a 22" barrel.

Range Velocity Energy Trajectory Come Up (MOA) Come Up (MILS) Wind Drift Wind Drift (MOA) Wind Drift (MILS)
0 3020 1762.0 -2.9 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
50 2900 1624.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
100 2783 1496.0 1.8 -1.7 -0.5 0 0 0
150 2669 1376.0 2.6 -1.6 -0.5 0 0 0
200 2558 1264.0 2.1 -1.0 -0.3 0 0 0
250 2450 1159.0 0.2 -0.1 0.0 0 0 0
300 2344 1061.0 -3.1 1.0 0.3 0 0 0

[Rickhem]

I know this is an older post, but here's a fairly simple calculator to look at the MPBR on paper, and then you can switch over to the Ballistic Trajectory side and see that curve graphically, along with a table for specified distances. I use this one more than any other.

https://shooterscalculator.com/point-blank-range.php

As a tip, get out a ruler and actually measure your height above bore line, that makes a big impact on the calculations.

Another piece of advice is to use the different parts of your reticle for different distances. Modern reticles have better capability for this, but even the old duplex reticles can help if you know where the "thick part to thin part" used as a point of aim will hit for you.

Next time you are at the range shooting a good group, take a shot by putting the lower part of the vertical crosshair, the point where your crosshair changes thickness, put that over your group and take a shot. It'll print high, and you can measure that and use that in your ballistic calculations. It sure beats guessing where a 16" holdover should be for where your desired impact area on the deer is.

[300BLK]

I guess we all should check centerline of bore to scope. 2.9” seem awfully high.
My 20” Howa shoots my 75gr VMax @2950, 1” high at 100, 2” low at 200, and 9” low at 300. Raising 1moa would put it 2” high at 100, zeroed at 200, and 6” low at 300. A backbone hold would work on a coyote at 300, and a deer maybe to 350.
We all should know our real world trajectories rather than depending upon a table. I’ve come to appreciate FFP scopes since the reticle subtensions remain the same regardless of magnification.

[Bassfish1952]

I guess we all should check centerline of bore to scope.  2.9” seem awfully high.
My 20” Howa shoots my 75gr VMax @2950, 1” high at 100, 2” low at 200, and 9” low at 300.  Raising 1moa would put it 2” high at 100, zeroed at 200, and 6” low at 300.  A backbone hold would work on a coyote at 300, and a deer maybe to 350.
We all should know our real world trajectories rather than depending upon a table.  I’ve come to appreciate FFP scopes since the reticle subtensions remain the same regardless of magnification.

Thanks for all the comebacks. 
With my  current shooting experience Ihave reduced to 250yds ,I can hit and kill at that distance comfortably . 
I measured my scope height and used a program to get a near zero and Hornady's program to dope it out to 250. my ranges here max out at 200 and realistically 100yds but one of the places  I hunt let me take shots from my tree stand at 300 so I'm dialed in with the factory 103's
I also cheated by taking a BOGA grip and matting it to a grip for a GoPro camera . it allows me to attach to a 2x4 or the safety bar on a tree stand adjust it and shoot from a rest

[Rickhem]

I’ve come to appreciate FFP scopes since the reticle subtensions remain the same regardless of magnification.

I have a 6.8SPC that I just got set up over the summer and took it out one afternoon for deer hunting.  Now my disclaimer is that it's set up more as a target rifle, and has a 6-24x50 FFP scope with a fairly busy reticle.  The center dot is about ½MOA and works really well at full magnification on the targets.  It does NOT have an illuminated reticle.  It's my first (and only) FFP riflescope.  I honestly never change from 24X when target shooting with this rifle, and I have a load that shoots the 120SST into <MOA at 100, so I figured it might make a good option for the woods. 

I took it out one afternoon for a sit in a ground blind, and cranked the magnification down to 6x.  I like the lower magnification for hunting as it yields a greater field of view, faster target acquisition, gathers more light for a brighter view through the scope, and is much more forgiving with eye relief.  All the optics I use get set down near the low end for hunting, and I'll crank them up if a change for a longer, more deliberate shot presents itself.  I found the reticle was much harder to see, since all those little dots got way, way smaller at the lower setting.  Once I got to within 20 minutes of sunset, I couldn't see it well enough to use.  We're allowed to hunt until ½ hour after sunset, and that's a very very productive time, which I lost on that day.  

With all the above, I'm sure that my FFP scope is not appropriate for the hunting that I do here in central NY.  I have fields that can offer shots of up to 300 yards, and on rare occasions up to 400.  But the majority of the hunting is in the woods where a 100 yard shot is a rarity.  Shots in the woods aren't far, but you typically don't have a lot of time to make any fine-tuning adjustments like a deer in a field would allow.  Once you see a deer that you decide to take a shot at, it's usually moving, and you have to find a lane for your shot, then send it when he gets there.  The sunrise and sunset timeframes are where a bolder reticle helps, or maybe one that is illuminated, but I'm not experienced with illuminated in actual practice.  

I'm not specifically addressing this to you @300BLK, since your comment makes it clear you aren't new at this, and you probably already have experienced what I did.  I'm not really new at this myself, and this caught me off guard.  But for someone that wants to hear some real-life DOs and DON'Ts for hunting optics, my advice is to make sure your reticle is easily visible at the lower settings of your magnification range, and don't get too caught up in high power magnification.  Hitting a softball size target is all you really need to do to effectively harvest a deer, and they're not always standing broadside waiting for you to get your shot off.

[300BLK]

I don't like terribly busy reticles, and almost never use more than 12x because of mirage. FFP with graduated reticles can be very useful, and while mine are illuminated, they are more for the target range than hunting woods. I DO have a 1.5-6x FFP with center dot illumination and psuedo duplex reticle, and that one lives on a Marlin leveraction in 35 Remington. In low light conditions, the illumination can work, but tends to flare, so I use as little illumination as possible.

IMO, 6x is an excellent compromise between field of view and magnification. I have an older SWFA 6x that I've shot out to 1000 yards.

[Rickhem]

I don't like terribly busy reticles, and almost never use more than 12x because of mirage. FFP with graduated reticles can be very useful, and while mine are illuminated, they are more for the target range than hunting woods.  I DO have a 1.5-6x FFP with center dot illumination and psuedo duplex reticle, and that one lives on a Marlin leveraction in 35 Remington.  In low light conditions, the illumination can work, but tends to flare, so I use as little illumination as possible.

IMO, 6x is an excellent compromise between field of view and magnification.  I have an older SWFA 6x that I've shot out to 1000 yards.

I can completely relate.  I have a dot sight that is on a crossbow, and that red does flare a bit even at the lowest setting.  There are green options on this particular sight, and those work better for me in very low light.  

Couldn't agree more on the 6x magnification.  I have a .308 with an older Bushnell Scopechief 4-20, a .357 Henry with a Bushnell 1-4, and my 6ARC has a Vortex 4-16, all of which are at the highest setting for load development, but all get set to roughly 4x or 6x for hunting.  It's such a good compromise of magnification, eye relief, brightness, and field of view, that just works for me.

[ReddyToGo]

I also use shooterscalculator.com to determine maximum point blank range based on my setup. I use a 4" target size when determining the near and far zero. I sight in at near zero and confirmed far zero. I use 4" target size because when hunting I typically take a neck shots, 3 will work also.

I have not done it yet for my 6arc. I need to work on my loads for it first.

Here is an example of the output:
Near Zero: 29 yards
Far Zero: 202 yards
Minimum PBR: 0 yards
Maximum PBR: 236 yards
Sight-in at 100yds: 1.91" high