Originally Posted By: shanedoggOriginally Posted By: reb8600I zero everything at 100 yards.
I do as well. I realize it doesn't do a lot of my scopes and calibers justice, but its the ease of being able to check zero, as well as I trust my 100 yard groups more so than further. Making a decision to zero at a further distance would be dictated by my equipment/hunting situation, IE- if I had a standard reticle and was engaging targets @50 to 400, I would more than likely zero it at the optimal range for that caliber/range. I run turrets and a few bdc reticles so 100 it is.
Good post.
You will get a better "ZERO" on your scope/rifle combination for both windage and elevation at 100 yards than you will at 200 yards or further. If you sight the scope/rifle combination in at 100 yards with the point of impact set at roughly 1.25"-1.50" high at 100 yards, you will theoretically (and most times actually) be dead on at 200 yards and roughly 4" low at 300 yards with most common 22-250 loads, both factory and hand loaded.
Why do I do it this way? Lets play "IF's" and use some simple math with round numbers to make it all relative. If you have a rifle that shots 1 MOA at 100 yards the bullet dispersion will be roughly 1" at 100 yards, 2" at 200 yards, and 3 " at 300 yards, and so on. The closer sight in distance will minimize bullet dispersion from live exterior elements other than the accuracy of the rifle itself whereas at the longer distance there are other variable such as wind that might increase bullet dispersion at those distances even more. For wind for example, if it moves a bullet 1" at 100 yards that theoretically becomes 2" at 200 yards, and so on, only if external conditions are exactly the same at 100 and 200 yards, etc. when you sight the rifle in.
If you plan to regularly shoot at longer than 100 yards distances, verify by actual shooting where your rifle shoots at 200 yards and on, but get the scope set at 100 yards where there are less external variables to mess with the result of getting the scope "ZEROED".
If you see big variables in where bullets impact at longer ranges from a 100 yard sight-in, issues such as the simple barrel twist rate for the bullet length you are using might be affecting those results. Those things will have to sorted out if big variables do exist and you plan to regularly use the rifle at longer ranges.