Zero

Zero at 50, zero means center of a group. Then shoot at 25, 100, 150,200. Find the center of groups at each distance, this will be your ballistic trajectory chart information +,- your zero. Properly supporting your AR on the bench and using good AR shooting techniques will greatly affect group size, as will the wind.
 
Most of my shots are under 100 yards and most of my rifles are flat enough shooting that I can hole on fur to 300 and I sight in dead on at 200 yards. But that's not cast in stone, right now I had to put all my scopes on for this season as they all came off for the move. I sighted in for the egg shoot and did my rifles at the same time so everything is sighted a 150 now. As I get more time I'll fine tune them over the winter.
 
I'm most likely to take predators between 50-150 yards. Probably 90% of my shots. So I want a zero that produces the least amount of variance high/low between those distances, no more than say 3/4 or 1 inch high or low between 50-150 yards. Super flat trajectory at the most likely distances.

For most centerfire predator type cartridges, that's either a 150 or 200 yard zero, depending on the cartridge/bullet and platform/scope hight.

My 6Dti is zero'd at 200 yards. It's 3/4" high at 50 yards, dead on at 80, 3/4" high at 140, dead on at 200, and 3/4" low at 225, 2" low at 250, 5" low at 300. That covers 99% of my shots holding on fur.

Run a ballistics chart and see what works for you.
 
Originally Posted By: ar15rdyI'm hunting suppressed, will that affect my zero?

Yes. I had to zero with the suppressor on . Anywhere from 2-4” difference between suppressed and unsuppressed on my AR’s and BA’s.
 
So, do i have to rezero or check zero everytime i put my can on. I have already zeroed my rifle suppressed and removed the can for storage, and don't plan on hunting without it.
 
Once I’ve zero’d with my can and my reloads (using same ammo) than I can take the suppressor off and on with no issue.

However, if I shoot unsuppressed, than POI is high.

Nothing like experience, go shoot your rifle suppressed and unsuppressed.
 
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Originally Posted By: ar15rdyAre you guys sighting a 16" barrel at 50 yards? Just want to make sure I'm comparing apples to apples

Ambush Firearms 5.56 cal AR15 with 18" barrel and 1:7 twist shooting US Military Surplus M855 Green Tipped 5.56 62 grain ammo. Using EOTech EXPS 3-4 Hollow Graphics Weapon Sight and a G-33 magnifier. All optics are quick detached to a Picannary Rail on top of the Ambush Firearms AR15.

Note: the EXPS 3.4 optic's reticle is designed for this particular bullet and is suppose to be sighted in at 50 yards. The reticle on the EOTech sight is designed to shoot out to 500 meters. Check out the reticle on the EOTech HHS1 to see what I'm talking about. The rifle was mounted in a Dual Frame Technology Lead Sled to sight in the optics.
 
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I set mine about 1 to 1 1/2 inches high at 100yds for most small calibers. As others have stated you should be good to go to about 225 yards. Most companies publish the data on a specific bullets ballistics if you zero at a given distance. For varmints they use about a 5 inch range. This extrapolates to no more than 2.5 inches above or below the trajectory of the bullet over a given distance. If you zero at 50 yards you are probably close to the ranges of a Santos improved battle sight zero. You can google it and read it. It's close but of course varies by bullet. Manufacturers have crazy accurate data. This of course excludes other external ballistic factors. Others here are more knowledgeable than I, however I can hold minute of coyote using the above data.
 
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Originally Posted By: Coyotehunter_Ambush Firearms 5.56 cal AR15 with 18" barrel and 1:7 twist shooting US Military Surplus M855 Green Tipped 5.56 62 grain ammo. Using EOTech EXPS 3-4 Hollow Graphics Weapon Sight and a G-33 magnifier. All optics are quick detached to a Picannary Rail on top of the Ambush Firearms AR15.

I really hope that is not the ammo you use to hunt with.
 
Originally Posted By: reb8600Originally Posted By: Coyotehunter_Ambush Firearms 5.56 cal AR15 with 18" barrel and 1:7 twist shooting US Military Surplus M855 Green Tipped 5.56 62 grain ammo. Using EOTech EXPS 3-4 Hollow Graphics Weapon Sight and a G-33 magnifier. All optics are quick detached to a Picannary Rail on top of the Ambush Firearms AR15.

I really hope that is not the ammo you use to hunt with.

Hunt What? That is what I used to shoot with at the rifle range. What is your main concern with me shooting this ammo? Do you know what I intend to shoot with this ammo or are you just guessing blindly at what I will be shooting at or hunting? The rifle is designed to shoot this ammo. The Optic is designed for this ammo. The AR15 rifle can be used to hunt many different things depending on the situation and time.

What do you think I'm using my AR15 for? I may be using it for self-defense of my home or hunting wild boar for all you know.

Just to ease your mind I am not hunting anything at this time due to health issues. I only use this gun at the shooting ranges these days. And it shoots the 62 grain bullets better (accurately and precisely) than any other bullets.
 
Seen many people talk about using FMJ or the steel core for hunting. That is why I was wondering. No need to get all uptight about it.
 
Originally Posted By: reb8600Seen many people talk about using FMJ or the steel core for hunting. That is why I was wondering. No need to get all uptight about it.

Well when ya talk down to another grown man it can make them uptight. It often kills a thread here when posts start hitting below the belt too. See: WHAT HAPPENED TO PREDATOR MASTERS... Don’t worry about what others are doing.
 
I'll give a 50 yard zero a try. However, it will be a few days before I can get out calling. Rain is in the forecast the rest of the week, here in Arizona.
 
Originally Posted By: K9SNIPEROriginally Posted By: reb8600Seen many people talk about using FMJ or the steel core for hunting. That is why I was wondering. No need to get all uptight about it.

Well when ya talk down to another grown man it can make them uptight. It often kills a thread here when posts start hitting below the belt too. See: WHAT HAPPENED TO PREDATOR MASTERS... Don’t worry about what others are doing.

I did not mean it as an insult and didn't talk down to him when I commented. If someone cannot handle a question/comment then they should not be posting on discussion boards. That seems to be a big problem any more. If I am insulting someone, there will be no doubt about it.
 
Originally Posted By: Coyotehunter_Originally Posted By: reb8600Originally Posted By: Coyotehunter_Ambush Firearms 5.56 cal AR15 with 18" barrel and 1:7 twist shooting US Military Surplus M855 Green Tipped 5.56 62 grain ammo. Using EOTech EXPS 3-4 Hollow Graphics Weapon Sight and a G-33 magnifier. All optics are quick detached to a Picannary Rail on top of the Ambush Firearms AR15.

I really hope that is not the ammo you use to hunt with.

Hunt What? That is what I used to shoot with at the rifle range. What is your main concern with me shooting this ammo? Do you know what I intend to shoot with this ammo or are you just guessing blindly at what I will be shooting at or hunting? The rifle is designed to shoot this ammo. The Optic is designed for this ammo. The AR15 rifle can be used to hunt many different things depending on the situation and time.

What do you think I'm using my AR15 for? I may be using it for self-defense of my home or hunting wild boar for all you know.

Just to ease your mind I am not hunting anything at this time due to health issues. I only use this gun at the shooting ranges these days. And it shoots the 62 grain bullets better (accurately and precisely) than any other bullets.



Wow, sounds like someone missed nap time today.
 
Originally Posted By: ar15rdyI'm shooting 55-grain federal soft point. Can 1/9 barrel handle 55 grain with consistent accuracy?

You should have no problems with the 55 grain getting consistent accuracy.
 
Originally Posted By: reb8600Seen many people talk about using FMJ or the steel core for hunting. That is why I was wondering. No need to get all uptight about it.

Right now I'm not doing any hunting due to having cancer and heart disease. I can hardly get out to go get groceries due to a bad heart. I had heart bypass surgery back in 2009 and had 4 blocked heart arteries bypassed so that I could get enough blood flow in my heart. I recently failed the heart stress test and had to have a heart cath done. I found out that 2 of my 4 bypasses have failed and the doctor told me to take my Nitro tablets if I get chest pains again. I get angina all the time and think that I'm going to have another heart attack someday soon. So I guess I'm a little jumpy these days.

Didn't mean to say anything wrong. I was just curious as to why you said what you said about the FMJ bullets.

I bought these M855 bullets on sale and got a good price on them. And they are heavy and shoot better than other bullets in my gun. I'm using a Daniel Defense Ambush Firearms AR15 which shoots these bullets more accurately and precisely than the lighter weight bullets. The Green tips on them are plastic. At least I thought that they were green plastic.

I have shot some of the Hornaday with the plastic tips on the bullets but they were lighter weight and didn't group well due to my fast 1:7 twist rifling in my barrel. I learned that these 55-grain bullets shoot better in a 1:9 twist barrel. As I said before my friends High Point AR15 with a 1:9 twist rate and 16" barrel shot the Hornady 55 grain bullets much better than my $1750 Daniel Defense Ambush Firearms 5.56 AR5. I learned that was because of the different type barrels and the different twist rates in the two different barrels.

I thought I had this all figured out with the M855 bullets in my AR15 and then I get this "I hope you are not planning on hunting with those FMJ bullets" So I sort of freaked out for a minute. It's so easy to misunderstand what people are saying on the internet when you don't have the person in front of you so you can read their face and understand what they are trying to convey. Like I said I'm not really hunting with them. I used them at the rifle ranges. And they shoot better than the other plastic-tipped Horney and Remington plastic tipped bullets.

Bottom line is that I'm here to learn. So I didn't mean to upset anyone in here.
 
Originally Posted By: Coyotehunter_ The Green tips on them are plastic. At least I thought that they were green plastic.

the green tips are paint. no plastic in those bullets.
 
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