Range to zero a .243 at?

BRACES of Bristol - Sauer 100 XTA Stainless Package
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WillM

Active Member
Hello, what is the best range to zero a .243 at? What size groups should I be looking at being acceptable?
 
Depends on what round you're firing. The trajectory of a 55gr .243 round at 4000 odd fps is very different to a 100gr at 3000 fps. For the heavier rounds, I'd zero, as jc says, 1" high at 100 yards. This should give you a 4" point blank range from the muzzle out to nearly 200 yards. If you want to work it our properly, invest in one of the ballistics programs, input as much data as you can and see what the ballistic curve looks like.
 
hi willm depends what sort of stalking you are doing woodland or open ground.most of my woodland deer are shot within 100 yards.so there fore sight your rifle at 100 yards.I also shoot quite afew deer on the hill therefore deer are shot at a greater distance.Rifle is sighted in at 200 yards.It also depends on your ability and what you feel comfortable with.Good luck logburner.
 
I cant think of a single reason not to zero at 100yds (or close to it). even if your expected quarry will be inside that 90% of the time.
I can count on one hand how many red deer I have shot past 120yds with the 270 but I know if something goes pear shaped and I have to take a second shot that only presents itself at 250yds then zeroing at 1" at 100yds gives me the best possible Maximum Point Blank Range should I ever need to do that without having the faff with range finders, twiddle turrets or rely on anything remotely ballistic software related.

1" high at 100 has been tested time in memoriam
 
:doh: I can never understand this idea of people saying they zero1" high or whatever at 100yds or metres ... because surely that is not your zero. All this means is that your bullet strikes 1" high at 100 {please enter your prefered choice of unit of measurement} . Your actual zero is likely to be down range a bit more. So guys impress me when your point of impact is 1" high at 100 yds what really is your zero . ;)

I understand the reasons why you do this , personally I do zero bang on at 100 yds , and now I'm rambling its been a long day goodnight all . :zzz: Brough
 
i zero for 200 yards and with my homeload load of 85 grain sierra gamekings its 1.2" high at 100 and 4" low at 270 yardsi never shoot deer over 200 but when shooting alot of foxes with 243 ive found thats the zero that works for me and has done for years any further like crows and targets then i dial in using a data card and JBM ballistic software
however just find what your happy shooting and can compensate for you will eventually find a system that works for your style of shooting

kris
 
bewsher500 said:
because zeroing at 1" high at 100 is easier than zeroing at 217 yards 7inches...:D
Click to expand...

Exactly, where I go stalking I can find a number of spots where I can safely shoot at 100yds. It's much trickier to find a spot where I can set the target up at 163 yds. The second thing to consider, is that after 40+ years of looking through scopes on rifles zeroed 1 inch high at 100yds, you get accustomed to the sight picture and the results. I tried at one point to change to a zero at 100yds when I changed a scope. I gave up and changed back to 1 inch high at 100yds.

Regards JCS
 
ive always zeroed all my rifles 1"high at 100 yds , no mater what the calibre !

it gives you the flexability of a long shot if required with out even thinking about it ! there is nothing worse than having a shot "on" and then having to run bullet drops through your head loosing your shot .
 
First, find a good balistic calculator, just google it. I like Point Blank. Once you have this, you can sight your gun at any distance and know approxinately where you will be at any other distance.

I then use a 4" PointBlankRange, This is the range where the bullet never travles more than two inches above or below the point of aim. Using my guns and loads this means that I am a little under two inches high at 100yds, about dead on around 200yds and 2" low at a little under 250 yds. FWIW, it's around 7" low at 300yds. Because most of my shots are under 200 yards, I know that I can take almost any shot that I see and not have to worry about hold-over until the shots are at my personal max range of 300yds. This works with both my 30-06 using 165s and 7x57 using 150s.

I just ran the program on a generic 243 using a 100gn sps @2900fps. Remarkedly this load falls right in with my loads.

Of course the key factor here is your max shot distance. If you know that your max range is 150yds, you might want to use a smaller pbr.

I hope this wasn't too complicated:roll:. capt david
 
Zero, practice and load develop at 200y. 70gn ballistic tip. You need to know zero range, 1" high at 100 could be a long way off at 200!!!!
 
1" high at 100 yards. But this doesnt mean you shouldnt be aware of exactly where your zero point is adn the drop off at differnt distances and the realtion of the drop to your reticle (if you haev markers or mildots). For my 6.5 x 55 1 inch high gives me bang on zero at 200 yards with my 95g Vmax which I use for foxes. Its also apx 3 - 4 inches low at 300 yards which is bang on my next mark down on my Bushnell Elite reticle. Job Done

For the 129g SST in the same rifle 1 inch high gives me apx 170 yard zero and apx 1 -1.5 inches low at 200 yards.

1 inch high at 100 yards is quick and easy to check when out in the field and zeroing your rifle at 100 yards has less variablity than zeroing at 200 yards (depending on scope, wind, shooters capability etc etc) so IMO is easier for the majority of shooters to get their rifle/scope in sync. If you are shooting sub MOA or MOA at 200 yards then great but if your not you could be chasing zero all over the place and wasting a lot of ammo!!

just my 2 pennies worth.
 
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i canrt get my head around 1" high at 100 i zero bang on at a hundred as most deer i shoot are within 100 yards even if i push the boat out its not hard to aim a inch or two higher on your target im quite happy to shoot foxes out to 200 plus yards like this
 
I did some calculating, and if I were to be certian that I would only be taking shots under 200yds, + 1" would work just fine:-D. capt david.
 
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