If point blank isn’t point blank... then what is point blank

[jb1]

Imagine a tube 4 inches in diameter and 1000 yards long and perfectly straight, the point blank range would be the distance that the bullet stays withing that tube.

Thats my understanding of it anyway, it is of course subjective to the diameter of the tube.

 

[VSS]

Imagine a tube 4 inches in diameter and 1000 yards long and perfectly straight, the point blank range would be the distance that the bullet stays withing that tube.

Thats my understanding of it anyway, it is of course subjective to the diameter of the tube.

That's kind of my understanding also - the total distance over which you don't have to worry about hold-over or -under to hit a 4" kill zone. So, for example, for a particular calibre etc, the point blank range could be between 50 and 200 yards.

 

[Dalua]

Which is why we don't have our scopes parallel with our barrels.

I think mine are, more or less?
Given that the front and rear mounts are pretty much the same hight, and if they weren't I wouldn't be aware of which was taller or shorter, I've always imagined that the optical trickery needed to make me point the barrel upwards the right amount happens in the middle of the scope somewhere, where the reticle lies on the image of the target?

Long-range folk might need wedge-shaped rails to buy them 20MoA extra, or whatever - but I think for ordinary sporting use, our scopes are mounted more or less parallel, and the adjustments to take account of the ballistics and mounting are made within.