Meters, yards and MOA!!

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Well-Known Member
Right, this probably doesn't make a whole lots of difference from a stalking perspective but it would be good to get it right and understand things!

I shoot with a .270, mainly woodland and farmland roe with the rifle zeroed at 100m. Furthest shot I have taken was 184m and I don't really envisage going much further than that. For shots above 140m I just use a little holdover - but whatever, at that range its a dead deer.

I have just upgraded my scope to a Zeiss Conquest V4, with ballistic elevation turret and ZMOA illuminated reticule (wasn't really planned but there are some unbelievable deals on these) and so want to take advantage of the features.
I know that 1 MOA is as near as makes no different to 1" at 100yards and I can set my range finding binos to yards BUT the range where I zero my rifle is 100 meters, which is 109.36yard, nearly 10% further. I suppose I have the option to find somewhere to set a zero target at 100 yards but the indoor range I use is convenient and has no wind to worry about.

I use Winchester powerpoint ammo (cheap and it works with my rifle) and so plugged the data into the Winchester ballistic calculator to get an indication of drops and the click allowances I would need to make - but it only accepts zeroing parameters in meters.

So.…how much difference is teh fact that I have zeroed in meters but am shooting in yards going to make???

Or can some point me to an alternative ballistic calculator that allows me to put the zero distance in yards and will accept all the other required parameters.
 
Right, this probably doesn't make a whole lots of difference from a stalking perspective but it would be good to get it right and understand things!

I shoot with a .270, mainly woodland and farmland roe with the rifle zeroed at 100m. Furthest shot I have taken was 184m and I don't really envisage going much further than that. For shots above 140m I just use a little holdover - but whatever, at that range its a dead deer.

I have just upgraded my scope to a Zeiss Conquest V4, with ballistic elevation turret and ZMOA illuminated reticule (wasn't really planned but there are some unbelievable deals on these) and so want to take advantage of the features.
I know that 1 MOA is as near as makes no different to 1" at 100yards and I can set my range finding binos to yards BUT the range where I zero my rifle is 100 meters, which is 109.36yard, nearly 10% further. I suppose I have the option to find somewhere to set a zero target at 100 yards but the indoor range I use is convenient and has no wind to worry about.

I use Winchester powerpoint ammo (cheap and it works with my rifle) and so plugged the data into the Winchester ballistic calculator to get an indication of drops and the click allowances I would need to make - but it only accepts zeroing parameters in meters.

So.…how much difference is teh fact that I have zeroed in meters but am shooting in yards going to make???

Or can some point me to an alternative ballistic calculator that allows me to put the zero distance in yards and will accept all the other required parameters.

An old car painter taught me...too much paint too many problems...
by the time you have done the range distance then doped your scope it will have ####ed off.
My .270 is around 1 inch @ 100 yards meters paces...

There are far more factors going on than the difference in Yds v Mts....

Tim.243
 
You can probably change your rangefinder to Meters some how. Most have the option to swap them?
 
You sure Winchester (being American and all) doesn’t do the range in yards? See if it can be changed in settings or just get another app for example zeiss app may help even if you don’t have the range finders. Anyway you could assume 110 yds is effectively the same as 100 yds. Theoretically some drop but hard to actually see that in real life and then account for your drop with bigger jumps in distance e.g 150 yds etc.

Don’t listen to the neysayers :) Some times it’s fun to know the maths and hold over values etc even if with stalking ranges it matters little
 
An old car painter taught me...too much paint too many problems...
by the time you have done the range distance then doped your scope it will have ####ed off.
My .270 is around 1 inch @ 100 yards meters paces...

There are far more factors going on than the difference in Yds v Mts....

Tim.243

Thanks and I agree with your points but just want to understand the whole thing properly
 
You sure Winchester (being American and all) doesn’t do the range in yards? See if it can be changed in settings or just get another app for example zeiss app may help even if you don’t have the range finders. Anyway you could assume 110 yds is effectively the same as 100 yds. Theoretically some drop but hard to actually see that in real life and then account for your drop with bigger jumps in distance e.g 150 yds etc.

Don’t listen to the neysayers :) Some times it’s fun to know the maths and hold over values etc even if with stalking ranges it matters little

Yes the Winchester Calculator does yards - sorry if that was not clear, trouble is the Zero data "slider" is in 25 yards steps so I cant select 110yards
 
Try the Hornady ballistics calculator.
You can set your Zero to 110 yards, and ask for the results in 25 yard steps.
 
if your that worried stick out a 2 foot high target place a line top to bottom with 1" lines and a 10p size black dot shoot 100 the go back in steps to your max range and still aim at said dot , your have a clear chart to view when your done and your know your drops .sorted
use the ziess it work for me for years all but pin on as long as you input all the data , but KISS is the chart above .
 
I am assuming that you can’t move closer to the target or move the target closer to you. At that range the drop between 100 and 110 yards or metres is negligible so can almost be discounted.
I have used Strelok as a ballistics app which is free but now prefer Applied Ballistics which costs but has been very reliable out to 1000 yards plus for both wind and elevation changes.
Saying that if your max range is 180 yards then zero an inch to an inch and a half high at 100 and point and shoot to 200
 
Probably not what you want to here but he best thing for shooting your deer out to 200m is to zero at 10 and then dial up about an inch and a half high.

Personally I dial up .3 mil which gives me a 150m zero and at 200m I am 6cm low.
 
Do what you wont close id put up a 3 foot target i use wall paper backing
I am assuming that you can’t move closer to the target or move the target closer to you. At that range the drop between 100 and 110 yards or metres is negligible so can almost be discounted.
I have used Strelok as a ballistics app which is free but now prefer Applied Ballistics which costs but has been very reliable out to 1000 yards plus for both wind and elevation changes.
Saying that if your max range is 180 yards then zero an inch to an inch and a half high at 100 and point and shoot to 200
 
I tend to zero my scope half an inch high at 100m then hold bang on from 50-200m ok this is a .223 and foxing but like said before don't overthink it.
 
If you zero 1 inch or 2cm high at 100 widgets, by the time the bullet gets to 200 it will be as near as won't matter.
At 185 metres or less it's all of academic interest, the 'Earth connection' will have a greater bearing on the outcome, for sure. I guess you can tell I'm a bit 'over' terminal ballistics at hunting ranges?

Covered many of the finer points around thirty years ago, disregarded mostly it as 'of incidental interest' 29 3/4 years ago. You will have an idea of distance, given your longest kill has been 184 metres/200yds gove or take - if it looks too far, get nearer.

Too many variables to consider, e.g. 'Real' exit velocity from your rifle, ballistic coefficient, wind, blah blah, like Tim says, by the time you've ****ed about thinking about it all and playing with the magical turret (which seems often to get forgotten to be readjusted for the next beast, resulting in an over complicated miss or misplaced shot), the season will have closed or the dark es will have caught up with the by now ageing deer.

Good hunting - and don't make life harder than it already is!
 
Listen... if you’re not using a creedmoor and a top 3 European brand rangefinder to help you dial your shot then I’d suggest it’s borderline unethical and I know most people on the forum would agree with me. It’s near enough an unspoken truth. Best use a blaser rifle just to be completely sure too
 
Thanks all. As I said in my opening post, this isn't going to make a whole heap of difference from a stalking perspective. I very much doubt I will change my zero or change what I do (i.e. point and shoot) but I just want to understand what difference zeroing at 100meters and the using the MOA principle of 1 MOA = 1" @ 100 yards makes.

Some answers have been helpful some have wasted time by pointing out what I have already said I know.
 
At the very likely risk of saying something you already know... at 110 yds if your group was 1.1inches then you’d still be within 1 MOA :)
 
Right, this probably doesn't make a whole lots of difference from a stalking perspective but it would be good to get it right and understand things!

I shoot with a .270, mainly woodland and farmland roe with the rifle zeroed at 100m. Furthest shot I have taken was 184m and I don't really envisage going much further than that. For shots above 140m I just use a little holdover - but whatever, at that range its a dead deer.

I have just upgraded my scope to a Zeiss Conquest V4, with ballistic elevation turret and ZMOA illuminated reticule (wasn't really planned but there are some unbelievable deals on these) and so want to take advantage of the features.
I know that 1 MOA is as near as makes no different to 1" at 100yards and I can set my range finding binos to yards BUT the range where I zero my rifle is 100 meters, which is 109.36yard, nearly 10% further. I suppose I have the option to find somewhere to set a zero target at 100 yards but the indoor range I use is convenient and has no wind to worry about.

I use Winchester powerpoint ammo (cheap and it works with my rifle) and so plugged the data into the Winchester ballistic calculator to get an indication of drops and the click allowances I would need to make - but it only accepts zeroing parameters in meters.

So.…how much difference is teh fact that I have zeroed in meters but am shooting in yards going to make???

Or can some point me to an alternative ballistic calculator that allows me to put the zero distance in yards and will accept all the other required parameters.
Just zero it to hit 9.36% high at 100m.
 
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