Setting zero for hunting rifle with turrets?

[yobuck]

Well, last year I took their advise. Fortunately the deer I saw was way down the hill from me, about 300 yards. Everyone knows a seventy-eight year old does not get buck fever. But, for some reason I forgot to adjust the fancy turret for the longer range. I held center of chest and hit it right through the chest.

I found it with 7X binos and couldn't find it in the 2 1/2-25X scope set on 3X. So I went back to the binoculars and, yep, there it is. So, in my no back fever, I didn't think to turn up the magnification. Finally, I found the deer in the 3X looking the size of a squirrel.

This year I will be ready for no buck fever 'cause I will be a mature seventy-nine years old.

Well you do know things always go faster when there going downhill.
Maybe if he was further down hill you would have had to aim lower?
See, thats why its so important to have a Kestral. lol

 

[TxHeartShot]

I have always been a hold over shooter and am now going to use a custom turret on my long range rifle and was wondering what zero to use, most shots are under 300 yds but want to bet able to shoot out to 700yds.

I still use the MOA hashes on my reticle, sight the 260 Rem and 300 H&H at 200, the 7 STW at 250, I don't twirl knobs at all. I'm an old school self-professed stubborn luddite.

 

[TxHeartShot]

Here are the laws:

• Use an artificial light for hunting any wildlife, except raccoon, bobcat and opossum provided the light is not cast from or attached to a motor vehicle. This includes laser sights or any other sights which project a beam to the target, including scopes with electronic rangefinders and scopes that receive information from a rangefinder or any electronic device. This does not include battery operated sights which only light the reticle.

To me the key words are "sights", when they say laser sights to me that's a sight like a Crimson trace that's projecting a visible beam onto the target. A laser RF is not a sight. Neither is a kestrel. If that was the law you couldn't have a phone in your possession while hunting. Or a gps. Or a Inreach. And no SCOPES with rangefinders onboard or scopes that Bluetooth information (sig) from a RF.

Here is the electronics section:

• Hunt, locate, or scout for the purpose of hunting any wildlife with infrared or other night vision sight or equipment except trail cameras.

To me that's strictly referring to using NVG's or thermal for locating animals. It's a bit of a stretch to say you cant use a Kestrel because of that law.

Can't spotlight deer??? WTH...

In Texas you can sit in a box and shoot 'em when they come to the drive-thru for a snacky-snack. They call it "deer hunting"

 

[xsn10s]

Can't spotlight deer??? WTH...

In Texas you can sit in a box and shoot 'em when they come to the drive-thru for a snacky-snack. They call it "deer hunting"

"snacky-snack" is usually right on time too

 

[Bob2650]

My hunting rifles are officially zeroed at 100 yards for the Applied Ballistics program but I will have whatever is appropriate for the situation on the scope turret. It is essential to know how to get back to zero as it is easy to forget what the scope is set for.

 

[MJN030]

When I dial I typically set at 100 yards. But when hunting and I may get a fast shot, or more likely, from 0-300 yards I set the appropriate zero for a point blank shot. That way I can pull up and aim dead on and be within +/- so many inches depending on the vital zone size of my prey. For a custom dial I think that's what I would do. Much the same when I only use a reticle for holdovers. For dialing while using a ballistics app I set 100 yard zero. Either way is fine so pick one that works easiest for you.

This is an interesting discussion…
I sight in a 2" high at 100 yards .
However , elevation does come into play. For example, coming from NH with a rifle sighted in as previously described and traveling to NM for elk , I discovered that my shot went from 2" high to 4" high at the range .

I agree with everything so far , but I'm stuck on this turret thing . I have a few but never seem to get it quite right .

I'm thinking that if I take elevation into consideration, my situation sort of dictates to sight in at bullseye and let the elevation take care of the rest .,

Thoughts ?

 

[yobuck]

This is an interesting discussion…
I sight in a 2" high at 100 yards .
However , elevation does come into play. For example, coming from NH with a rifle sighted in as previously described and traveling to NM for elk , I discovered that my shot went from 2" high to 4" high at the range .

I agree with everything so far , but I'm stuck on this turret thing . I have a few but never seem to get it quite right .

I'm thinking that if I take elevation into consideration, my situation sort of dictates to sight in at bullseye and let the elevation take care of the rest .,

Thoughts ?

This could take 8 more pages. lol

 

[Ckleeves]

This is an interesting discussion…
I sight in a 2" high at 100 yards .
However , elevation does come into play. For example, coming from NH with a rifle sighted in as previously described and traveling to NM for elk , I discovered that my shot went from 2" high to 4" high at the range .

I agree with everything so far , but I'm stuck on this turret thing . I have a few but never seem to get it quite right .

I'm thinking that if I take elevation into consideration, my situation sort of dictates to sight in at bullseye and let the elevation take care of the rest .,

Thoughts ?

What you're describing is loss of zero. Either your scope or mount is to blame. Nothing to do with elevation or pressure, temp etc. Or your zero wasn't a true zero, another problem with offset zeros.

 

[Culpeper]

Did your custom turret come with instructions? They usually are set for 100 yard zero. I'm confused.

 

[xsn10s]

This is an interesting discussion…
I sight in a 2" high at 100 yards .
However , elevation does come into play. For example, coming from NH with a rifle sighted in as previously described and traveling to NM for elk , I discovered that my shot went from 2" high to 4" high at the range .

I agree with everything so far , but I'm stuck on this turret thing . I have a few but never seem to get it quite right .

I'm thinking that if I take elevation into consideration, my situation sort of dictates to sight in at bullseye and let the elevation take care of the rest .,

Thoughts ?

I can't give an opinion without knowing what bullet, MV, elevation, distance, temp, sight height, basically everything we'd need to know to plug into a ballistics app like JBM. Like i said some rifles I set for point blank zero where I don't have time to use a rangefinder. Other rifles where I have more time and I'll dial I set zero at 100 yards.

 

[memtb]

Did your custom turret come with instructions? They usually are set for 100 yard zero. I'm confused.

On our "custom" turrets from Leupold…..I told them I wanted my "zero" to be 300 yards! Our turrets have no numerical designations below 300! memtb

 

[memtb]

I can't give an opinion without knowing what bullet, MV, elevation, distance, temp, sight height, basically everything we'd need to know to plug into a ballistics app like JBM. Like i said some rifles I set for point blank zero where I don't have time to use a rangefinder. Other rifles where I have more time and I'll dial I set zero at 100 yards.

My zeros are determine by their ultimate use……for the varmint (small targets) intended .223's I zero 1 1/2" high @ 100, theoretically within the mpbr on smallish varmints such as Prairie Dogs!

As none of our .223's have a twist-rate fast enough for the heavier long range bullets….so the ranges will be relatively short!

Using that philosophy……hence our 300 yard zero for big game!

I hope that made a little sense……I'm attempting to operate while caffeine deficient ! memtb

 

[MJN030]

This could take 8 more pages. lol

Lol I see that

 

[asd9055]

"Resistance is Futile", yet I am trying hard to resist.....