zeroing a 223

[fox head 0]

hi i am going to zero my 223 today whats the best distance to zero at 50/100/150/200 yards ? im shooting 50 grain heads with 26 grains of powder.im going to be shooting foxes from distances of 40 yards out to 300 yards.

 

Thanks

[nod 285]

mine is zeroed inch high at 100 yards

[hunter1 63]

Inch high at 100m that will be fine .Hunter1

[fox head 0]

that should be on at 200 then should it.im just getting ready to go now im out for the day and nite then shooting rabbits and foxes got the night vision ready awsome bit of kit for the foxes

[shootlodge 145]

Personally i keep the fox shots under 200yds, any further you will need eyes of a hawk .100/150 should be good. As said 1" high / 100yds , with a 1" group & you have success. good luck

[fox head 0]

zeroed my rifle a inch high at 100 yards as you said i was getting inch groups.i put the target out to 200 yards and i was geting 4 inch groups not so good

[richmcgin 32]

Hi fox head i understand that you may be worried about a 4" group at 200yrd, your problem would seem to be you or your ammo, your bullet should drop about 3" at that range then you have a few other variables to add in so 4" at 200yrd is something you need to work on, you gave a bullet of 50g and 26g of powder in the original post does this mean that your home loading if so what powder and what bullet are you using??. i like to get a quarter or half inch group at 100yrds and an inch or so at 200 but this is my preferance, you need to remember that your tecnique will have an impact on your groups and will be more exaggerated at longer ranges. I was reading the other day about a target shooter geting 4/5" groups at 1000yrds.

if you want a tighter group at 200 you need to bring down your 100yrd group first and spend some time on the trigger, zeroing an inch high will only raise your point of inpact and will not make hitting the target a matter of fact, as the range streches out your involvement needs to become more refined. but i would suspect that your ammo has a big part in this story.

[fox head 0]

hi richmcgin yes i am shooting home loads i have only just started reloading and i have not tried many rounds.I have been thinking of making batches of 5 rounds 24,25 grains of powder and see what ones shoot the best.i am using hodgson varget powder and 50 grain hornady.i know tecnique has a lot to do with it some times i feel my self flinching something i have to work on.and pulling the trigger is something i do but i am used to shooting shot guns so i think thats where than comes from that is also something i have to work on do you have any tips for me.Thats real good groups fair play to you i hope i can get my group to what you can.

[worthy130 21]

I zero inch high at 100 yrds, 40gr hornady, inch drop at 200 yrds but 300 yrd shots are roughly inch and half drop. keep reloading till you find what suits your rifle, but keep on the paper till you get more accurate at 200yrds IMO regards

[richmcgin 32]

Hi fox head. i would start at 23g and load 3 rounds at a time going up in half grain a time. when you are testing the loads dont try too many as the barrel will heat and the groups will widen out. take care to make sure the rifle points naturally at the target and as you breath the cross hair should move diagonally across the target, then either hold your breath a second or take the shot as you breath out, another way to do it is to take 3 breaths then hold and fire. hold the trigger in the fire position for a second or two after the shot this will ensure you donk snatch the shot. work on the 100yrd groups and dont bother with 200 until you have tight groups at 100, try having your scope on 4 or 5 time mag and make sure your rifle is steady use a bipod if you have one what ever you do make sure you do the same every time. your not target shooting so dont think you have to have hole in hole, your kill zone on a fox is a good 4" so even a muppet like me can kill them.

When reloading the ammo weigh each of your test loads on the scales. are you full sizing or neck sizing and what oal are you using?, are you crimping?.

I know what you mean about flinching you are expecting a recoil like the shot gun and you will tend to lean in at the last moment its the worst thing youu can do so leave the shotgun alone for a while and you will soon sort it out, when you get to the stage that your cross hair settles back on the target after the shot or there abouts then you have cracked it.

[Deker 3,478]

1" high at 100yards :laugh:

 

What the ***k.

 

So, anyone tell me where your zero is, you know jack about where the bullet goes except it is 1" high at 100 yards!

 

If you want to shoot foxes at 150-200 yards, whatever, then Zero there, don't come up with all this bull of 1"high, Zero at the distance you most commonly find a target!

[worthy130 21]

its easier to zero at 100 then 200 yrds!! 40gr hornady have an inch drop at 200 yrds! SIMPLES

[richmcgin 32]

its common for hunters to zero at an inch high, i dont see a problem with it as it increases the point blank range, but its not something i do i must admit. if your hoping to be on target at 200yrds by zeroing 1" high at 100 your going to be disapointed though, as you will prob be nearer 2" low with a 40g bullet and about 3" with a 50g. but its all down to the individual and what they feel happy with.

as for knowing where the bullet is, well you know as much as you would if you zeroed dead on!!.

[worthy130 21]

i was out just yesterday, re zero-ing and there was is an inch drop at 200yrds

[Deker 3,478]

its easier to zero at 100 then 200 yrds!! 40gr hornady have an inch drop at 200 yrds! SIMPLES

They rise more between 100 yards and 200 yards, theoretically giving approx a 1" difference at 100 and 200yards, on Hornady Computer Model, but rise much higher in between, that is with a ZERO at 200 yards! If your true zero is 100 yards I would be seriously impressed if any .223 has only dropped 1" further at 200 yards! If you shoot fox at 200 yards then you can zero at 200 yards, the only way to find out what any ammo does in anyones rifle is to Zero at that distance, charts and tables are generalisations! Edited February 25, 2012 by Deker