243 zero

[IrishFoxer 24]

what do lads on here zero their 243's at for foxes.

[Underdog 2,337]

Targets buddy, I use to use inch squares.

Hope this helps.

U.

[IrishFoxer 24]

17 minutes ago, Underdog said:

Targets buddy, I use to use inch squares.

Hope this helps.

U.

i meant as in what ranges.

[jack lee 137]

200 yards is good,easy can do 300 yards with confidence,but every lad is different,study your ballistics first,with your grain of bullet,range finder is a must for you as well 

[Underdog 2,337]

I use to go for 1" high @100.

[Deker 3,478]

16 hours ago, Underdog said:

I use to go for 1" high @100.

I've never understood this, so where is the actual zero? 

On that basis all you know is that at 100 yards you're 1" high?

Edited January 16, 2018 by Deker

[Underdog 2,337]

1 hour ago, Deker said:

I've never understood this, so where is the actual zero? 

On that basis all you know is that at 100 yards your 1" high?

Dunno, long time ago and I used different loads. It meant I just shot to 200yds without thinking about it.

About 9" of drop for 300 I recall.

 

Not too stressed about to be honest.

 

U.

[Meece 1,958]

People worry too much about total zero. As long as you can be about an inch high at 100, you are going to be on at a fair ole distance.consistancy is the name of the game and being able to group. Why do so many people talk about shooting at targets sort of 3, 4, 500 hundred yards. A Fox at these sort of ranges is a small target and just a smaller pair of eyes at night. Get closer and use the groun and cover. Most shots will be no more than 100 unless you've got big, big fields. You can zero at about 30 paces and its the same poi at abou 200. I have seen  some trying to zero out at 300 and shooting off a couple of boxes of lead and getting totally confused, winding the scope all over the place trying to get on. 3 shots is enough to get on.

[Deker 3,478]

19 hours ago, IrishFoxer said:

what do lads on here zero their 243's at for foxes.

200 yards on the .243, has been for as long as I can remember, but in honesty I have been "thinking" about bringing that back to about 150 looking at the average distance I shoot things with it.

I have a lot of rifle/calibres so this isn't just for foxes, I don't actually use the .243 for foxes that often, the rimfires or .223 seem to cover most bases on that front for me.

Who knows what your situation is, but on the whole "I" don't need to take foxes in the next county, they can usually be brought in close, or you simply track their runs and take them close.  Foxes with my centrefires are more commonly opportunist, when I may see one when actually out for something else.

Having said that, the 55-58g V-Max type .243 is a cracking long range fox remover, arguably the best long rang fox combination you can get.

[Deker 3,478]

2 hours ago, Meece said:

People worry too much about total zero. As long as you can be about an inch high at 100, you are going to be on at a fair ole distance.consistancy is the name of the game and being able to group. Why do so many people talk about shooting at targets sort of 3, 4, 500 hundred yards. A Fox at these sort of ranges is a small target and just a smaller pair of eyes at night. Get closer and use the groun and cover. Most shots will be no more than 100 unless you've got big, big fields. You can zero at about 30 paces and its the same poi at abou 200. I have seen  some trying to zero out at 300 and shooting off a couple of boxes of lead and getting totally confused, winding the scope all over the place trying to get on. 3 shots is enough to get on.

 

Your first zero may be 30 paces with some ammo, and the true zero may well be abou 200 with that same ammo, but "about" doesn't hack it for me, and what the heck is going on in between, and that will 100% guarantee change with different ammo types/weights!

Very few people will need to take foxes at 200-300-400-500 yards on a regular basis.

It is true to say that I have a target background (still do a lot of target work) and I like to know where the bullet is going at all distances.  In honesty my target shooting these days is simply an opportunity to check/zero my guns and  double check the bullet flight paths at different distances, (out to 1000yards, although I've never shot at anything alive anywhere near that distance) very useful for field work.   Zeroing 1" (or any height) high,  at any distance, doesn't work for me, if you can do that but take quarry regularly out to 150-200-250 yards then you can zero at those distances and check backwards if you want.  Hence why I never understand the need to do this, simply zero at the distance that works best for you and then check where the bullet lands at distances closer/further!   Changing ammo type or weight will also produce a different true zero if you simply set things up 1" high at 100 yards. 

My important shooting work these days is Field work, and I seriously believe my background helps me make the shot on a very consistent basis, without having to rely on guesswork!   I'm not paid to miss, doing my homework helps, it may only make a limited difference, but that difference can be invaluable if the client is watching, and frankly for the quarry to!

If it works for some then fine, that's down to the individual, and being the odd 1"-2"-3" off at the point of delivery with a centerfire isn't necessarily going to change the outcome, just the same I like to have a slightly more accurate idea.

ATB!

Edited January 16, 2018 by Deker

[Rabid 1,936]

100 yards on the bull, and 200 yards is a smidgen under an inch holdover, but in fairness, we shot a fox at 207 yards, and aimed dead on, dropped on the spot.

 

you would never have known it was an inch low looking at the ? afterwards.

[Meece 1,958]

There's nothing wrong in what you want do regarding knowing range/poi. It's ok if you've got the time to get a rangefinder out and cross reference the distance to a pre determined chart of what the bullet/barrel combo does. Then add in a calculation of wind speed and direction and you've got it . Bingo, zero. Spot on. The only minor problems might be are that,  Charlie has disappeared or moved to somewhere else and .can you physically  hold the crosshair on the target accurately on a moving target at range that zero is still a valid valuable.?

[Hands of Stone 154]

The main factor is what range you are going to be shooting at. With 58grain bullets if I  zero for 1 inch high at 100yds then im bang on at 200 yards

 

[IrishFoxer 24]

i shoot a lot with the 243 and my main quarry is foxes so i'd be better off if i just zero'd at 100 on the bull and hold over for 200 yards in case of a long shot most foxes i shoot are between 100 -150.

[Deker 3,478]

17 hours ago, Meece said:

There's nothing wrong in what you want do regarding knowing range/poi. It's ok if you've got the time to get a rangefinder out and cross reference the distance to a pre determined chart of what the bullet/barrel combo does. Then add in a calculation of wind speed and direction and you've got it . Bingo, zero. Spot on. The only minor problems might be are that,  Charlie has disappeared or moved to somewhere else and .can you physically  hold the crosshair on the target accurately on a moving target at range that zero is still a valid valuable.?

It's called knowledge, experience and practice, that happens in your head in a fraction of a second!  Anyone can lob a bullet anywhere, getting it to do what you want consistently takes a bit more effort, knowing where your bullet will arrive rather than guessing helps!

Please note, I also said.....  If it works for some then fine, that's down to the individual, and being the odd 1"-2"-3" off at the point of delivery with a centerfire isn't necessarily going to change the outcome, just the same I like to have a slightly more accurate idea.