100 vs 200 yd zero?

[freddyG]

I personally split the difference, and zero at 150 yards. Close enough to avoid your problems at 200, and not have to worry about dialing until 250 yards+.

 

[NE Herd Bull]

Zeroing your rifle at 100 yards still allows what you are talking about, well, all accept setting the zero stop at 250 yards.

Zero the rifle at 100 and set the zero stop. If you want to hunt with a 250 yards zero, you simply dial your scope to the needed correction and leave it there. It will work exactly the same as your method above.

The real advantages to a 100 yard zero are that it's much easier to verify, especially in the field, and you don't have to worry about the wind as much when you zero.

Completely agree.
Just offering my tweak to the process
(and a long winded justification haha)

 

[KoolBreeze]

Yes. It’s a shame. That Z6 is amazing glass and comes in an amazing package. Super lightweight, great zoom range. Huge FOV. Great reticle in the 4W. Huge eye box. Has so much to like. If only it were reliable… Sad.

FWIW, I'm not even aware of a scope that provides great glass AND great reliability. Maybe March? The jury is still out, The NF ATACR line? Maybe but that 34mil tube is a turn off for me. Put ATACR glass in an NXS scope tube and I'd be a buyer! Swaro X5? Not sure about its durability. Would be nice to have more choices that had both!

Maybe S&B Polar? I’d love to have one but just can’t spend that much a scope for hunting rifle. I think I’m going to try a Minox All Rounder or maybe a Leica Amplus 6. But I want a simple plex or #4 reticle, capped turrets and an illuminated dot that isn’t too bright for low light.

 

[SDHNTR]

I still like second focal plane, so that rules out most Schmidts , including the polar series.

 

[bdg848]

I zero at 100 to minimize environmental factors and walk around with it set at what ever distance gives me my maximum point blank range.

 

[KoolBreeze]

I still like second focal plane, so that rules out most Schmidts , including the polar series.

This is the one I was looking at. It’s second focal plane. Only 10x though. Almost twice as much as what I want to spend though.

Schmidt Bender 2.5-10x50 Polar T96 2.BE D4 Posicon Black Riflescope 753-911-42D

Schmidt & Bender Polar 2.5-10x50 D4 Posicon Scope | Only at EuroOptic.com!

www.eurooptic.com

 

[EdP]

NE Herd Bull hit on the mark for me. My approach is almost exactly the same except that I use a 200 yd zero most of the time. Regardless, I sight in at 100 knowing how high I want to hit to be zeroed at 200, then check at 100 yd increments out to 600. With that done, most of my hunting rifles are good to at least 250 w/o worrying about holdover or what magnification I am at. At longer distances I have time to look at my data card if needed, but I usually have the holdovers memorized out to 500 yds. Have you young guys thought about what you are going to do when you are 45+ and can't read the dial w/o glasses any more?

 

[SDHNTR]

This is the one I was looking at. It’s second focal plane. Only 10x though. Almost twice as much as what I want to spend though.

Schmidt Bender 2.5-10x50 Polar T96 2.BE D4 Posicon Black Riflescope 753-911-42D

Schmidt & Bender Polar 2.5-10x50 D4 Posicon Scope | Only at EuroOptic.com!

www.eurooptic.com

I'm sure that baby is fantastic, but at 3X the cost of an SHV, I just cant justify the cost, especially for a 2-10.

 

[Doghed]

My approach is similar to NE Herd Bull, but I take it a small step further. It works great for me on a hunting rifle where I don't want to (or can't) dial, but my long range prone guns get a 100 yard zero and I dial every shot. He described the thinking behind the method pretty well so I won't do it again.

The main point I wanted to make is that we can still check our scope/rifle at 100 yards regardless of what we choose as our "zero". We just need to know what the POI is at 100 yards and confirm.

 

[fwafwow]

I'm sure that baby is fantastic, but at 3X the cost of an SHV, I just cant justify the cost, especially for a 2-10.

I would also be interested in how that spendy Polar would do in the @Formidilosus tests.

 

[JakeSCH]

Wow, I feel silly! I didn't even think of the 100 yd zero and then just cranking it up a few clicks to 200 for hunting around. Great idea. Thanks all.

FYI, Yes the scope was in focus as best I could. I was fighting some heat mirage too, which wasn't helping the image.

I've done this the last two years and it has been very forgiving. Basically zero at 100y and move my turret based on my MPBR (usually 300y to 400y) in the condition I am hunting in. Hold on anything close and dial for anything further.

 

[BluMtn]

I guess I am odd man out here. All my game animal rifles are sighted in at 300 yards. Knock on wood in the last 50 some odd years of hunting I can't remember losing an animal due to a bad shot. Actually I have never lost an animal at all. Some have required a second shot or in the case of my last bear it took 3 rounds at 70 yards to finally convince him to die. I don't twist knobs either. I have learned over the years where the hold over is for my extended shots. Where I hunt a close stock could take you several hours to get close enough to "put on a stock". I have other guns that are sighted in at 200 yards but they are used for different purposes. But as I have said in all my posts that I give my personal info in, These are my opinions only and if they don't agree with your thought's "sorry".

 

[7LRM]

I prefer to set zero at 100 yards on my rifle, because if you need to shoot off hand in timber in a stress time.

I would set zero at 300 yards if I go to Midwest, because someone Big game is on the other ridges, shoot across the canyon.

 

[*zap*]

I am not a long distance shooter and shoot the 6.5 creedmore for deer.

50 yard zero keeps me in a small kill zone area from 30-225....aim @ center of kill zone. Comes in handy for faster shoots and if I set up where my max shot is 225 then no need to range at all.

Pretty much the same for my 5.56 ar-15.

 

[idig4au]

I guess I am odd man out here. All my game animal rifles are sighted in at 300 yards. Knock on wood in the last 50 some odd years of hunting I can't remember losing an animal due to a bad shot. Actually I have never lost an animal at all. Some have required a second shot or in the case of my last bear it took 3 rounds at 70 yards to finally convince him to die. I don't twist knobs either. I have learned over the years where the hold over is for my extended shots. Where I hunt a close stock could take you several hours to get close enough to "put on a stock". I have other guns that are sighted in at 200 yards but they are used for different purposes. But as I have said in all my posts that I give my personal info in, These are my opinions only and if they don't agree with your thought's "sorry".

Yeah I am same. Zero for 300 yards, and dial for anything past that if necessary. Hold where I want to hit for ranges below 300 yards. An animal will not know the difference if I’m an inch or two high If shooting closer than my zero range.

Prefer to maintain the KISS principle and not overthink things.

My Swarovski Z6/8 scopes have treated me well and I’ve put them through the test in normal hunting situations. I’ve fallen on them in rock piles, had them in scabbards on trotting horses hours on end, in extreme cold and heat, rain, snow, dust storms, have survived multiple air travel trip including Air Canada and so on without losing zero. if you read the forums, you will see failures of nearly all products. It sucks when it happens but sometimes need to get back on the horse if the product was working well

 

[SDHNTR]

Since this post, I've adopted a 100yd zero and am not going back. With a quality scope that tracks and RTZ's properly, there is no reason not to zero at 100. Plus, no one can shoot well enough at 300 yards to develop and confirm a rock solid zero, especially given environmental influences. Zero at 100 since you can see and hold precisely on the bullseye and there's little environmental factor to throw you off, then if you want to increase your MPBR, just twist up a few clicks to whatever range you want. That's the way to go.

 

[idig4au]

Or based on your ballistics, you can determine how many inches high at 100 yards equates to your zero at 250 or 300 yards and zero in accordingly at 100 yards, at say 2.75” high as an example. Then have best of both words. Of course need to test your zero distance as well as a few stations further down range to check your ballistic curve.

I prefer to only dial for longer range when the bullet starts to drop off dramatically. Sometimes you have to get the job done in a few seconds and no time to dial especially at ranges 300-350 yards or closer. I essentially can hold on vitals out to that distance or even a bit further and make it happen.

 

[SoDak19]

Ive done both, but have settled on 200yds. Using that allows me the ability to not even consider dialing until until something is at 300yds or beyond.

 

[JNDEER]

Since this post, I've adopted a 100yd zero and am not going back. With a quality scope that tracks and RTZ's properly, there is no reason not to zero at 100. Plus, no one can shoot well enough at 300 yards to develop and confirm a rock solid zero, especially given environmental influences. Zero at 100 since you can see and hold precisely on the bullseye and there's little environmental factor to throw you off, then if you want to increase your MPBR, just twist up a few clicks to whatever range you want. That's the way to go.

As you know I aint no rifle guy, but when I set up my rifle I wanted a zero of 200, but using some online calculators figured where the bullet should be hitting high at 100 yards. Shot at 100 and got the group to be that high (think around 1/2-3/4" for me- somewhere in there). This put my zero at 200, but still able to shoot for accuracy at 100.

idig4au beat me to it

 

[Rich M]

Plus, no one can shoot well enough at 300 yards to develop and confirm a rock solid zero, especially given environmental influences.