What’s your process for this?
As I mentioned, it’s pretty straight forward, all you need is a target (can just be a piece of cardboard), a tape measure and your favorite ballistic calculator.
If your rifle isn’t already zeroed, zero it at 100 yards. With a clean target fire 3-5 rounds and get a good group (I am about a 1.5 MOA shooter) aiming at the center of the target. Then move the same target back to a known distance, 200 yards works. While aiming at the same center of the target as before, shoot another 3-5 shot group. With your tape measure measure from the center of the first group to the center of the 2nd group.
With your ballistic calculator plug in all the known values (for weather specific values I guessed). It will ask for a muzzle velocity, start what the advertised muzzle velocity on the box. You know your rifle is zeroed at 100 yards and you have now measured the drop between 100 yards and 200 yards. In your ballistic calculator, fine tune the muzzle velocity to match the measured bullet drop at 200 yards. You now know your muzzle velocity.
The hash marks on the rifle scope are set at a specific distance apart. Your owners manual should tell you what that measurement is. Now that you know your muzzle velocity, you can fine tune the yardage to match the bullet drop values to your scopes hash marks. Match up all the hashmark to the specified yardage and shoot!
So for my rifle. I confirmed my zero at 100, moved the target back to 200 yards and shot a group. I measured the distance to be around 3-1/4”. I went back to my bench and calculated the muzzle velocity to be 2,975 fps. From the owners manual I knew the first hashmark correlated to 3.5” of drop, 2nd to be 13.5”, 3rd 30” and top post is 55”. Running my calculator I found that the first hashmark is 210 yards, 2nd 331 yards, 3rd 437 yards and the top post to be 547 yards.
I confirmed this with 4 steel targets at 100 yards, 200 yards, 300 yards and 400 yards. First 4 shots were all on target…. Now you’re going to ask how being that I don’t have a hashmark at those specific yardages. And you are correct. You have to do a little bit of interpolation in your head, knowing the distance each hashmark represents and what distance you are shooting.
If you don’t follow, maybe the podcast Vortex put out will help.
EDIT: These values can only hold true on a 2nd focal plane scope at maximum magnification.
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So what happens if you make a 3k density altitude change in where you hunt?
Wouldnt it just be easier to use strelok pro?
Any faster round will do just fine. 257 weatherby would be my point and click 300 yard choice. 270 not far behind.