What is your favorite sighter targets for various yardage

[WVELK]

When you are sighting in and checking the accuracy of a load or your rifle, what is your favorite target or spot to shoot at? I often use the Birchwood Casey orange spots (smallest) for 100 yards, but do not like them for 500 yards (even the largest spots). I have tried several, and it makes a big difference to me, which I use. If I can really zero in on something it makes a difference. For a point of reference, I am always trying to shoot 1/2 MOA groups and less. Some times it works like a charm, some days the sun just isn’t shinning on this dog’s a$$.

 

[RWT]

Clay pigeons. I know you are wanting tiny groups on paper, but for real world hunting I was taught if I could hit a clay pigeon out to 400 on demand. The result was a dead animal assuming correct shot placement. Easy to see, easy to determine if it was an impact, inexpensive and they dissolve after a few rains.

I tried the 1” sticker dots and they are so small the reticle covers them up past 100 yards.

 

[TaperPin]

After messing around for decades trying four black squares spaced different distances apart, black square with white center, single square, diamonds, circles, white, black, orange and some unremarkable combinations I can’t remember, the end result based on group size and ease of use is a solid black 2 MOA square for a 6x scope. My shooting/hunting buddy likes orange dots and high powered scopes, but shot the smallest group of his life with my setup in a really accurate 7 mag. It amazed him to put 5 shots at 200 yards into less than an inch time and time again with such low magnification and a “giant” square.

With a 12x scope I’ll half the size, and 20x is 1/4 the size. One summer after getting a printer that worked with card stock, I printed squares in 1/2 MOA increments to see what size did to groups. 2-1/2 MOA or 3 MOA squares also worked, but seemed to require more effort to keep aligned. 1-1/2 MOA or even 1-3/4 MOA were just too small.

For whatever reason the small amount of the square poking out on all sides of the reticle are easy for me to center up on. White on a black background was no better, so as a practical matter I’ve stuck with black.

 

[Steve300xcw]

If I need to see my groups, then it is steel.. I like clay birds as well, assuming I can get to that side of the canyon without to much effort.

Though I seem to kill more rocks than anything else. Easy enough to focus on a moss patch or whatever for an aiming point.

 

[83cj-7]

I shoot a lot and do a lot of playing with new bullets and loads. I use 2” orange dots at 100 yards to zero rifles. I do not go above 8x for zeroing and load development at 100 yards.

High magnification at short ranges is a recipe for chasing zeros and bad groups due to exaggerated parallax. Even if you are careful to adjust the parallax on your scope you can still have issues.

I do my load workup on steel targets at 300 yards and beyond. The truth is that I find it much harder to shoot consistently at 100 yards on paper then shooting 300+ on steel. It just seems so much easier.

Load development recently at 400 yards:




And 300 yards:

 

[WVELK]

After messing around for decades trying four black squares spaced different distances apart, black square with white center, single square, diamonds, circles, white, black, orange and some unremarkable combinations I can’t remember, the end result based on group size and ease of use is a solid black 2 MOA square for a 6x scope. My shooting/hunting buddy likes orange dots and high powered scopes, but shot the smallest group of his life with my setup in a really accurate 7 mag. It amazed him to put 5 shots at 200 yards into less than an inch time and time again with such low magnification and a “giant” square.

With a 12x scope I’ll half the size, and 20x is 1/4 the size. One summer after getting a printer that worked with card stock, I printed squares in 1/2 MOA increments to see what size did to groups. 2-1/2 MOA or 3 MOA squares also worked, but seemed to require more effort to keep aligned. 1-1/2 MOA or even 1-3/4 MOA were just too small.

For whatever reason the small amount of the square poking out on all sides of the reticle are easy for me to center up on. White on a black background was no better, so as a practical matter I’ve stuck with black.

Now that is an approach I would not have thought of for a minute, but will give it a try. Thank you for your response!

 

[dirtshooter]

Target

magdump.ca

Try this, might work for you. Can make your own targets/grids/aiming squares/diamonds/dots

 

[Wrench]

I like to clean bird crap off of rocks. I will also take a can of underground marking paint and apply some dots to rocks or dirt banks.

I don't worry about it being too small, I rarely get to hold dead on the dot with the conditions.....so small targets get me closer.

 

[Slick8]

For sight in and load tuning, I too use the Birchwood orange dots, 1" at 2-300 and 2-3 inch out to 600. If mirage is bad at distance then I throw up a 6 inch or shoot steel.

Many times if the target backer is clean I'll use a bullet hole at 100 or use the small dots intended to cover up holes in your target. I try to have my 100 yard zero as precise as possible for long range dialing.

I shoot 5-25x scopes with .25 moa cross hair so it covers very little of the target.

 

[WVELK]

For sight in and load tuning, I too use the Birchwood orange dots, 1" at 2-300 and 2-3 inch out to 600. If mirage is bad at distance then I throw up a 6 inch or shoot steel.

Many times if the target backer is clean I'll use a bullet hole at 100 or use the small dots intended to cover up holes in your target. I try to have my 100 yard zero as precise as possible for long range dialing.

I shoot 5-25x scopes with .25 moa cross hair so it covers very little of the target.

We are similar. I have NX8s 4x32x50 on the rifles I am working on now. In south east Ohio, there seems to be a mirage at all times. Can be a real pain. I watch the weather closely and if the weather is right, I go shoot. I too try to zero in as precise as possible. Which is why I asked about targets.

 

[WVELK]

Target

magdump.ca

Try this, might work for you. Can make your own targets/grids/aiming squares/diamonds/dots

I printed these. Thanks a lot. This is perfect for TaperPin’s approach with a 20 power scope.

 

[Slick8]

I hear ya on the mirage. Out to 300 it's not too bad through most of the morning. The 600 yard range where I shoot is public and goes hot at 0830. That gets you no more than 2 hours unless it's cloudy. Those are the days I look for.

 

[Tmac]

Redfield style for zeroing. Steel for practice.

 

[Hill Difficulty]

I seem to have a bit in common with 83cj-7.

When zeroing a scope before load development I use 1 inch round stickers at 100 yards and 10x or less magnification. Whatever is showing in the pic is my favorite sticker.


When developing loads I use a steel target at 300 yards. Note the series of one circle per charge and a horizontal marker line that passes through the circles to reference vertical dispersion. The painted black line is always level when hanging the steel at center.


Besides going beyond 100 yards, two things that I found helpful over time are 1) limiting scope magnification (12x is the highest scope magnification I own), and 2) load testing goes a lot faster/easier/better when limiting to 2 rounds per charge or seating.

 

[dirtshooter]

I printed these. Thanks a lot. This is perfect for TaperPin’s approach with a 20 power scope.

You're welcome

 

[Wetwork]

I use 6inch gongs from 100 to 500 yards, and from 600 to 1000 yards I use a 10 inch gong. I have gongs every one hundred yards. I use a cardboard box with 1 inch bullseye sticker out to 300 then 2inch stickers for 400 yards and out to 1000. After I'm sighted in and confident at 100 yards, I use a four wheeler to drive down and drop the cardboard box next to the gong. One shot, wait a half an hour and shoot again, wait another half hour and shoot again. I do this every 100 yards. So I get a three shot, cold bore pattern every hundred yards out to 1000. I use this for my dope sheets. I won't ever use a gong bigger than the kill zones for elk. For me the gongs are just a quick check to make sure I'm still on target at all my ranges. I'm very blessed tho, I shoot off my deck.-WW

 

[WVELK]

Redfield style for zeroing. Steel for practice.

I have used this one a lot and like it at longer distances.