When you have to shoot (a rifle) at an animal that is further than your zero, what method do you use to compensate for the shot?

[Yard Candy]

Let's say your rifle is zerod at 200 yards. You range an elk at 328 yards. What process are you using to compensate for that shot?

I know of a few ways. Not sure what is best practice, correct, wrong, etc... Hunter safety doesn't cover this type of stuff and I have no mentor.

What I did last year was print out the bullet drop for my cartridge, based on my zero range, at increments of 10 yards. After ranging a deer I held the crosshairs where I needed to, to compensate for the drop. I made the shot, hooray. But I only needed to compensate for 2". If I needed to compensate for 12" I don't think I'd have been comfortable holding over.

Here are what I think the options are and my thoughts about them.

Option A: Holdover based on printed out bullet drop/rise. This gets hairy when the drop/rise gets larger.

Option B: Adjust scope turrets based on printed out bullet drop so the crosshair is still POI. The clicks would be calculated ahead of time on the printout. This could get messy if you adjust turrets, then the animal moves, and you need to re-adjust. Math on the fly, in the moment. Also my turrets require a coin to spin. I can't use my fingers.

Option C: A BDC reticle. I actually have a Nikon BDC scope but on a different gun. Never tried to shoot past zero though. In the Nikon app you can plug in your ballistics and whatnot to get a readout for the various dots on the reticle, at all magnifications. Seems like it could work well but the numbers for the BDC dots aren't consistent. Like 200, 223, 245, 289, 301, 347, as you go top to bottom (I made those numbers up).

Option D: Set your rifle up with "maximum point blank range" instead of zeroing at a standard increment.

Are there other options I'm unaware of? Things I'm wrong about? Better ways to do things I've listed? What do you do? I'm all ears!

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[Bubblehide]

First and foremost you need to verify your bullet speed, then verify bullet drop at varying distances. From there you can download a ballistic app and adjust the app based on the previous information obtained. If you are going to dial, know if your scope is Mil or MOA and extrapolate your data from the ballistic app accordingly, then dial.

Most of the above can still be incorporated into using a BDC scope.

If you are ranging the distance to the animal and holding over, you are using the most unreliable method. However, some people can be very good at this to a point. They generally know ear length from verified experience. They also know the size of the vital area of the animal so that they can incorporate a margin of error.

However, without a wind meter, wind drift is an unknown.

 

[Yard Candy]

First and foremost you need to verify your bullet speed, then verify bullet drop at varying distances.

Yes! This season I plan to shoot at varying distances and compare my drop to the app's numbers (which includes scope height, barrel length, twist, etc..) before doing anything else.

extrapolate your data from the ballistic app accordingly, then dial.

So you use an app in the field, versus printing the yardages/clicks out ahead of time?

However, without a wind meter, wind drift is an unknown.

Wind is definitely a factor. For now I'm just worrying about elevation.

Thanks for the reply!

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[Bubblehide]

...

So you use an app in the field, versus printing the yardages/clicks out ahead of time?

...

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People do both, but the sig products, at least the Sig BDX binoculars ballistic app provides clicks/MOA/Mil adjustments if you enter your load/ballistic data; to 800 yards without a wind meter, farther if you bluetooth a wind meter. Other manufactures do the same. There is nothing wrong with printing yardages/clicks as long as your in the field metered distance is correct, you dial correctly and do your part, you should be good to go .

I should add that the Sig binoculars are ranging binoculars with a built in ballistic app.

 

[keystoneben]

With a bdc reticle, sight the rifle in on the lowest mark. With a Leupold B&C reticle the lowest mark is for 500 yards. Then you have marks for 450, 400, and 300. Plus the center cross hair with a 200ish zero.

The easiest way to sight it in,is to put a target at 500 yards, then "zero" your 500 yard mark. The rest of the marks should be pretty close to point of aim. The actual zero might be 215 yards, etc. But it is close enough for big game. Lastly verify your other hash marks and practice.

 

[Yard Candy]

People do both, but the sig products, at least the Sig BDX binoculars ballistic app provides clicks/MOA/Mil adjustments if you enter your load/ballistic data; to 800 yards without a wind meter, farther if you bluetooth a wind meter. Other manufactures do the same. There is nothing wrong with printing yardages/clicks as long as your in the field metered distance is correct, you dial correctly and do your part, you should be good to go .

I should add that the Sig binoculars are ranging binoculars with a built in ballistic app.

Gotcha. I've been messing with Hornady's ballistic app since I'm using their load. Haven't tested at the range yet, but it seems legit just from tampering.

I'll probably use the app in the field but have a printout as a backup.

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[Bubblehide]

There are too many variables from environmental, to barrel length, twist rate, speed a barrel produces... so being able to input your own rifles results are imperative in getting the most from the app and down range accuracy. It sounds like you have this pretty well figured out at this point.

 

[BFR]

All Obove and lots of range time, nothing like practice to get it down. That being said, I use my Leupold CDC, it’s always held true out to 650 yds.

 

[TxxAgg]

For normal hunting conditions, a BDC reticle using the correct parameters in your scope's app should work just fine.

I like Meopta's app and there Meopro 3-9x40 BDC.

I have a cheap chrono I can measure velocity with. The rest of the info is readily available.

 

[Yard Candy]

With a bdc reticle, sight the rifle in on the lowest mark. With a Leupold B&C reticle the lowest mark is for 500 yards. Then you have marks for 450, 400, and 300. Plus the center cross hair with a 200ish zero.

The easiest way to sight it in,is to put a target at 500 yards, then "zero" your 500 yard mark. The rest of the marks should be pretty close to point of aim. The actual zero might be 215 yards, etc. But it is close enough for big game. Lastly verify your other hash marks and practice.

But different calibers have different ballistics. So if that Leupold you're talking about gets put on both a 300 win mag and a 30-30, the marks won't be the same yardage. Not even close.

Not arguing... just trying to understand.

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[Yard Candy]

There are too many variables from environmental, to barrel length, twist rate, speed a barrel produces... so being able to input your own rifles results are imperative in getting the most from the app and down range accuracy. It sounds like you have this pretty well figured out at this point.

I meant a back up print out of the app's results, based on my inputs.

Thanks! I wasn't sure if I was thinking the right way about or not.

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[keystoneben]

But different calibers have different ballistics. So if that Leupold you're talking about gets put on both a 300 win mag and a 30-30, the marks won't be the same yardage. Not even close.

Not arguing... just trying to understand.

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The dots are a certain moa apart. The speed of your round depends on were your dots line up.


A 30-30 might be a 100 yard zero, then 150, 200, 250
A 30-06 has a 200 yard zero then 300, 400, etc
A 300wby might be a 300 yard zero, then 400, 500, etc
Its pretty easy to set up.

 

[Bubblehide]

I meant a back up print out of the app's results, based on my inputs.

Thanks! I wasn't sure if I was thinking the right way about or not.

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If you can input you true bullet speed and where your bullet hits a at least 3 distances and the app you are using adjust to what you inputted, and provides you with adjusted info based on what you inputted, you will be good to go. My impression is that you have this down correctly.

 

[All American Boy]

A bit old school, but this guy did a great article about estimating and holdovers for big game hunting. Good read.

How to Determine the Distance of Long Range Shots

by Chuck (Onehorse) Tarinelli For making accurate shots beyond point-blank range, there are two things the hunter must be able to do. The first is to know precisely where his or her rifle bullet will hit at the longer ranges, and the second is to be fairly accurate at judging the distance at...

www.deerhuntersclub.com

 

[Crowmangler]

There's several options for technology to help with this (I prefer the Leupold CDS dial) but whatever route you take make sure you shoot enough to be aware of your & your gun's capabilities. Know your limitations.. if you're not comfortable & reasonably certain you're gonna make a good clean kill shot then don't take it. You owe it to the animal.

 

[Ram94]

If your scope needs a coin to spin the turrets then it’s probably not meant to be dialed constantly. You will most likely run into consistency issues. In your case, I’d use the hold overs.


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[Frank Grimes]

Sight in at 3” high at 100m. Shoot a few groups at 50-300 so you have a good idea of where your impact is. Learn to judge distance and practice practice practice. Try to keep it as simple as possible. If your not 1000% confidant in the shot, or hold over or whatever, don’t take it and get closer.

 

[Breddoch]

Out of curiosity, what caliber and bullet are you shooting?

 

[Mule3006Elk]

Don't trust the b.c. and velocity. It is a starting point for data input but nothing more to me.
Best thing to do is sight in at 100 yards.
Verify dope at the longest distance you can. At least 100-200 yards past your max shot.
That will give you a really good idea how the bullet acts within environmental parameters and gives you a true velocity.
To really dial it in do so at different temperatures or at least a ballpark temperature that you will be hunting in.
FWIW

 

[SDHNTR]

The holdover becomes less guesswork if you know your scope’s subtensions and your rifle/load’s ballistics. Match the two up and a standard duplex reticle can be a lot more useful.