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]

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

30-30 Hornady Leverevolution Flex Tip 160gr

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[Yard Candy]

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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Yea im gonna swap it for my nikon that has normal turrets made for adjusting constantly

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[thinhorn_AK]

Depends on the animal, on a moose or something just aim a bit high.

 

[cacklercrazy]

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.

There can be different wind speed and direction to the animal also.

 

[BlackSheep]

I am old school. And I hate math. Sight in 200 yard zero. Know the bullet drop measurements for every 50 yards. Print them out if you can't memorize. Range the target. Hold over if you have to. A deer's body, chest to back is 16ish inches wide. Have to hold over 8 inches? That's half a body. Getting crazy? Know a deer is about 5 feet long. Hold over 5 feet is to hold over one deer body length. Not that you should try that shot, but describing for illustration principles. How long is a leg? Etc. A 30-30 is not a long range shooter. Use it as your brush gun. Get a long range shooter (30.06, .308, .270, 300, 300 win mag, 7mm mag, ad infinitum) for the long range work and you won't have to hold over as drastically as with the 30-30. You are smart for asking the question here. Lots of solid answers. But I personally still hate math and will always do the hold overs.

 

[Unclemoe]

Good old Kentucky Windage here, I know my bullet drop and drift up to 400 yds and i know the Average size of the game im going after if i see an deer at 300 i know my round drops about 8 inches, so i hold a couple inches below the spine, I know I may catch some flack for it but you need to remember you are aiming for a dinner plate size target if im off by an inch im not super worried, not saying im not giving the animal its due diligence or not taking it seriously but im also not trying to hit dimes at 1,000 yds

 

[MallardSX2]

Throw your scope in the trash and get a CDS scope and be done with it.

Range, adjust dial, boom, flop.

Its rifle hunting, I cant believe how complicated people make it. lol

 

[1100 Remington Man]

My longest shot was made with a Redfield 4x12 40mm scope with standard duplex years ago. Use a cartridge that’s flat shooting .264 Win Mag handloaded 120gr Nosler BT sighted in 3 inches high at 100 yards makes it just under 4 inches high at 200 yards and Dead on at 300 yards. This gave me a point blank range on antelope over 350 yards. My longest shot just over 500 yards. Shooting at a Elk would be a lot easer as it is so much Bigger.
Today I am using Leupold CDS scopes for big game hunting. This lets me shoot a little farther if I need to but so far I have not needed to shoot further than 500 yards.
My hunting cartridges for Big Game that are flat shooting 6mm Rem, .264 Win Mag, 300 H&H Mag all with handload’s and quality bullets Nosler or Hornady.

 

[Dust Rider]

Zeiss has the BDC lines in their Rapid Z. Once I dialed the zero it was spot on out to 600. Same with my Swarovski. Range, aim, shoot. A good range finder is key.

 

[Corvus Corax]

I have a scope that dials/tracks reliably, and a simple duplex reticle. I use a combination of dialing and MPBR. I zero at 100. Dial up to my MPBR for must quick shot opportunities out to about 330yds. I can dial up the remainder past that.

 

[Laramie]

30-30 Hornady Leverevolution Flex Tip 160gr

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With that gun and load, I would sight in with the MPBR method. On deer sized game, you should zero around 190 yards and would only be good to about 225 yards. Beyond this, your energy drops below 1000 lbs so I personally wouldn't want to attempt anything further.

 

[robtattoo]

With that gun and load, I would sight in with the MPBR method. On deer sized game, you should zero around 190 yards and would only be good to about 225 yards. Beyond this, your energy drops below 1000 lbs so I personally wouldn't want to attempt anything further.

^^^
This. I don't give a hoot what Hornady says on the box, a .30-30 is realistically a 200yd gun. I sight mine in at 150 & at 200 i have a 'level with its back' holdover.
99% of the time, if i even think there's a chance of a shot much over 100, i'm generally carrying something more suitable.
Don't start overthinking it.

 

[wyosam]

^^^
This. I don't give a hoot what Hornady says on the box, a .30-30 is realistically a 200yd gun. I sight mine in at 150 & at 200 i have a 'level with its back' holdover.
99% of the time, if i even think there's a chance of a shot much over 100, i'm generally carrying something more suitable.
Don't start overthinking it.

This. I have a really accurate hand load with Hammer bullets for my 30-30. They are zipping along pretty good considering it is a 30-30. Still a 200 yard gun, at best. If I’m carrying it, I’m not expecting shots over 125 or so.


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[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

Not applicable for a 30-30.
Other members have you dialed in with good advise on the 30-30.

 

[Yard Candy]

My longest shot was made with a Redfield 4x12 40mm scope with standard duplex years ago

That's the same scope that's on my Marlin.

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[robtattoo]

Give the 'Performance' section a really, really good read....

.30-30 Winchester (.30 WCF )

.

 

[Yard Candy]

^^^
This. I don't give a hoot what Hornady says on the box, a .30-30 is realistically a 200yd gun. I sight mine in at 150 & at 200 i have a 'level with its back' holdover.
99% of the time, if i even think there's a chance of a shot much over 100, i'm generally carrying something more suitable.
Don't start overthinking it.

Yea the other user had a good point about the energy dropping. That didn't cross my mind - I was only thinking about trajectory. I guess I'll do MPBR for this rifle and save the Leupold CDS advice for a longer range rifle, that I now have an excuse to buy

This all stinks a bit because the farm I hunt has deer that congregate about 250-300 yards from my shooting area. Sounds like I have the wrong tool for the job.

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[robtattoo]

Unfortunately, you do. A good bolt action of .243 or better would be far more suitable. Or change stand location!

 

[Yard Candy]

Unfortunately, you do. A good bolt action of .243 or better would be far more suitable. Or change stand location!

What about 30-06 or 300 win mag vs the .243? Not to open a giant debate, but....

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[Laramie]

Yea the other user had a good point about the energy dropping. That didn't cross my mind - I was only thinking about trajectory. I guess I'll do MPBR for this rifle and save the Leupold CDS advice for a longer range rifle, that I now have an excuse to buy

This all stinks a bit because the farm I hunt has deer that congregate about 250-300 yards from my shooting area. Sounds like I have the wrong tool for the job.

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It is refreshing to see someone ask an honest question and have honest unbiased dialogue about the subject prior to making the decision. Good question and kudos for working through the logic. So many people these days would discount the facts and just lob lead down range. If you were in my area, I would gladly loan you a good long range rifle to use from that stand. Good luck this year.