.30-06 Trajectory Question
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Vern Humphrey
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Basically, zero hold-over and -under.
To understand this, remember the bullet starts dropping the instant it leaves the barrel. If your sights were aligned parallel with the bore, the bullet would start out lower than the line of sight and get lower as it goes down range.
To compensate for this, you adjust the sights so they are looking down, relative to the bore line. When you aim at a target, the result is the bore is tilted up, and this makes the bullet actually rise above the line of sight some distance from the muzzle. As it goes downrange, though, it is continually falling, and finally gravity overcomes the upward vector imparted at launch, and the bullet crosses the line of sight again.
This second crossing of the line of sight is the range at which you are zeroed. For most highpower rifles, at most common zero ranges, the first crossing occurs about 25 yards from the muzzle, give or take a few feet.
To understand this, remember the bullet starts dropping the instant it leaves the barrel. If your sights were aligned parallel with the bore, the bullet would start out lower than the line of sight and get lower as it goes down range.
To compensate for this, you adjust the sights so they are looking down, relative to the bore line. When you aim at a target, the result is the bore is tilted up, and this makes the bullet actually rise above the line of sight some distance from the muzzle. As it goes downrange, though, it is continually falling, and finally gravity overcomes the upward vector imparted at launch, and the bullet crosses the line of sight again.
This second crossing of the line of sight is the range at which you are zeroed. For most highpower rifles, at most common zero ranges, the first crossing occurs about 25 yards from the muzzle, give or take a few feet.
Vern Humphrey
Member
Yup -- that's called "mid-range trajectory." Most people zero to hit a bit high at 100 yards -- the actual zero range is from 200 to 250 yards, depending on your preferences. For large game, little or no hold-over or -under is required out to around 250 to 300 yards.
The first crossing will still be at around 25 yards, give or take a foot or two, regardless.
The first crossing will still be at around 25 yards, give or take a foot or two, regardless.
Mr_Pale_Horse
Member
No. Unless you are hunting field mice.
Given a deer sized target for example, you can choose to hold dead on the center of the heart lung area (which measures ~8" from top to bottom) and with a rifle sighted 2.5"-3" high at 100 yards, your bullets will strike somewhere within that 8" height out to 250 yard+
Dead is dead. No style points awarded for heart shots.
Given a deer sized target for example, you can choose to hold dead on the center of the heart lung area (which measures ~8" from top to bottom) and with a rifle sighted 2.5"-3" high at 100 yards, your bullets will strike somewhere within that 8" height out to 250 yard+
Dead is dead. No style points awarded for heart shots.
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
The thing is, the trajectory of the 30-06 is so flat, the bullet would never go above the line-of-sight at 50 yards with a 100 yard zero.
Assuming a scope sight mounted 1 1/2" above the bore:
With a 100 yard zero, the bullet would still be about 1/2" below the line-of-sight at 50 yards and still going up to reach zero at 100.
At 25 yards it would still be about an 1" below the line of sight.
With a 200 yard zero, it would be about 1/2" high at 50, and about 1 1/2" high at 100 yards.
rcmodel
Assuming a scope sight mounted 1 1/2" above the bore:
With a 100 yard zero, the bullet would still be about 1/2" below the line-of-sight at 50 yards and still going up to reach zero at 100.
At 25 yards it would still be about an 1" below the line of sight.
With a 200 yard zero, it would be about 1/2" high at 50, and about 1 1/2" high at 100 yards.
rcmodel
USSR
Member
Nope! With your rifle sighted in at 100 yards with a typical scope setup, you will be a couple inches low at both 25 and 50 yards.
Don
John4me05
Member
I sight mine in at 50yds...
I am no more than 2" low from 0-200 (give or take 1/2" at 200)
300 i think is getting into the have to figure the range and where to hold as it is about 8.5 or so low.. but from 0-200 i hold center of the boiler room...
I am no more than 2" low from 0-200 (give or take 1/2" at 200)
300 i think is getting into the have to figure the range and where to hold as it is about 8.5 or so low.. but from 0-200 i hold center of the boiler room...
short answer; Aim right at the darn thing because its not that small. *Digs out his 99th edition of the Shooter's Bible*
Okay, lets see here...
A 30-06 Springfield with a 165 grain Federal Nosler Ballistic Tip bullet sighted at 200 yards instead of 100 yards will have the bullet drop of...
100yds. - +1.8in.
200yds. - 0
300yds. - -7.7in.
400yds. - -22.3in.
So unless you're shooting something the size of a ground squirrel, you can hold dead center to about 250yds and hold 10-12 inches high from 250-350 yards. I wouldn't take a shot an inch longer than 350 yards though. I might even draw the line at 325 for me.
Okay, lets see here...
A 30-06 Springfield with a 165 grain Federal Nosler Ballistic Tip bullet sighted at 200 yards instead of 100 yards will have the bullet drop of...
100yds. - +1.8in.
200yds. - 0
300yds. - -7.7in.
400yds. - -22.3in.
So unless you're shooting something the size of a ground squirrel, you can hold dead center to about 250yds and hold 10-12 inches high from 250-350 yards. I wouldn't take a shot an inch longer than 350 yards though. I might even draw the line at 325 for me.
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Vern Humphrey
Member
Yep. If you accept a slightly higher mid-range trajectory, and zero for 225 to 250 yards, you basically hold dead center out to 300 yards.
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