30'06 ballistics question

[Norton]

Despite the monsoons we've been having here in MD I decided to make a dash to the rifle range to ring out some of the problems I've been having with the Savage 110 and to give the cheapo scope just one more chance to bhave itself.

Gun - Savage 110 in 30'06
Scope - El Cheapo Burris knock-off 50mm reticle, 3x-9x
Ammo - S+B 150 grain JSP

Now....I know that none of the aforementioned optics or ammo is match grade and that to expect MOA performance is unreasonable so my question is more of a general nature as regards the ballistics of this cartridge.

I zeroed the scope at 25 yards and got a couple of beautiful cloverleafs that attest to the S+B ammo being better than expected and the rifle shooting consistently.

After a little while with the CZ452 on the 25 yard range, I trucked over to the 200 yard range to give the Savage a try at reaching out a little.

I'm no great shakes with a scope and I'm taking that into account when I say that I had a three shot group that was large, but placed at least 12 inches above POA.

The nuts and bolts part of the ballistics question: I thought that, given the the 30'06 ballistics, the 25 yard POI and the 200 yard POI should be equal. Am I 100 yards off and it should be 300 yards equals the 25 yard zero?

 

[BillL223]

If you want to shoot at 200 yards, zero at 200 yards.
there are too many variables to expect a 25 yd zero to be good at 200 yards. Issues such as scope height above bore, the actual ballistics of your load. I zero at 200 and make corrections for shorter yardage.

 

[Norton]

Makes sense and is ultimately what I ended up doing to bring it down into the 5" circle that I finally shot. Trouble was that prior to the 25 yd zeroing, I had no idea where the shots were going even at 100 yards because it was so far off the paper.

 

[Art Eatman]

My custom for using 25 yards, initially, is to ensure I'm on the paper when I move to 100 yards. So, I just shoot one shot at a time at 25, adjusting the scope, until I'm dead on.

I have, on occasion, been lucky enough that dead on at 25 yards did give me roughly 2" high at 100, but not always. It seems to be a function of the particular rifle and how it behaves with a given ammo.

What I've pretty much found with any 150-grain ammo with a muzzle velocity of some 2,800 is that 2" high at 100 is right at dead on at 200 and some six or seven inches low at 300.

Art

 

[jlmurphy]

A bolt gun can be bore sighted to get it on the paper. Remove the bolt, lay the rifle on bags and alternate looking through the scope and bore without disturbing the rifle, sight on something distinctive like the corner of the paper and you'll probably be close on the first shot.

 

[Jmurman]

Norton, I tried to go shooting on Sunday too, but was deluged with the heavenly liquid.

My Garand has been really screaming to be taken out and wrung out.

 

[pcf]

Norton, did you go to Hap Baker? Want to go out there this week but......the weather as you mentioned.

 

[Norton]

jlmurphy,

It had been boresighted, by the gunsmith, by me with a laser, and by a pretty experienced shooter using "Kentucky" sighting. It still was off the paper.

I'm going to go back out in a couple of weeks with it and see what happens. I was pretty pleased with my 5" group at 200 yards today (good for me anyway) and I want to see if I can duplicate it.

The scope was a poor moment of judgement where I let price alone dictate my purchase and I should have just saved up my schekels until I could afford a good piece of glass.

I think the scope doesn't hold its settings or something.

 

[Norton]

jmurman,

I took a chance today and it paid off. It didn't start really raining until I was almost back to the bridge.

 

[Norton]

pcf,

I was down on the Eastern Shore. It's just as close, if not closer, to get to for me than Hap Baker.

 

[ProficientRifleman]

several factors

It first depends on how high above the bore line your scope is mounted. The higher your scope is mounted, the more divergent your line of sight and your bore line will be at distant ranges.

The easiest thing to do would be to zero your gun at your most likely shooting/hunting distance (say 200 yards). Then back up to 100 and record your Point of Impact for the group. The reach out to 300 and do the same. This will give you accurate data and alot more confidence in your rifle.

Also record your scope setings for each distance away from your standard zero, i.e., how many adjustment clicks up or down from 200 yd. zero for___range.