.44 Magnum Sighting-In Distance...25 yards or 50 yards??

[Southern Shooter]

I have a Ruger SBH with the 7 1/2 inch barrel. It is kind of a utility gun...hunting, protection, varmint control, target shooting. 95% of the time I will be shooting 240 grain rounds through with the occassional heavy load for hunting.

Anyway, I am going to use 240 grain rounds to sight it in. My inititial thought was to sight it in at 25 yards and then learn to compensate for further distances. But, I am open to suggestions. Should I go for 50 yards and then learn to compensate for the shorter rangers?

Thanks

 

[rcmodel]

Sight it in at 50 yards zero.

The .44 Mag shoots so flat no compensation will be needed at closer range.

It will only be 3" -4" low at 100.

rc

 

[Nasty]

Sight it at 50...then learn to hold over (actually aim under) for it's maximum effective range.

 

[dakota1911]

I have similar guns that the sights are set at 50 but I shoot them at 25 some just to check where they are hitting.

 

[MMCSRET]

I carried a SBH from 1984 'til 2001. I had it set for 100 yd zero with 240 gr. It worked well for jack rabbits, coyotes, and even a cow elk and a whole lot of cans, rocks, fence posts stumps and what ever else was deemed a legal target. Even shot a few paper targets with it a couple times. It was required to put 4 of 6 rounds in a milk jug at a hundred yards if I settled down and was serious. It never had a factory round thru it and very few jacketed bullets in hand loads, all in all, a pretty good gun.

 

[MCgunner]

You can sight it for 100 and it'll only be 5" or so high at 50. 75 might be a good compromise for 100 yard hunting. But, if you're not going to shoot past 50, sight in for 50.

 

[Drail]

Sight it for 50 yds. and then shoot some longer ranges to see how much drop you get. If it's dead on at 50 yds. it shouldn't be very far off at 25 yds.

 

[Magnumite]

I sight mine in for 100 yards. That way I don't have to hold over at the limits of my competent shooting range. It will be about 3.5" to 4" high at 50 yards.
But since the OP asked for 25 or 50 yards, I'd go with 50 yards. It would only be about an inch high at 25 yards.

 

[Red Cent]

The 44 Magnum is a very good 100 yard deer pistol. If I strain a little I can place 5 rounds in 6" with iron sights. Either the 7 1/2" old 3-screw Blackhawk or the 6 1/2 nickled M29.
"..........with a 50-yard zero, the point of which the "line of sight" and the "bullet trajectory" meet, drop-out at 100 yards is about 2 inches (5 cm), and drop-out at 150 yards (135 m) is more than 8 inches (20 cm); with a 100-yard zero, drop-out at 150 yards is more than 6 inches (15 cm)."
Do the 50 yard zero. Happy hunting.