Long Range Aiming

[DDawg]

I've got a Ruger #1 .223 with a heavy target Barrel, A Simmons 6.5x20 scope (with the manual adjust turrets). I bought this gun used, already set up at a local gunstore. Its beautiful, and I've seen it make 5 shot dime sized patterns at 100yds . I would like to start shooting 400 yds plus.
I've found all kinds of data on how to shoot but not much on aiming. My specific question is this, If I want to hit a specific small target at 400 yds my cross hairs would have to be considerably above the target and possibly some either side depending on wind. Do I adjust the turrets to the range and estimated windage then put the cross hairs dead on? this would seem to be the logical way to properly aim on a specific small target. there are plenty of hash marks on the turrets, but no reference point (i.e. point at witch it is zeroed at 100yds) to know where to set the turrets back to so I can always set the cross hairs back to original position. Are there any charts for clicks on turret = distance?
What is your procedure for aiming at long distance?

Thanks for your help.
DD

 

[dakotasin]

you have the general principle correct, now you just need to tweak it to fit your particular likes a little.

i do not have any firsthand experience w/ your specific scope, so pardon the question if you've already looked... as you twist your elevation turret up, no numbers appear on the horizontal axis?

anyway, most scopes are typically about 1/4 moa per click. some are 1/8, and some are 1/2 - just depends. 1/4 is the most common and probably what yours is, though.

also note that many lower end scopes do not track true to their adjustment specs. i.e., if it is supposed to be 1/4 per click, it may usually be close to 1/4 but sometimes it will be much higher than that, and sometimes it won't move at all - you'll have to shoot your scope to see if it has those quirks.

zero your scope for about 2" high at 100. back the target off to 300 yards and check poi - you should be on paper still. back off to 400 and check again. note the adjustments are 1/4 moa, which means 1/4" at 100 yards, 1/2" at 200, 3/4" at 300 and each click will move a full inch at 400 yards, and so on. this is where you want to start seeing numbers on your turrets.

if there are no numbers on your turrets, you'll have to zero your scope at 100 yards and count clicks to each distance increase. make sure you write down how many clicks it takes to go each 25 or 50 or whatever yards. from that point on, you will have to zero at 100 yards before you can go long...

anyway, this subject can be extremely long and technical, and a single reply won't cover 10% of what you need to know, but this should be enough to get you started. good luck!

 

[mickeydim468]

+1 on not really knowing how to do this. I have only tried to go further than 100 yards once, and I wasn't on paper at 200, then I ran out of ammo trying to figure out why. I would love it if there would be more posts on this topic, to help some of us newer shooters out. I know I would appreciate it as most others would too. Not all of us have an experienced person around to ask these types of questions. My dad, rest his soul, could have helped me but he didn't live long enough for that. He was a hell of a shot, but he died when I was 16, and now at age 41, I am just a new shooter with no where else to turn.

Thanks guys!

Mikey!

 

[dakotasin]

mikey -
a gun that is properly zeroed at 100 yards should still be on paper at 200 in all but the most sedate chamberings; even the 30-30 doesn't have enough drop to fall off paper between 100 and 200 yards.

so, to properly zero... remember the bullet should cross your line of sight two times on the way to the target - once on the way up, and once on the way down.

to see this, start by zeroing your rifle at 100 yards. without adjusting your zero, move your target to the 25 yard line shoot it and note poi. back the target off to 50 yards and shoot it again, then 75, then 100. if your series of targets show point of impact to be rising then falling, you're in good shape. adjust your scope so your rifle is about 2" high at 100 yards. this setting should at least keep you on paper out to 300 yards. by using your standard zero and not compensating for distance, you will see how much drop your rifle has at whatever distance.

once you determine actual drop, proceed in one of two ways... either use holdover to try to get the bullet to land in the bullseye. this method is not precise, but most people who practice can generally do it well enough for hunting purposes out to 500 yards or so. the second method is to adjust your scope to the new zero.

if you are sighted in at 2" high at 100 yards, but your gun is impacting 10" low at 400 yards, clicking your scope up 10 clicks will get you very close to zero at 400 yards. shoot the gun and make minor corrections as you go. now, spinning your elevation turret 10 clicks at 400 yards will bring your scope up 10" at 400, and raise your 100 yard zero by about 2.5".

 

[dagger dog]

DDawg,

With known bullet weight , ballistic coefficient,sectional density and muzzle velocity, and at what distance the rifle was zeroed, you can use ballistic tables to predict where your bullet should impact the target. This applies to elevation.

There are similar tables that apply to windage, if you have a way to measure wind speed and are adept at doping the wind.

Hornady tables gives this elevation data,

Hornady 0.224" 40 grain VMax, S.D. 0.114 B.C. 0.200 Zeroed at 100 yds,with a muzzle velocity of 3000 fps

Muzzle= -1.5"
50= -0.20"
100= 0.0"
200= -4.0"
300= -15.7"
400= -35.9"

Once sighted in at your intended zero the "drop" at longer ranges can be predicted, then dialed into the scope, then when all is perfect and you have doped the wind correctly your shot should impact the target where you called.

 

[dmazur]

If you're going to be dialing your shots (adjusting the turrets for range and wind), you're probably going to want to check your scope to see if it can "shoot a square".

This can be done at longer ranges, but I've had OK results with this at 100 yds. You shoot a group (3 will suffice) to establish zero at center of target and then adjust 4 inches over and 4 inches down (for 1/4MOA clicks, this is 16 clicks). Shoot another group. Then adjust 8 inches LEFT (32 clicks) and shoot another group. 8 inches UP, shoot another. 8 inches RIGHT, shoot another. 8 inches DOWN, shoot another. (2 rounds remaining in a box of 20 )

Now compare the two groups at the lower R corner of the target. If they are not on top of each other, your scope adjustments aren't repeatable and it is going to be near impossible to dial your shots for long range target work. As long as the scope holds zero, it may still be useful for hunting.

 

[skinewmexico]

Get a good ballistics calculator, and you can calculate your clicks at any distance. They're free.

 

[DDawg]

Thanks for the Info!
I think my Simmons is a decent scope, but I know it's not a high dollar scope. These tests will be a big help determining where I stand in the scope department.

DD