Going to sight in my 7600 270win soon. Using 130g Federal Fusion (or 130 CoreLok). The area that I will be hunting rarely gives an opportunity for shots over 150yds, and more often than not, would be shooting between 50 and 100 yards. Question being, should I zero at 50yds? Looking at ballistic charts for my load, looks like a 50yd zero is also on at 150yds and only about ½" high at 100yds.
Sanity check - 270win Zero
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Hugger-4641
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If you are certain you won't need more than 150yds, I see nothing wrong with your plan. Even if you do zero at 50yds and decide to take a 200yd shot, you just have to remember to hold over a few inches. Personally, I do the opposite, but I hunt some areas where I might have a 200yd shot or more. With 50yd zero I would want my windage to be perfect center. If you are 1" left at 50yds, you may be 2" or more left at 100yds. Still not enough to miss a deer's vitals, but something to consider.
Varminterror
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If you’re only shooting 150 yards or less for deer hunting, choosing anything between 25 and 200 yards as your zero range is wholly immaterial. I’d zero at 100, 100%, but the difference between anything 25-200 is wholly moot.
JFrank
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Keep it simple and zero at 100 yards. (I would)
People overthink this. If you only have access to a 50 yard range maybe. With a cartridge like 30-30 that does not shoot very flat maybe, but not with a 270 or most any other modern cartridge.
With virtually all modern cartridges using pointed bullets just zero at 100 yards. Your bullet will be no more than 1" low, or 1" high from the muzzle out to 130-150 yards. Exactly how far depends on the cartridge and bullet chosen. It won't be low enough to cause a miss out to 200-250 yards. Even at 300 yards you'll only have to hold a couple of inches over a deer's back to place the shot in the kill zone. This applies to everything from 243 up to the 7mm and 300 magnums.
Beyond 300 yards they all start dropping fast, even the magnums. If you don't ever anticipate a shot closer than 300 yards then zeroing at 300+ makes sense. But if you have your rifle zeroed to make hits at 300+, you're going to be high enough at 50-150 yards to easily shoot over an animal.
If you plan to shoot past 300 yards you need a range finder to know the exact range. Then you'll be a lot better off with a scope that can compensate for longer range shots by either using multiple aiming points or by twisting dials. And those scopes are based on a 100 yard zero.
With virtually all modern cartridges using pointed bullets just zero at 100 yards. Your bullet will be no more than 1" low, or 1" high from the muzzle out to 130-150 yards. Exactly how far depends on the cartridge and bullet chosen. It won't be low enough to cause a miss out to 200-250 yards. Even at 300 yards you'll only have to hold a couple of inches over a deer's back to place the shot in the kill zone. This applies to everything from 243 up to the 7mm and 300 magnums.
Beyond 300 yards they all start dropping fast, even the magnums. If you don't ever anticipate a shot closer than 300 yards then zeroing at 300+ makes sense. But if you have your rifle zeroed to make hits at 300+, you're going to be high enough at 50-150 yards to easily shoot over an animal.
If you plan to shoot past 300 yards you need a range finder to know the exact range. Then you'll be a lot better off with a scope that can compensate for longer range shots by either using multiple aiming points or by twisting dials. And those scopes are based on a 100 yard zero.
zero at 100
and this is what it took in terms of elevation to be in the center at 200 yards
a little more at 300 yards
So, with the April target, 1 3/4 MOA (on scope) dead on 100 yards, and 4.0 MOA dead on at 200 yards. This cartridge is very flat shooting, see if you can hold tighter than the bullet drop.
and this is what it took in terms of elevation to be in the center at 200 yards
a little more at 300 yards
So, with the April target, 1 3/4 MOA (on scope) dead on 100 yards, and 4.0 MOA dead on at 200 yards. This cartridge is very flat shooting, see if you can hold tighter than the bullet drop.
Aletheia
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Slamfire is on to it.
I zero everything to achieve the maximum range possible so that the load I'm using will not rise above, or fall below, the vital area of the game I'm hunting (the maximum point blank range) I also keep it small for the game animal. Any bullet that is not more than 3 inches above or below the sight line will kill any deer very well. You can ignore range as long as it is within your MPBR. IF you sight in a good .270 load to be about one and one half to two inches above the sight line at 100 yards, you can ignore range estimation to around 300 yards and still be certain of hitting the vital area of a deer. No range estimation necessary. No calculations. Just aim and shoot. For hunting purposes, using the MPBR concept is the most effective zeroing strategy. Almost all "modern" cartridges can be zeroed to allow shots to 300 yards with no calculation. The slower the round, the shorter the MPBR will be, but the concept can be worked out for any load in any gun.
Target shooting is another sport entirely, but for hunting it makes no sense to sight a .270 to be zeroed at 50 yards.
I zero everything to achieve the maximum range possible so that the load I'm using will not rise above, or fall below, the vital area of the game I'm hunting (the maximum point blank range) I also keep it small for the game animal. Any bullet that is not more than 3 inches above or below the sight line will kill any deer very well. You can ignore range as long as it is within your MPBR. IF you sight in a good .270 load to be about one and one half to two inches above the sight line at 100 yards, you can ignore range estimation to around 300 yards and still be certain of hitting the vital area of a deer. No range estimation necessary. No calculations. Just aim and shoot. For hunting purposes, using the MPBR concept is the most effective zeroing strategy. Almost all "modern" cartridges can be zeroed to allow shots to 300 yards with no calculation. The slower the round, the shorter the MPBR will be, but the concept can be worked out for any load in any gun.
Target shooting is another sport entirely, but for hunting it makes no sense to sight a .270 to be zeroed at 50 yards.
lightman
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Your plan would work fine but personally I would sight in at 100 yards and shoot at 50 yards and maybe 200 yards and record or remember the point of impact.
I'd zero a 270 at 200 which would only be about 1.5" high at 100 and 6.5" low at 300. Most decently flat shooting hunting cartridges do really well 1.5-2" high at 100 which generally translates to a 200 yard zero and a fairly small drop at 300. Even out west most shots are within 300 yards. Personally I wouldn't hesitate on a 300 yard shot in most conditions but much farther and I'd have to give it a little thought. Long shots are pretty common where I hunt though not everybody chooses to take them (and some do who probably shouldn't).
Mr. Hill
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Zero at 100. Not much drop from a 130 grain .270.
I lived in Florida. Unless you are shooting deer from the tops of condominiums as they trot down the street, it will be hard to get a 400 yard shot anywhere. Palmetto bushes and all those undercover plants block your line of sight.
Maybe you are going after those aquatic deer, the ones who walk on water? From the beach, it is seven miles to the horizon.
Maybe you are going after those aquatic deer, the ones who walk on water? From the beach, it is seven miles to the horizon.
The OP's plan makes sense to me, although I would actually dial in the scope 0.5" high at 100 yards which would zero at 50 and 150.
I just don't see the point of zeroing at 100 yards. You're just guaranteeing that you will be shooting low for most distances. The OP intends to shoot the 130 gr Fusion. Zeroing at 100 gives the following elevations (yardage/elevation): 25/-0.7; 50/-0.2; 75/0; 100/0; 125/-0.3; 150/-0.9; 175/-1.7; 200/-2.9; 225/-4.4; 250/-6.3. So yes, zeroing at 100 puts you w/in 0.5" from 50 to 125, but you're more than 3" low by 200 yards.
Zero at 50/150 yards gains 25 yards on the point-blank range and doesn't give up much on short range accuracy. Here's the elevation for a 150 yard zero: 25/-0.6; 50/0; 75/0.4; 100/0.6; 125/0.4; 150/0; 175/-0.7; 200/-1.8; 225/-3.1; 250/-4.8
Personally, however, I would sight in 1" high at 100 yards. This pushes the PBR to almost 250 yards (-3.8" at 250 yards). I'd be within +/- 1" from about 20 yards to 200 yards. I think that if I have to try to put the bullet through a hole smaller than 2" then I probably can't see the animal well enough to make a safe/ethical shot.
I just don't see the point of zeroing at 100 yards. You're just guaranteeing that you will be shooting low for most distances. The OP intends to shoot the 130 gr Fusion. Zeroing at 100 gives the following elevations (yardage/elevation): 25/-0.7; 50/-0.2; 75/0; 100/0; 125/-0.3; 150/-0.9; 175/-1.7; 200/-2.9; 225/-4.4; 250/-6.3. So yes, zeroing at 100 puts you w/in 0.5" from 50 to 125, but you're more than 3" low by 200 yards.
Zero at 50/150 yards gains 25 yards on the point-blank range and doesn't give up much on short range accuracy. Here's the elevation for a 150 yard zero: 25/-0.6; 50/0; 75/0.4; 100/0.6; 125/0.4; 150/0; 175/-0.7; 200/-1.8; 225/-3.1; 250/-4.8
Personally, however, I would sight in 1" high at 100 yards. This pushes the PBR to almost 250 yards (-3.8" at 250 yards). I'd be within +/- 1" from about 20 yards to 200 yards. I think that if I have to try to put the bullet through a hole smaller than 2" then I probably can't see the animal well enough to make a safe/ethical shot.
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