target sizes for 2 and 300 yards

[thomis]

I've only really targeted with my rifles at 100 yards. I use a one inch orange sticker for that. What size sticker/target do I need for 200 and 300 yards, using the same 3x9x40 scope? Never stretched them out that far for load evaluation. Gearing up to go soon. Thanks

 

[Walkalong]

Use the same set up. Aim small miss small. An 8 X 11 piece of paper is more than enough to catch shots at 300 yards.

 

[dubbleA]

You mention using a 3x9x40 scope which will certainly work at the ranges to descibe. Being able to clearly see and section the intended target(bullseye) goes a long way into hitting it and group well. The exact center of any size target is exactly the same.

The saying "aim small miss small" has already been mentioned. But simply put you can not hit what you can not see, so at times "small doesnt work. I have no idea what your scope's reticle substenions are, that is to say how much area your crosshairs cover up. Today we have various size and shapes of reticles. Some are thicker and some are thinner.

Without knowing your exact setup, my suggestion to you as well as others would be to try different sizes of targets/bulleyes at 200 and 300 yards and use the smallest one that you can disect and cross section with your reticle. I dont think a 1inch dot is going to work with your scope at those ranges as the reticle will cover the dot but a 2 or 3 inch dot or square just might. I often use a blank 3x5 recipe card or a folded square of paper as a target for those yardages and dissect them into 4 equal pieces. They are big enough to write info on and easy to keep for further reference.

Hope this makes sense...........

 

[Andrew Leigh]

My targets have a 0.5" bull which I can see out to 200m. But I do have the scope set on 10X and have a fine varmint reticle.

As stated if you reticle covers the dot you may battle,

Remember MOA is the key. 1MOA at 100yds is 1", at 200yds is 2" and at 300yds 3" etc. So if you have thick crosshairs and are currently shooting at a 1" bull then a 2" @ 200yds and a 3" at 300yds will all present as the same size through the scope. A normal page should be fine.

I am with walkalong, the smaller you can go the better.

 

[jim243]

While I don't disagree with the previous posts (smaller is better), if you can't see the target you can't hit it.

I would start out with a 3 inch orange bull at 300 yards and try to get as close to the center as possible. You can get these as paste ons at Walmart if your's still carries shooting supplies.

Good luck.
Jim

 

[Skylerbone]

Just remember to paste them to a plain piece of paper in case elevation is off. It can be frustrating to head 200 yds. down range to find a blank target. A modestly priced spotting scope can definitely come in handy for longer ranges.

 

[WNTFW]

If you are happy with 1" / 100 just use 2" for 200 and 3" for 300.

 

[jmr40]

I would start out with a 3 inch orange bull at 300 yards and try to get as close to the center as possible.

If you want to get good groups don't aim for the center of the dot. It doesn't really matter, I use dots stuck to 9" paper plates for targets and have them from 3/4" up to 2". I can see any of them well enough at all ranges but prefer 2" at 300. But I don't aim at the center. I try to aim at the bottom arc of the dot at 100 and the top at longer ranges to help account for bullet drop. For the best groups a square aiming point really works best. Aim for one corner. "Aim small miss small", aiming at the center of a circle of any size is too large of an aiming point to shoot good groups.

 

[Onewolf]

I am a relative newbie to precision rifle shooting and I had been using a 1" black dot on a white paper at 300 meters but I found that sometimes the small black dot was hard to discern with the black reticle and a touch of heat mirage. Last weekend I tried a 2" orangish dot and it seemed to work pretty well at 300 meters.

 

[Andrew Leigh]

This is my target when the rifle is set for a 200m zero. This means I am 2" high at 100m.

So I shoot at 100m but don't blow the bull away as my expected POI will be in the circle above. Aim for the bull get it in the circle, that keeps my bull crisp and intact. I change the target depending on the distance.

Must try the orange bull, does this make a real difference?

Cheers