Where should I be hitting paper at 100 yards.

Well, it was all for naught. I got a good group a little high at 100 yards two days before I left. First afternoon in Kimberly we went to the range and one shot went the same place so that was good enough. Next morning we went for hartbeest and everything went to hell. After inexplicably missing one nice bull three times, I was finally able to get one, hitting him poorly three times, no shot further than 200 metres. What the hell? PH knew something was wrong. He'd seen me shoot very well the previous trip. That evening we went back to the range and my gun was all over the paper at 100 yards. I stopped wasting ammo and switched to PH's spare (and later he let me use his very sweet personal gun). That night I couldn't sleep fretting over that damn Springfield. Got up and took it out of the case. After going over it, I grabbed it by the barrel to put back in the case. Something didn't feel right. I grasped the fore end and ... the barrel wiggled! It had somehow come loose from bedding. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond my control I didn't get the action and new barrel rebedded until three days before leaving. I suspect the epoxy wasn't thoroughly cured by the time I arrived in Africa. It's shooting good now. Hornady bullets arrived two days ago. Anxious to get them loaded and up to the range before going to Montana for deer/elk opener. I now have 200 bullets, a keg of powder, and 250 primers so I should have plenty of time to get any bugs worked out. Too bad I don't have a decent range to work with. There's a local rifle range club but I want no part of joining with all the drama going on out there.
Blame it on the differences between the Metric and Imperial systems :p

Late to the thread but a general rule of thumb is 3" high at 100 yards is a good start to setting maximum point blank range for any caliber. You still have to shoot at extended ranges to verify.

Glad you found the issue. Had something similar happen to me with my deer rifle with scope mount not just coming lose but almost falling off while out in the field.
 
A Labradar solves the short range problem - with a good velocity number, drop is simple math. Of course, for practice (especially practice with wind) there is no substitute for a range long enough to replicate hunting conditions.
Indeed. In very stiff sidewind gusting to 30 mph I dropped a very nice black wildebeest bull in his tracks at 350 metres with my PH's 270 WSM. Shot it broadside right behind the ear. PH said it was a great shot. Not quite. Crosshairs were about six inches the other side of his shoulder. Whew!
 
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Group size is accounted for mostly by practice.

I shoot a 30-06 with 180 gr Remington Core Lockt, and find I am about 4" high at 100 to be zeroed at 200. Would guess that with 165 grains, you'd be a bit high at 200 using that 4", but still would get a 275 yard or so MPBR.


I don't think I could find a reloading manual minimum charge 30/06 180 load slow enough to be close to needing 4 MOA up from a 100 yard zero to be on at 200.
 
Group size is accounted for mostly by practice.

I shoot a 30-06 with 180 gr Remington Core Lockt, and find I am about 4" high at 100 to be zeroed at 200. Would guess that with 165 grains, you'd be a bit high at 200 using that 4", but still would get a 275 yard or so MPBR.
This sounds like the 25yd zero, no? Which yeah, puts the MPBR about 300 with 165.
 
If you sight in 1.5” high at 100 you’ll be set for any big game animal at 200.
 
Rule of fund for extended range hunting
3” high at 100 yards
Also suggest download a ballistic calculator…..Hornady has a decent one.
Know your game kill zone diameter and it will tell you all the info you seek.
But the Extended range Western Hunting the 3” high at 100 yards has worked for me for years easy shots out too 300 yards with 30-06. So know your MPBR. Mine is around 280 yards for a moose anything higher I just aim a tad higher but for my 30-06 I kinda like to keep it under under 300 yards with my 30-06.
  • Pronghorn antelope = 8.5"-9"
  • Small deer = 8.5"-9"
  • Medium size deer = 10"-11"
  • Large deer = 11"-12"
  • North American wild sheep = 12"-13"
  • Mountain goat = 13"-14.5"
  • Caribou = 14.5"-15.5"
  • Elk = 14.5"-15.5"
  • Moose = 18"-21.5"
  • Democrat = 18”
  • These are the heart/Lung area of game and not the top to bottom that most use.
 
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Rule of fund for extended range hunting
3” high at 100 yards
Also suggest download a ballistic calculator…..Hornady has a decent one.
Know your game kill zone radius and it will tell you all the info you seek.
But the Extended range Western Hunting the 3” high at 100 yards has worked for me for years easy shots out too 300 yards with 30-06. So know your MPBR. Mine is around 280 yards for a moose anything higher I just aim a tad higher but for my 30-06 I kinda like to keep it under under 300 yards with my 30-06.
  • Pronghorn antelope = 8.5"-9"
  • Small deer = 8.5"-9"
  • Medium size deer = 10"-11"
  • Large deer = 11"-12"
  • North American wild sheep = 12"-13"
  • Mountain goat = 13"-14.5"
  • Caribou = 14.5"-15.5"
  • Elk = 14.5"-15.5"
  • Moose = 18"-21.5"
  • Democrat = 18”
  • These are the heart/Lung area of game and not the top to bottom that most use.
I have a Nikon BPC scope with the elevation rings in reticle. Looked up their chart on line while I was shooting at the range in Montana. Forget it! Not even close to being applicable for my bullets at 200 and 300 yards. I was surprised at how flat the Hornady 165 cup and core bullets shot. Less than 2" high at 100 and right in the red at 200.

I thought the dead zone for a deer was a bit larger than that. Interesting.

Kill zone for a Republican is much smaller. They are heartless. And don't expect any results aiming at their head! Okay, time for a serious Sarah Palin type disclaimer: this is an attempt at slightly sick humor. No one on here advocates shooting politicians ... or anyone else ... except zombies.
 
I have a Nikon BPC scope with the elevation rings in reticle. Looked up their chart on line while I was shooting at the range in Montana. Forget it! Not even close to being applicable for my bullets at 200 and 300 yards. I was surprised at how flat the Hornady 165 cup and core bullets shot. Less than 2" high at 100 and right in the red at 200.

I thought the dead zone for a deer was a bit larger than that. Interesting.

Kill zone for a Republican is much smaller. They are heartless. And don't expect any results aiming at their head! Okay, time for a serious Sarah Palin type disclaimer: this is an attempt at slightly sick humor. No one on here advocates shooting politicians ... or anyone else ... except zombies.
The Nikon Reticle suggest the spot on app
Like my Leupold you really have to shoot them and cronograph your Vel to get the most out of these scopes. I normally use a Mark 4 and zero it dead on at 100 yards and just dial up 3” and aim dead on just past 340 yards anything longer I just add a elevation line on the TMR reticle. Most scopes like Nikon are not 1st focal plane scopes so as you go up and down in magnification your Spot on will change .

Kill zone for deer this data is for 3 different deer size and it’s for the heart lung area only not the top to bottom that most use.

Yes my wife sometimes says I have a brain the size of a peanut !
 

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This sounds like the 25yd zero, no? Which yeah, puts the MPBR about 300 with 165.
I don't think I could find a reloading manual minimum charge 30/06 180 load slow enough to be close to needing 4 MOA up from a 100 yard zero to be on at 200.
Well, let's just say that my wisdom was altered as the shooting progressed - as God made a Jackass talk, so I spake as well. Zero at 200 for most any bullet I gots is about 2" high at 100. Working for MPBR for an Ibex hunt, thinking with the 150 or 165 gr boolits and the right powder that range will be near 300. But the 4" high at 100 was the jackass braying.
 
By zeroing at 200 yds you will not get all that 30-06 load hst to offer. By useinf MPBR at an 8" target you will. The idea of MPBR is you shoot through a tube the max size of the target you want to hit and you hit withing about 4" of the target. Group size is not going to make a lot of difference as with most people the groupos are fairly small. Your shooting just a 1" group at 100 yds, You can expect the point of impact to be 1 MOA and at 200yds at the 4" high point your group will be 1MOA around the top of the 8" target. No sweat! I zero every big game rifle I have at an 8" target and I should have a min of that kill zone on any big game I shoot at.

Shooting at coyotes at any range if all you can see is a head then that's the safe target size. I found that out shooting at coyote's in tall grass where all I had to shoot at was a head. All MPBR means is the target your shooting at is that size! The group you shoot has little to do with it unless your shooting large group's and I've seldom read where anyone on the interned shoot's lousy groups!

If you want to use turrets, I still find the best way to sero is MPBR. Reason being then you can adjust the range your shooting according to yhere your zero lands. I did that with my 6.5x06 and adjusted from the zero point on out. Pretty easy to do with my chronograph, couldn't figure it in my head in a life time. Then my trajectory table was written out and taped to the butt stock of the rifle.

If you wanted to zero at 200yds you can still use MPBR by simply using a smaller target. But that also lessen's the real actual good to go range of the cartridge. Fact of the matter is we seldom shoot animals at 100, 200 or 300yds but if you want to make the most of your cartridge, zero for MPBR at a target of the size you'll be shooting and every thing from the end of the barrel to the impact of the bullet will be within 1/2 the diatance of the target to center of the group! A great system for sighting in a huntingrifle.
 
By zeroing at 200 yds you will not get all that 30-06 load hst to offer. By useinf MPBR at an 8" target you will. The idea of MPBR is you shoot through a tube the max size of the target you want to hit and you hit withing about 4" of the target. Group size is not going to make a lot of difference as with most people the groupos are fairly small. Your shooting just a 1" group at 100 yds, You can expect the point of impact to be 1 MOA and at 200yds at the 4" high point your group will be 1MOA around the top of the 8" target. No sweat! I zero every big game rifle I have at an 8" target and I should have a min of that kill zone on any big game I shoot at.

Shooting at coyotes at any range if all you can see is a head then that's the safe target size. I found that out shooting at coyote's in tall grass where all I had to shoot at was a head. All MPBR means is the target your shooting at is that size! The group you shoot has little to do with it unless your shooting large group's and I've seldom read where anyone on the interned shoot's lousy groups!

If you want to use turrets, I still find the best way to sero is MPBR. Reason being then you can adjust the range your shooting according to yhere your zero lands. I did that with my 6.5x06 and adjusted from the zero point on out. Pretty easy to do with my chronograph, couldn't figure it in my head in a life time. Then my trajectory table was written out and taped to the butt stock of the rifle.

If you wanted to zero at 200yds you can still use MPBR by simply using a smaller target. But that also lessen's the real actual good to go range of the cartridge. Fact of the matter is we seldom shoot animals at 100, 200 or 300yds but if you want to make the most of your cartridge, zero for MPBR at a target of the size you'll be shooting and every thing from the end of the barrel to the impact of the bullet will be within 1/2 the diatance of the target to center of the group! A great system for sighting in a huntingrifle.
For myself, my approach will be to work on an 8" target at 300 yards for my upcoming Ibex hunt. With the 150 gr bullet, MPBR calculates out to about 300 yards. Of course that is ideal. From where I sit, there is no shot that is a piece of cake (I once missed a deer at 15 yards...), and if I go beyond 200 yards I begin to think about getting closer.
 
From the man that hits em all on the run and has the answer for everything. Why would you even ask a bunch of juveniles like this forum when you already know it all and have done it better than anyone? Heck if I remember right, you’ve shot that gun for centuries so you should kinda have a grasp on its ballistics.
 
Am I the only guy on here that 0’s at 100 yards and then shoots his rifle at 10 yards because he is paranoid to see where it hits? Lol

Seems to me that I’m MUCH more concerned with missing a super close shot than a far shot.
 
That's not how it works though. Even in best a best case scenario group size is going to be 2" at MPBR in hunting conditions. That would mean at MPBR your bullet could still hit anywhere from 3"-5" below your POA, potentially missing vitals if they were truly an 8" circle.
Don't think so. Here it goes to mintue of angle, not group size in inch's works. If your rifle shoots 1" groups at 100yds it will most likely not do it at 300 yds but rather at 300 yds, if you do your job you'd maybe get 3 minutes of angle or 3" group! At the point where the bullet rises to max height, it's not actually the bullet but rather the center of the group. Same thing where it falls below the max size.
 
I would rather zero at 200 and hold over for a 300 yard shot than zero at 300 and try to remember to hold low for a 150 yard shot. I take a lot more shots from 100-200 than at 300 plus.
That's the beauty of MPBR. You decide on the size of target you want to shoot at and MPBR will let you know what max really is. Don't know what cartridge your using but likely zeroing 3" high at 100yds and 8" target will let you hold dead on closer to 300yds than 200yds without you allowing for drop or rise of the bullet. I believe that 8" number for the target is the size target we seem to believe is the area behind a deer's shoulder into the heart lung area. If you use a different aiming point simply adjust the target size your shooting at. MPBR simply shows you the flight path of the bullet's group center at different ranges and tell's you where you can hold dead on and still expect a good shot.
 
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