09-25-2017, 04:52 PM
Some general guidelines that summarize what has been said above:
If you're a target shooter running a ballistics program with known increments for dialing or holding, 100yd zero makes a lot of sense.
If you're hunting generally east of the Mississippi and don't have a lot of open fields with longer shots on deer, 100yd zero makes a lot of sense.
For those of us out West in the high desert or more open terrain around the Rockies, a 200yd zero makes a lot of sense for most rifle cartridges if you aren't going to be messing with the scope.
I keep a 100yd zero on my scopes, but in hunting season, I dial up to 200yds POI for the altitude and conditions I'm in, then confirm that 200yd zero at base camp. That's for mule deer and elk, which have pretty large vital zones on them.
In Double Naught's case, he's working in more densely vegetated terrain hunting hogs, so a 100yd zero makes a lot of sense for him, especially with those smaller vital zones and the average distances he will encounter the animals.
There's really not a right or wrong answer for which zero you choose, but there is a right and wrong answer for confirming and training with your rifle.
The right answer is to get a very good zero dialed-in and know it well, as well as practicing with your rifle and the zero you have chosen, including shooting from field positions on vital zone targets. That will increase your confidence level and hit probability substantially.
Before all of that, I would recommend a detailed rifle/optic/mount/ammo checklist where you ensure everything is mounted correctly, torqued equally to the recommended torque specs, Loc-tite applied to the fasteners, and good mechanical alignment with the rifle action and bore.
There is a level of confidence you will gain once your zero is dialed in nicely, and that same zero repeats every time you go to the range. You will feel much more sure about where your shot is going when you spend time with the rifle over and over again, and it proves to you that it will do what you want it to do.
If you're a target shooter running a ballistics program with known increments for dialing or holding, 100yd zero makes a lot of sense.
If you're hunting generally east of the Mississippi and don't have a lot of open fields with longer shots on deer, 100yd zero makes a lot of sense.
For those of us out West in the high desert or more open terrain around the Rockies, a 200yd zero makes a lot of sense for most rifle cartridges if you aren't going to be messing with the scope.
I keep a 100yd zero on my scopes, but in hunting season, I dial up to 200yds POI for the altitude and conditions I'm in, then confirm that 200yd zero at base camp. That's for mule deer and elk, which have pretty large vital zones on them.
In Double Naught's case, he's working in more densely vegetated terrain hunting hogs, so a 100yd zero makes a lot of sense for him, especially with those smaller vital zones and the average distances he will encounter the animals.
There's really not a right or wrong answer for which zero you choose, but there is a right and wrong answer for confirming and training with your rifle.
The right answer is to get a very good zero dialed-in and know it well, as well as practicing with your rifle and the zero you have chosen, including shooting from field positions on vital zone targets. That will increase your confidence level and hit probability substantially.
Before all of that, I would recommend a detailed rifle/optic/mount/ammo checklist where you ensure everything is mounted correctly, torqued equally to the recommended torque specs, Loc-tite applied to the fasteners, and good mechanical alignment with the rifle action and bore.
There is a level of confidence you will gain once your zero is dialed in nicely, and that same zero repeats every time you go to the range. You will feel much more sure about where your shot is going when you spend time with the rifle over and over again, and it proves to you that it will do what you want it to do.
NRA Basic, Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun, RSO
CCW, CQM, DM, Long Range Rifle Instructor
6.5 Grendel Reloading Handbooks & chamber brushes can be found here:
www.AR15buildbox.com
CCW, CQM, DM, Long Range Rifle Instructor
6.5 Grendel Reloading Handbooks & chamber brushes can be found here:
www.AR15buildbox.com