05-24-2013, 11:44 PM
You havent been spoiled at all. Any modern ballistics program will easily be accurate to within .1 Mil at 600 yds when used properly. Youre doing the right thing in figuring out the input errors which are causing the output errors.
Since you notice error at relatively close range that gives some indications as to what the input error is. Im guessing you nailed it with the sight height over bore measurement. Has the error at 200 yds now pretty much disappeared? If not look mostely at #3 below.
Errors in the 300-600 range are still relatively close which eliminates BC error as the primary cause. The three biggies to look for in this range are:
Velocity. Re-chrongraph, double check with a different chronograph if possible.
Scope tracking. Until youve carefully measured your scope clicks, you really have no idea how much compensation youre dialing. Very few scopes are so close to dead nuts on that you dont need compensation in the program.
Zeroing error. This may sound dumb, but I think it happens a lot more than people realize. Many will zero at 100 gently holding the rifle coddled in sandbags from the bench. Then theyll go lay in the dirt, firmly holding the rifle on a bipod to shoot long range and assume ballistic errors are why theyre missing when really theyve changed the natural POI of the rifle with the different hold. ARs are a lot more sensitive to this than bolt rifles in my experience. Pick a hold and stick with it for everything.
Those are the most likely off the top of my head for your remaining error.
Since you notice error at relatively close range that gives some indications as to what the input error is. Im guessing you nailed it with the sight height over bore measurement. Has the error at 200 yds now pretty much disappeared? If not look mostely at #3 below.
Errors in the 300-600 range are still relatively close which eliminates BC error as the primary cause. The three biggies to look for in this range are:
Velocity. Re-chrongraph, double check with a different chronograph if possible.
Scope tracking. Until youve carefully measured your scope clicks, you really have no idea how much compensation youre dialing. Very few scopes are so close to dead nuts on that you dont need compensation in the program.
Zeroing error. This may sound dumb, but I think it happens a lot more than people realize. Many will zero at 100 gently holding the rifle coddled in sandbags from the bench. Then theyll go lay in the dirt, firmly holding the rifle on a bipod to shoot long range and assume ballistic errors are why theyre missing when really theyve changed the natural POI of the rifle with the different hold. ARs are a lot more sensitive to this than bolt rifles in my experience. Pick a hold and stick with it for everything.
Those are the most likely off the top of my head for your remaining error.