I have a MTAC 1-4X24. They were supposed to zero it at the store but it was shooting high on both the 50m and 100m targets so I guess I have to zero it myself.

Do you zero an optic like this just as you would the iron sights? (at 30m)

If not, how do you zero the MTAC?

I appreciate any advice. I am still a newbie!!

Wait, are your irons zeroed at 30M?

30 yard zero on your irons? Ok well Im guessing that where ever you got it used a bore sight so you should take it out and confirm zero anyway. They merely get it close so it doesn't take long to fine tune it. To answer your question though it depends on where you want your zero, what you plan to do with the rifle and the distance you are using to zero said rifle. I use a 50 yard zero on my personal guns as well as my duty rifle. For work I have a 1-4x optic and I find that it (50 yard zero) works for what I use it. I believe the 50/200 yard zero is the most common. So I guess I didn't really answer your question but brought up a few more. Clear as mud?

DC

Yes. I was told to zero them in at that distance and it would be good out to 100 yards. Is this not correct?

zero at 100, do you shoot the same ammo all the time?

Not even close.  What the gun store commando failed to fully explain to you, is the whole line of sight/bore issue of an AR.  Long story short, and AR's stock is totally flat.  As in no drop, like a deer rifle or shotgun has.  So, there is a funky geometry thing working there.  Your eye is much higher over the bore as opposed to other guns.  @ 30 yards, you are having to get that bullet to rise pretty quickly, to meet your line of sight.  So @ 50, it will be high, and at 100, really high.  Probably 5 to 8 inches, depending on ammo.  

If you sight in your rifle at 50 yards, it will be still on the rise at 100, but only about an inch or three high.  It will (should) be back on the down slope at 200, and pretty close to zero.  This is what is referred to as the 50/200 zero.  This is all dependant on ammo selection.  

If you decide to go with this zero, you need to go and shoot your gun at 25, 50, 100, and 200 yards.  Get your own dope, for your own loads.  That way you know exactly how your equipment will perform at the given ranges.  

I hope this helps a little.  There are a ton of guys here, that have a ton of knowledge.  Good luck, L2  

+1

If you zero at 36 yards you'll have an effective 300 yard zero. It will be high at both 100 and 200 yards (actually, it'll be high from 37 yards out to 299 yards, roughly speaking). I imagine that what the gun store meant was simply to "bore sight" it for you. This merely puts you on paper, then you have to fine tune it. Expect to shoot 20-50 rounds doing this.

There's a great video making the rounds by Travis Haley about the various common zeros that people use and how "combat effective" they are. Hit google and try to find it.

+1 on the bore sighting.  Forgot to mention that.  Usually bore sighting means "on the paper" @ 100 yards.  As Will pointed ou, there are lots of different zeros, that you can use with your gun/sight combination.  

One difference is though, what are you going to use this weapon for?  The term "combat effective", means able to hit man sized targets, in proximity to the vitals.  
I hunt with my AR's, therefore, I want a little more accuracy out of certain setups.  As I pointed out earlier, this is where trigger time, and coming up with your own ballistics/dope, becomes priceless.  L2

If I want to boresight what distance will get me on paper at 50yds/100yds?

I could use the boresight from 50 but the dot isn't that visible from that far out.

I zero my scopes by bore sight with a laser.  Then take to 25yard to make sure I am at least on paper then if I am close to center I skip the 50m and go to 100m and zero it high 1-2 inches then final zero is at 200m.

25 will get you on the paper.  It's at least a starting point.  L2

Will the laser even be visible on target from 25 yards out?

If you're looking through a scope it will.  You can also set it on a sand bag, get the lazer on the paper and adjust the scope to the lazer while looking with binoculars.

Ah alright. This would be for irons, but that is good to know.

Actually, if you read the directions on the MTAC, it says to zero the scope at 100 yards.  Since it has a ballistic reticle that is specific to a bullet weight, the yardage marks (dots) on the reticle will work out that way.  The main dot works for both 100 and 200; the second dot is the 300 yard; and so on.  I did as the directions instructed, and it worked out perfectly.

What razzman said. the reticle is calibrated for use with a 100 yard zero.

@Razz, how specific is that whole "bullt weight" factor?  I have actually looked at Mtac scopes online, and considered.  However, I don' want to be be really tied down to 1 bullet weight.  L2

My long range 'accurate' bullet weight is a 62 grn that the scope is calibrated for.  But I only use it for shots past 200 yards or so (this is for 3-gun).  Inside that I use 55 grn XM193, and see no appreciable difference.  Even out to 400 yards (the furthest I have available to shoot at), I am still close enough with 55 grn ammo that if I were shooting something big like an IPSC target, it wouldn't matter.  An 8" flasher or something, and it would.  It's not so specific that another bullet weight won't work––especially 200 yards and in.

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