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Posted: 2/11/2015 10:04:42 PM EDT
Yes im new to this website and new to ar's. I have a ar15 in 556 im trying to zero in. I need to zero my red dot sight my laser and i have 45 degree canted iron sights to zero in whats the best distance since i wont be shooting past 100 yards but might have to. Mainly 50 and closer for hogs and coyotes. i have a 308 thats zeroed at 25 and is dead on at 100 yards. Any advice would be appreciated i will be using 556 xm855 green tip ammo by american eagle. Also my barrel twist is 1/7 and 16 inch barrel!
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Quoted:
Yes im new to this website and new to ar's. I have a ar15 in 556 im trying to zero in. I need to zero my red dot sight my laser and i have 45 degree canted iron sights to zero in whats the best distance since i wont be shooting past 100 yards but might have to. Mainly 50 and closer for hogs and coyotes. i have a 308 thats zeroed at 25 and is dead on at 100 yards. Any advice would be appreciated i will be using 556 xm855 green tip ammo by american eagle. Also my barrel twist is 1/7 and 16 inch barrel! New to AR's and you already have red dots and lasers and 45 degree sights, jesus you go hooked quick. Zero at 100 yds, compensate 1.7" high at 25 yds either way you are going to take down a hog or yote. Good luck! |
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Zeroing at 50 yrs will keep you within about 1.5" out to about 200 yrs where it will cross zero again.
62 gr fmj's will kill predators, hogs, hotels and such. But it's not really a good hunting bullet. 62 gr fusions will kill medium sized deer and under easily. Txl |
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Ok thanks everybody for the details i appreciate it. does any one have a clue what a 855 green tip 62 grain bullet can kill. check local laws many states do not allow FMJ in hunting also soft tip bullets have performed better for me than hollow points. 64grn soft tips have failed to drop deer for me on atleast 3 occasions.all young thin bucks. but a 62 grn 5.56 with good placement will drop hogs, yotes and most deer out to 200 meters. but please don't use FMJ |
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For irons or a red dot, you might want to zero in closer, perhaps at 100, although there is a good basis for a 50 yard zero. Either one, as long as you know the trajectory.
If you are using a scope you can be more creative. For those reading this post who do have magnified optics I offer a slightly different slant on the standard 50 yard zero. I like a zero that is called "maximum point blank range" -- that range where you simply hold on without being concerned about adjustments. This will depend on your own determination of how far above or below the line of sight you are willing to allow the bullet path to deviate. As a hunter, I classically like to have a 6" kill zone, meaning 3 inches error in either direction. I use ballistic software (available free online) to generate the curve based on the ballistic co-efficient of the bullet and its muzzle velocity. There are other factors, most notably how far the scope centerline is above the actual rife bore (not the top of the rail). This may seem complicated, but it is not. For the 5.56 and most loads in the 55 and 62 grain range, doing the calculation puts you close to but not exactly the same as the standard 50 yard zero. It works out for me to be a maximum 3" rise at 150 yards. At 100 yards the bullet hits 2.1 inches high. The 50 yard zero is essentially 50 yards (actually 46), and the return to zero point is about 245 yards. The -3" point is about 280. I find this to be extremely versatile. Since it is not quite the same as a 50 yard zero, but too close to differentiate at that range, I use 100 yard targets and sight in for the bullet to strike the target 2.1" high. 100 yards ranges are easy to find. I know that I will be within that 3" high or low (6 inch circle) anywhere i pull the trigger out to almost 300 yards. My scope is mil rad turrets and reticle, so beyond 300 I would use my calculated "come ups" which can get me out to 600 yards, which with that same trajectory means a 5.1 mil adjustment, either by turrets or just put the target on the 5 mil mark in the reticle. This is for a particular handloaded hunting bullet of known velocity and ballistic co-efficient, but will be close to store bought M193 or M855. Minor "tweaking" will be required to fine tune it. Is this better than a true 50 yard zero? I think so, for those of us that are hunters and want to keep the maximum trajectory deviation closer than the 50 yard zero, but tighter, because a true 50 yard zero lets the bullet get as much as 4'' above your point of aim. That is a bit more than I want when hunting. This "maximum point blank range" 6 inch circle zero also makes taking longer shots at targets (steel) easier if you have a good mil radian or MOA calibrated scope. For a red dot and irons, I personally use the standard 50 yard zero. But keep this concept in mind if considering a magnified optic and shooting at live targets (hunting) should even be in the picture. You can't make these fine adjustments with just a red dot or irons. |
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