Posted: 12/1/2016 11:30:32 PM EDT
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I hope this isn't a dumb question, I just can't find a suitable answer anywhere.
At a recent rifle match I was shooting through a barricade and was forced to shoot an AR with iron sights sideways. After a few rounds I gave up and went prone to finish off the target because I couldn't figure out where to aim. Regardless of iron or optic, where are you supposed to aim when shooting horizontally? I was shooting 75-100 yds. Irons zeroed at 25 yds. If either of those make a difference. I have an idea, but I really struggled trying to figure this out on the fly during the match. |
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You would need to shoot slightly high and about double the height of your sights to the side. If you are tipping your rifle to the left then you need to be aiming to the right side of the target. If tipping right, then to the left side of the target. If the target were at 25 yards, then you would be aiming nearly dead on, just very slightly high.
What happens is that your bore is pointed upward a bit relative to the line of sight. This gives the trajectory as the bullet is being pulled down by gravity when the rifle is vertical. When it is tipped to the side, the barrel is still pointed in that same direction. Now, gravity works pulling the bullet down, but the bullet is going sideways ("up") relative to the line of sight. At 25 yards the bullet isn't being pulled down very much, so you can think of the sideways path as being straight. It crosses the line of sight at 25 yards and keeps going that way. At 50 yards the bullet will be about the same distance from the bore to the sight further. At 100 yards it will be double that. The bullet will drop due to gravity pulling it down, so you need to compensate for this by holding a bit high. |
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Attached File Do you know your holdover when shooting at 75 yards with your 25 yard zero (if any)? If you have a holdover of 1" at 75 yards (meaning you have to aim your sights 1" higher than your point of impact in order to hit), you would need to translate that same holdover to your canted rifle. So, if you cant your rifle to the right (meaning bore is left of the sight when you are looking down it) you would need to aim 1" to the right. Your holdover translates into the same direction you are canted. If canted right, holdover shifts to the right. If canted left, holdover shifts to the left. If you don't know your holdover at various yardages with your 25yd zero...I highly recommend you learn them at 50, 75, 100+ yards at the various canted angles. |