Troutman10

I got my gun last season just in time to start using it for my first deer season and I'm shooting all summer so that I get used to it. It was off quite a bit compared to last time I remember shooting it. I'm using Winchester 150 gr. pointed soft points. The trajectory is as follows: .6" @ 50 yards, 1" @ 100 yards and zeroed @ 150 yards. The barrel length on my gun is 22" and the website says they tested the ammo with a 24" barrel. (1.) How realistic are those trajectories with the 2" difference? I was shooting and sighted in for the first two distances (50 & 100 yards). My rest wasn't as solid as I would have liked, but I got as close as I could without a solid rest. (2.) How important is a sturdyrest when sighting in to the trajectories with my ammo? (3.) Should I be sighting in according to the trajectory of the bullet as shown on the internet? Thanks for any help in advance.

stubblejumper

It doesn't matter what the tables say,all that matters is that you shoot the gun with your hunting load,and see for yourself where the bullet actually impacts at a given distance.Don't shoot at game at any distance farther that what you have shot targets at,since you really won't know where the bullets will strike.

stalkingbear

I wonder what's the max distance toyr going to be shooting,caliber,bullet/velocity weight and ring height.before I can reccomend a proper sight in distance. Vizualize a 10" pipe and sight in so that the bullet point of impact will stay within + or - 5 inches for optimum point blank range.

rem 700

1) You will probably lose about 60fps with those 2 inches of barrel. Trajectory should be almost the same, but always round down. 2) A rock solid rest is THE most important part of sighting in. If you are moving even a slight amount, you could easily double the width of your groups, have many "fliers" etc... 3)Manufacturer trajectory tables can be reasonably trusted, but always practice and check. Most popular is a 100 yard sight-in, up to 3" high.

stalkingbear

Without knowing exact caliber/cartridge/velocity,I can only generalize. For close range,sight in 1.5" high @ 100 yards,for long range,sight in 3" high @ 100 and you will be on target out to about 325 yards and about 6-8" low at 400.

eldeguello

What stubblejumper says here is absolutely correct! ALWAYS confirm your rifle's zero at the longest range you will ever take a shot at, because a rifle zeroedin at 100 yards or less often shoots very differently father out, especially in the windage setting. But you also need to know your REAL trajectory out there. Tables are usually NOT what your rifle will actually do.

The 2" difference in barrel length will not have any significant effect on the trajectory of your rifle. Using identical bullets, a 200 FPS difference in MV is only worth three or four inches even at 500 yards!

skeeter 7MM

Agreed the tables are nothing more then a guess the only true way is to verify at all distances you will expect to be shooting with your hunting load. As far is + or - and zero that is based on distance of shots, confidence level, etc. I personally like my PBR to stay roughly within a 6" tube, my particular rifle and load this usually means +2" @ 100which allows me to hold stead fast on game from 0 to 300 yards. After 300 yards i need to adjust the crosshairs verticallyas per what my range time has indicated to remain within the vitals of the animal. I used to go with a larger tube but it no longer fits my currentmodel for hunting with a CF (exceptionbeing pronghorn hunting where I error on the + side due to the average ranges being on the longer side of things).

Pawildman

Well, let me start with the most important part of your question, in my mind. ANY range work must be done with a dead-solid rest. Period. You just simply cannot get a good idea of what is going on with your gun unless you are positive that your shots should be where you call them from an immobile rest. The difference in barrel length is something that is of some but not a great deal of concern, I feel. I have felt for the most part that when using factory ammo, that somewhere close to 50 fps. is lost for each inch of shorter barrel. I am sure others will differ with me, but I feel it is a close measuring stick. With that said, you can see how velocities can be affected with the same load in different barrel lenghts. It just then makes common sense that trajectories will change accordingly.
Get your gun shooting well for you at 100 yds., whether it is with some brand of factory ammo it likes best, or with a consistently-shooting handload. Move your target to 200 yds., and shoot again with a dead -on hold from your solid rest. Note the difference in drop. Do this again at 300 yds., and compare. This is the only true, proven way to find out how your own paticular rifle will perform at different ranges. Yes, there are calculation tables that will give you the theoretical drops, but until you shoot those ranges yourself with your gun and load, you will never know for sure.

CZ2506

I used to zero at 300 yds. put me +4" at 100. But for me it's a lot more instinctive to hold over at long range than to hold under close up. So after blowing the backstraps out of a few whitetails, I went to a 100 yd zero during deer season.