100 or 200 Zero?

Do you Zero for 100 or 200 yards?

  • I zero at 100yds.

    Votes: 46 35.7%

  • I zero at 200yds.

    Votes: 80 62.0%

  • I grin down all the animals I take, just like Davy.

    Votes: 3 2.3%
  • Total voters
    129
M

Morgoroth

New member
I have a Winchester Model 70 chambered for .270 and I am trying to decide whether to Zero it at 100 or 200 yards. I am leaning towards 200 because I think it will be easier for me to be effective at 300yd (probably max range for where I will be hunting.)

But I thought I would post something here to see what others thought about it.

Also, how will being an extra 15ft in the air in a tree stand effect things?
 
If you are hunting where a 200 + yard shot is an option, I'd zero at 200 yards. If you are hunting where you really aren't likely to take a shot that long, I'd zero in at 100 or 150. 300 yards is a hell of a long shot to take even zeroed at 200 yards.

I hunt mostly woods but do venture out west for pronghorn and zero all of my rifles at 150. My longest shot out west has been right about 200 to 225 yards. I'd guess my average distance has been between 150 and 175. During whitetail season at home, my average shot is usually right between 40 and 50 yards.
 
It would be best to zero it for 200 yards - a flat shooting round like a .270 should be zeroed for a decent distance, especially if you have a 300 yard shot as you mentioned.

A 15 tall tree stand won't make much of a difference for your point of impact at longer ranges.
 
Zeroing in a .270

Well, I hunt with a .270 and for me, the 100 yard zero is perfect. Being that the .270 is such a flat shooting hunting round, I can easily hit 200 yard deer size targets without even adjusting for the extra hundred yards. I think that even if I were to attempt a 300 yard shot (with 100 yd. zero) I would just hold the crosshair on the top of deer's back (shoulder area) and would still hit a vital area of the animal. At least that is my experience with my .270 rifle. I like the 100 yard zero, in case of much closer shots as well. Make sure you have a good rest and the 100 yard zero will be effective for all but the very longest shots (most of the time). :)
 
I voted for 100. But now that I think about it, I should have said really 200.

I sight in at 100 cause its easier to hold it steady, but I
set the crosshairs for 2" - 2 1/2" high
 
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.204 ruger, 7mm mag, are 200yd zero.
.45/70, .30-06, are 100yd zero.
.22rf, .40s&w(cx4),.50 in-line muzzle loader, 12 ga slug guns, are 50yd zero.
 
100 yds is WAY too short for a .270. If you have a normal scope mounting height (1.75") and you assume a 2" + - margin for a point-blank zero, then using a 130grn bullet with a B/C of 0.336 leaving the barrel at 3060fps with a 215yd zero the bullet will be never more than 2" high (at 119yds) and 2" low at 251 yds.

That should cover the vast majority of distance you would be hunting without needing to account for hold over/under.
 
.30-06 at 200. With 165 grain bullets it leaves me about 2" high at 100.
In the woods, I seldom can see further than 200 yards most of the time.

It's like setting the old Kodak cameras to the "infinity" setting....
:-)
 
.30-06 at 200. With 165 grain bullets it leaves me about 2" high at 100.
In the woods, I seldom can see further than 200 yards most of the time.
Click to expand...

Were would it put you at 300yrds?

I am not sure where I will be hunting since I want to find some new places and a friend of a friend is going to take me out to some of his sites as well.

And I want to be effective out to 300 yrds, which is not unrealistic for a .270(from what I'm told.) Some of the places might be that far even though I am in middle NC.

So I am leaning toward a Zero at 200yrds.

Edit-After reading about the MPBR thing. I am considering that option strongly.
 
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I've always zeroed for 200 yards. I started out that way because "My daddy told me to." However, the logic soon became apparent: With that zero, 90% of the time you don't have to think. Just point-and-pull. :)
 
Morgoroth, you need to go to Remington's web site and download their Remshoot program. That's how I came up with the figures I gave you. You choose the caliber and bullet, set the shooting distance and zero distance, and the software calculates the hold over/under. It is geared for Remington branded ammo but other brands would only be off by fractions of an inch.
 
I zero in at 100, because my old eyes have trouble seeing the bullseye at 200 through the spotting scope. I DO, however, zero that 100 yard group to be 3" high at 100, so when I move the same target to 200 it is about 1' high and at 300 it then prints on the paper less than 2" low. In my 7 mag this gives me a dead-on hold to almost 400 yards.
 
Couldn't vote. 200 is way better than 100 for most centerfire rifles but I always sight my guns in for "maximum point blank range". Sighting in for 100 is like driving a corvette at 55 mph around a race track.

LK
 
Hi,
As a rule I zero my 30-06 at 200 METERS. (Where I live we use the metric system, it equals 219 Yards)

However, when I go hunting in a place that requires shots to 350M as a norm, I zero at 250 Meters. that gives me 5" drop at 350 and 4" high at 100M (I know my velocities and tables very well, I consider it essential).

However, since this particular area is flat open grasslands, the chances of getting closer are virtually nil, so longish shots are required (I am not saying long because I'll get jumped by someone who always shoots at 700 yards etc...) SInce I go there once a year, I have made it a habit to change the zero of my rifle in this manner when I arrive there.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I only use reloads, so I get to decide how flat my trajectory will be.

Brgds,

Danny
 
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Seems you will spend time rideing out to the targets ,right. Then sighting in at 100 yards fist and try for around 2 1/2" high at 100 then shoot 200 and 300 yard groups to see how it groups and placement. Adjust as needed. You may find that your rifle is not a bullseye rifle at 200 or 300 but will shoot to ,say 2" at 200 and 4" at 300 that fine for deer just right good notes. A try differnt ammo brands and wieghts. Some rifle can be paticular about ammo.
 
I zero all my rifles 2" high at 100 yards. With a 270 that is point and shoot out to 250 yards and about 6" low at 300 yards. WAY more useful than a standard 100 yard zero. Zeroing a 270 to hit dead on at 100 yards is the same as using a 30-30 zeroed 3" high at 100 yards. If you are going to shoot a flat shooting cartridge make it count. I've never understood why people sight their rifles dead on at 100 yards.
 
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