I was at my local range yesterday doing clean up duty. Got to talking to 1 of the guys about a upcoming 200 yd fun shoot. He said to me, not knowing or caring what caliber I would be shooting at the shoot. Make sure you sight in at 50 yds due to the fact that your bullet impact will be dead on at 200, I said I will sight in at 100 since my 223 only drops 1.5 in at 200, he said..NO..all caliber bullets, even the heavy magnums drop 3 in from 100 to 200 yds. I didnt argue but I did check ballistic tables when I got home. He was totally off base. Just goes to show you, dont believe everything you hear at the "club". At the end of the discussion I did ask what the targets were at 200, he said, steel gophers that stand 7" tall.
Bullet drop from 100 to 200 yds
- Thread starter NHSHOOTER
- Start date
Aguila Blanca
Staff
He wouldn't understand them. And, since he already "knows" all he needs to know about the subject, he wouldn't even try to understand them. They contradict his "knowledge," therefore they are meaningless.FITASC said:
shootbrownelk
New member
Yes, some firearms "Know-it-alls" are impossible to correct. I don't even try anymore. I just nod and pretend to agree.
g.willikers
New member
Naw, don't attempt to wise him up.
Especially if you're both going to the same shooin' match.
You might make a side bet with him though.
Especially if you're both going to the same shooin' match.
You might make a side bet with him though.
Jim Watson
New member
If I had a 200 yard target coming up, I would zero at 200 yards.
The rise at midrange is less than the "drop" if you zero at shorter range.
The rise at midrange is less than the "drop" if you zero at shorter range.
The guy you spoke to at the range was pretty darn close, within a fraction of an inch most of the time. Sounds like a wise man who should be listened to.
Zeroing with most centerfire rounds at 50 yards will be pretty darn close at 200 yards most of the time. Zeroing most of them at 100 yards does result in an average of about 3" drop at 200 yards. The difference in drops between virtually all rounds out to 300-400 yards is within just a few inches.
I zero all of my centerfire loads dead on at 100 yards and rely on either dials or BDC type reticles for longer ranges. Looking at the cheat sheets for my loads if I'm zeroed at 100 I see the following drops at 200
308/130gr, 3050 fps -3"@200
308/165gr, 2740 fps -3.8"@200
300WSM/180gr, 3040 fps -2.8"@200
30-06/150gr, 3025fps -2.9"@200
6.5 Creed/143gr, 2650 fps -4"@200
I'd like to see them too.
I don't know what load you're using, or what ballistic chart you're looking at, but I can't find a 223 load that drops less than 2" at 200 yards with a 100 yard zero. And that is a 40 gr bullet 3650 fps. Most common 55-60 gr loads are going to be between 3-4", just like the guy at the range said.
Zeroing with most centerfire rounds at 50 yards will be pretty darn close at 200 yards most of the time. Zeroing most of them at 100 yards does result in an average of about 3" drop at 200 yards. The difference in drops between virtually all rounds out to 300-400 yards is within just a few inches.
I zero all of my centerfire loads dead on at 100 yards and rely on either dials or BDC type reticles for longer ranges. Looking at the cheat sheets for my loads if I'm zeroed at 100 I see the following drops at 200
308/130gr, 3050 fps -3"@200
308/165gr, 2740 fps -3.8"@200
300WSM/180gr, 3040 fps -2.8"@200
30-06/150gr, 3025fps -2.9"@200
6.5 Creed/143gr, 2650 fps -4"@200
I'd like to see them too.
I don't know what load you're using, or what ballistic chart you're looking at, but I can't find a 223 load that drops less than 2" at 200 yards with a 100 yard zero. And that is a 40 gr bullet 3650 fps. Most common 55-60 gr loads are going to be between 3-4", just like the guy at the range said.
Don Fischer
New member
Good grief! If your gonna shoot a match at 200yds, sight in at 200yds!
Well, yes and no. I used to shoot in 200 yard Service Rifle matches. Everybody who did worth a darn used the 6 o'clock hold on the bullseye at that 200 yards, so we were sighted slightly high (to enable hitting the center of the Bullseye), at 200...half the diameter of the Bullseye.
math teacher
New member
I see people here using the term drop when what they are talking about is trajectory or if you wish "path." Check trajectory charts under "drop," and you will see that the actual drop of a bullet between 100 and 200 yards is usually over six inches. To compensate for this we launch a bullet slightly upward to offset some of the drop which is measured from the line of the bore, rather than from the line of sight. That said, a rifle sighted in for 50 yards might be close at 200 yards, but as stated earlier, why not sight for 200 yards if that is the distance you plan to shoot. Even those who hold on the bottom of the bull are doing their sighting in at that distance, just sighting so that the bullet strikes high in the center of the bull.
Here is a web page with ballistics zero'd @ 100 yds. drop at 200 anywhere from 1.1 to over 8" 223 with a 55 gr bullet is a drop of 2.4..http://www.gunnersden.com/index.htm.rifle-cartridges-ballistics.html
Art Eatman
Staff in Memoriam
A .223 with a 55-grain bullet that's 1.5" or so high at 100 yards will be dead-on at 200. I had to hold about five inches over at 300 yards on prairie dogs.
22" Ruger bolt-action.
22" Ruger bolt-action.
"Well, yes and no. I used to shoot in 200 yard Service Rifle matches. Everybody who did worth a darn used the 6 o'clock hold on the bullseye at that 200 yards, so we were sighted slightly high (to enable hitting the center of the Bullseye), at 200...half the diameter of the Bullseye."
Which would be good IF the OP is using open sights.
Which would be good IF the OP is using open sights.