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Humbled today by 400 yards
- Thread starter WWWJD
- Start date
Tempest 455
New member
My son and I shoot at a local 400 yard range as much as possible. This is what has worked for us.
I bring both the large (around 12" Dirty Bird) and the smaller (around 8" Dirty Bird) targets. Two of my rifles are always zeroed at 400, so windage is what we adjust for. I put up 4 tagets. One of the larger targets and 3 of the smaller ones. One of us takes a shot while the other watches through the spotting scope. If the wind is minimal, it will typically be right on target, give or take a min. From there, I just dial the wind and move onto the smaller targets. You should be able to see a .30 cals no problem through a decent spotting scope and even .223 if there is not a ton of mirage.
If the wind is bad, we watch for a splash in the berm behind and make an adjustment either way. Two - three shots and you should be able to dial the wind and be on center even in a fair amount of wind.
Lastly, this is assuming good ammo is used and a pretty accurate rifle. At 400 yards, the difference between good ammo and average ammo becomes noticable.
I bring both the large (around 12" Dirty Bird) and the smaller (around 8" Dirty Bird) targets. Two of my rifles are always zeroed at 400, so windage is what we adjust for. I put up 4 tagets. One of the larger targets and 3 of the smaller ones. One of us takes a shot while the other watches through the spotting scope. If the wind is minimal, it will typically be right on target, give or take a min. From there, I just dial the wind and move onto the smaller targets. You should be able to see a .30 cals no problem through a decent spotting scope and even .223 if there is not a ton of mirage.
If the wind is bad, we watch for a splash in the berm behind and make an adjustment either way. Two - three shots and you should be able to dial the wind and be on center even in a fair amount of wind.
Lastly, this is assuming good ammo is used and a pretty accurate rifle. At 400 yards, the difference between good ammo and average ammo becomes noticable.
Something that might help you out and maybe you have already implemented this technique is to develop a log book.
Start at you zero, lets use 100 yards for that. Zero your rifle and chart it along with Barometric Pressure, time of day, temp, wind (and direction in relation to gun and target), Humidity, and elevation. Make sure you have zeroed the scope at this time, it will help you in coming back to your original zero.
Next move back to 150 and shoot again. Chart the drop. Then chart the number of clicks MOA/MIL it takes you to get back to zero at 150 yards.
Now repeat the procedure again at 200 yrds, 250 yrds, 300 yrds, and all the way out to a grand if you so choose to.
By the end of the procedure you will have an accurate DOPE for your rifle.
Start at you zero, lets use 100 yards for that. Zero your rifle and chart it along with Barometric Pressure, time of day, temp, wind (and direction in relation to gun and target), Humidity, and elevation. Make sure you have zeroed the scope at this time, it will help you in coming back to your original zero.
Next move back to 150 and shoot again. Chart the drop. Then chart the number of clicks MOA/MIL it takes you to get back to zero at 150 yards.
Now repeat the procedure again at 200 yrds, 250 yrds, 300 yrds, and all the way out to a grand if you so choose to.
By the end of the procedure you will have an accurate DOPE for your rifle.
Tempest 455
New member
That's a great point above. I keep a log book and have data on every rifle and ammo at various distances. I can go to a different range and be on target with minimal effort.