200yd holdover?

[Cowboy2]

The calibers are .50 and .54, prb, not max loads but on the muscular side of things. Obviously every gun/load is different and no one can tell me what mine are going to do, but does anybody with any experience at that distance, with those calibers, want to suggest a starting point?

 

[rafterob]

Sure, your starting point is; go to the range and set your target at 200 yards. Aim at the top edge of the target. If you're lucky you will hit paper or maybe the target backing so you can tell where you're at. It is best to have a spotter for these kinds of things. AT 100 yards I am 5-6" low with my .50 cal. 65 gr.ffg load. I have a CVA Mountain rifle with the primitive adjustable rear sight. 1/2 turn of the screw brings it up to center.

 

[biliff]

Might help if we knew what range they're sighted in for.

There's a RB ballistics calculator in the forum links section.

Using it with a .490 ball, 1600fps and a 100 yd zero puts the ball 49" low at 200 yds. A 50 yd zero puts you 64" low at 200.

 

[ApprenticeBuilder]

AT 100 yards I am 5-6" low with my .50 cal. 65 gr.ffg load.

I am 6" low at same yardage/cal. with a 60gr 3f charge.

 

[M. De Land]

I've done a bit of spotting and shooting at 200 yard silhouette steel and can see the ball through the spotting scope. It is coming down hill like a meteor at that range! Quite and amazing site actually seeing how fast it is dropping!
That was one of the reasons I was getting such a chuckle out of the 400 yard shooting from Indian trade rifles, some time ago. Mike D.

 

[galamb]

Just threw a couple of loads into the calculator with data from the Lyman manual.

IF sighted for 200 yards -

50 cal, .490 prb, 100 grains of 2F Goex slow twist barrel (1:60)

at 50 yards 13.8" high
at 100 yards 21.4" high
at 150 yards 18.2" high
at 200 yards 0.00"
at 250 yards 39.7" low

54 cal, .535 prb, 110 grains of 2F Goex slow twist barrel (1:60)

at 50 yards 14.4" high
at 100 yards 22.0" high
at 150 yards 18.7" high
at 200 yards 0.00"
at 250 yards 39.5" low

What this tends to show is you have to sight for 200 yards and you would be way off target 20 yards plus or minus.

So for shooting 200 yard target might be feasible, for hunting at that range, unless the animal co-operated and was exactly at 200 yards doesn't look practical at all.

 

[Cowboy2]

Didn't know about the calculator link.

Each rifle is sighted in for 100yds. This would only be target shooting. I've got a torso sized hanging steel target that I use for long range centerfire stuff and decided I ought to have a go at it with the ML's and see if I can hit anything.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I've done a bit of spotting and shooting at 200 yard silhouette steel and can see the ball through the spotting scope. It is coming down hill like a meteor at that range! Quite and amazing site actually seeing how fast it is dropping!
That was one of the reasons I was getting such a chuckle out of the 400 yard shooting from Indian trade rifles, some time ago. Mike D.

These 200 and 400 yard questions come up here but, IMHO, should go into the dumper.
Exception, range shooting as you mentioned. But, never ever, ever never for hunting. :nono:

 

[smo]

Go to the members online shooting contest section here on the forum.
There is still a long range shoot ongoing from last summer. Look back at the post from last year by Many Klatch. :thumbsup:

 

[don hepler]

Not to mention, wind drift at 200 yds. could be worse than the drop. In target shooting, a vernier tang sight, would be one way of getting some method for at least having a chance at a target, at long range. Still would have to set it up at known distances, and be able to estimate the yardage, if unknown.

 

[Idaho Ron]

With my Lyman peep I just set the sight for the yardage I want to shoot no hold over at all. Ron

 

[mjulihn]

It's not a muzzleloader, but I just couldn't resist:
Matthew Quigley: You know your weapons. It's a lever-action, breach-loader. Usual barrel length's thirty inches. This one has an extra four. It's converted to use a special forty-five caliber, hundred-and-ten-grain metal cartridge, with a five-hundred-forty-grain paper patch bullet. It's fitted with double-set triggers, and a Vernier sight, marked up to twelve-hundred yards. This one shoots a mite further.

 

[Shine]

With A .50 cal hawken with 105 grs of ffg. I was center at 100 with a full sight. At 25 yds with a fine bead, just the tip of the sight buried in the notch I was dead on. At 200 hundred yard I was dead on placing the base of the front sight in the notch and then putting the tip of the front sight on target. No computer programs or slide rules just powder and lead. Get to know your rifle.

 

[Many Klatch]

At 200 yards start by holding about a man high (6'). At 400 yards start by holding 2 man high, (12 feet).

The problem is that unless you have dusty ground around the target to tell you if you are hitting high, low, left or right, you may never know where you are hitting. Also, estimating what 6' or 12' looks like over iron sights is a real picnic.

I found that my .54 ball were falling in a 4' to 6' diameter cone at 400 yards. Hitting a 2' x 6' target was a mostly luck with some skill.

Many Klatch

 

[George T.]

That looks great but I think he was wondering how much drop he would have at 200 yards. At least you were using a long range powder charge. That is a nice target!

Geo. T.

 

[russecv58]

to the OP.
with my rifle sighted dead on for 100 yards, I moved on to the 200 yard target. i found that it hit 17" low when aiming dead on with no hold over. this was with my 50 cal. CVA Hawken loaded with 50gr FFFg Goex Bp, .490rb, and .018" walmart pillow ticking patch lubed with just plain Manteca lard. A word of advice: if your going to shoot targets that far, get ya a nice big piece of cardboard (3x4ft or better) for mounting a nice bright target on. it definitely helps to see where your hitting, because at 200 yards those pieces of 8 1/2 x 11" printer paper are a pretty small target. :hatsoff:

 

[russecv58]

No computer programs or slide rules just powder and lead. Get to know your rifle.


AMEN to that brother! :thumbsup:

 

[Billnpatti]

"These 200 and 400 yard questions come up here but, IMHO, should go into the dumper.
Exception, range shooting as you mentioned. But, never ever, ever never for hunting.
"

Amen to that, brother. :thumbsup:

 

[Toomuch51]

The calibers are .50 and .54, prb, not max loads but on the muscular side of things. Obviously every gun/load is different and no one can tell me what mine are going to do, but does anybody with any experience at that distance, with those calibers, want to suggest a starting point?

My preference here (for competition) is to use a "buckhorn" style rear sight. First work up your load and sight position up to 100yd. with the main sight knotch, then move to 200yd. and adjust the ears of the buckhorn as necessary to achieve optimal shot placement.

Toomuch
..........
Shoot Flint

 

[Toomuch51]

"These 200 and 400 yard questions come up here but, IMHO, should go into the dumper.
Exception, range shooting as you mentioned. But, never ever, ever never for hunting.
"

Amen to that, brother. :thumbsup:

Well said! :thumbsup:
IMHO: anything over 150 to 200yd. is no longer hunting but mere target practice and I don't have to kill (or wound)something just to prove I can hit the mark.

Toomuch
...........
Shoot Flint