sight in distance

[Mark Sluka]

What would be the optimum sight in range for hunting. I shoot 50cal roundball over 85-90gr
of fffg and will not shoot past 75 yards.
Should i zero at 40yards?.
I have been shooting flintlocks for about a year now and this site has been a huge help
Thanks.

 

[rabjr]

I think 50 yards is nice place to start. Zero dead on at 50 then shoot the other ranges to see where you gun is at those ranges. :thumbsup:

 

[BrownBear]

Call it my small game frame of mind, but I use all of my guns for head shots on small game at closer ranges as well as for target ot hunting big game.

Therefore when I'm sighting in, especially filing a front sight, I set up two targets- one at 50 yards and the other at 25. I shoot at each before making any adjustment to the sights. Not that I expect there to be all that much difference between the two most of the time, it's still nice to know what effect the change at one range will have at the other---- before taking a file to the sight.

When push came to shove on one rifle that shot enough different to worry about, I ended up sighting it in dead on at 25 yards while allowing it to hit a little over an inch high at 50. Being off an inch at 50 isn't a big deal to me on large game, but for my uses being off an inch at 25 yards meant too many misses on little tiny heads.

 

[Birddog6]

That is what I do, I sight in a 50 yards cause I won't shoot at a deer over 75 yards away. Once in a while I will shoot target at 100 yards but seldom as I cannot see the bull good at 100 anymore. Most of the deer I have killed have been at 30-60 yards.

:thumbsup:

 

[longcruise]

Sight dead on at 75 yards.

 

[ffffg]

if i know my max distance: i sight in so that the impact maximum height will be the same amount above at mid range as it is below at the max yardage.. . its easier to explain my .62 rifle.. i sight in at about 75-80 yards so it is 2 inches high at 50 and 2 inches low at 100, aprox,... maybe 2 1/2 inches low at 100 or so but i can sight strait on for deer out to 100 yards.. dave...

 

[Vaino]

The last 2 posts make a lot of sense and w/ the .50 cal. w/ the load mentioned, a 75 yd. zero would eliminate "holding high" and "guesstimating". When shooting the modern stuff, I put the POI at a distance that has a "useable " mid-range and the same goes for a MLer, except the range is less....Fred

 

[Walks Alone]

I sight my rifles in for point blank range based on what I will be shooting it at (verticle size of kill zone) and within the ranges I expect to be shooting normally. Covers all the bases with a center hold at all ranges in the comfort zone of the rifle/load.