sight in distance

[Mark Sluka]

I was wondering what the optimum sight in distance would be for a 50cal flintlock.
I shoot a roundball over 85-90grains of fffg
and do not shoot past 75 yards.Should i zero for 40 yards?
This site has been a tremendous help over the last few months. Thanks

 

[FTW]

I use a six o'clock hold at 50 yds.The POI is just above the front bead sight.I hold dead on at 100yds.and the POI is where the bead is.Works with my .50 and .54.In between 50 and 100 I hold put the bead where I want the ball to go.An added benifit with the .54 is 540 gr. maxi-balls also hit the same place as round balls at 100yds. with 120grs. of ff.But every gun is different.

 

[Leaky Roof]

Without knowing specifics about your rifle, barrel length, components, etc. I ran a ballistics general what-if for Hornady .490 round ball with 90gr Goex FFFg. I sight dead-on at 50 yards myself.

28" Barrel 1-in-48" twist
Hornady .490 177gr round ball .068 Ballist. Coeff.
.015" patch
90gr. Goex FFFg

Muzzle Velocity 1800 f.p.s.
40 yd. Velocity 1425 f.p.s. +0.10"
50 yd. Velocity 1350 f.p.s. zero range
75 yd. Velocity 1180 f.p.s. -1.10"
100 yd. Velocity 1070 f.p.s. -3.75"
Flight time to:
50 yds.= .0969106 sec.
75 yds.= .1563399 sec.
100 yds.= .2238668 sec.

As you can see, if you sight dead-on at 50 yards the round ball will only be 1.10" low at your chosen maximum shooting distance of 75 yards, and still leave you breathing room if you have to stretch it out to 100 yards.

Please keep in mind that this is just a general run on a shooter's program. I did not chronograph it or anything. Everyone's results may vary. I hope this helps.

Leaky Roof

 

[BrownBear]

In my experience barrel length as it relates to sighting radius seems to be the biggest culprit. The longer your barrel and sighing radius the less difference you will notice between 25 and 50 yards, but start whacking off a barrel and the story changes. I worked with a friend who insisted he needed a 20" barrel, and that thing was more like dealing with line of sight issues on a scope as short range distances changed.

 

[AgesofDays]

could you be more specific on the line of sight remark I dont understand ,reason is I just sent my barrel off to get cut down

 

[roundball]

I was wondering what the optimum sight in distance would be for a 50cal flintlock.
I shoot a roundball over 85-90grains of fffg
and do not shoot past 75 yards.Should i zero for 40 yards?
This site has been a tremendous help over the last few months. Thanks

I sight in every open sighted woods rife I have at 50yds, and know with my muzzleloaders that the drop at 100 is about 3" if I ever get a shot that far...70yds was the longest buck I've ever shot with a sidelock and I just held dead on his heart

 

[rebel727]

could you be more specific on the line of sight remark I dont understand ,reason is I just sent my barrel off to get cut down

You'll probably like the way it handles but depending on how much you have it cut down will decide on how disappointed you are on the way it shoots. You've changed your sight radius, lost muzzle velocity, lost some of your range(gonna hafta hold higher to reach the same distances you did before). Not saying any of it is bad, you may have a rifle with the same length barrel you're perfectly happy with but the one you cut down will never shoot like it did before. Just my 02¢

 

[FASTFRED]

I sight all my rifles in at 85 yards....This includes my 58 flinter with 90 grains and 40 caliber poorboy with 60 grains...Probably as this is the length of my shooting range...The 58 I will shoot on big game out to 130 or so with 120 grains and it is always right there..The 40 is maxed out at the 85 so at anything under that it is a little high, but not enought to count...

Would never sight in a rifle in any other way except for having the point of impact at the top of the front sight...You've got to see the target/point of aim thru the sights and not cover it with the bead, in such case you never know how much of the target you covering!...For farther or closer ranges, raise or lower the front sight in the rear notch to take care of elevation...Never hold over or under with the top/top sight picture...With practice and more familiar with the rifle you'll be able to shoot well at any range..

Got to be able to estimate the distance to the target if you want to get real[url] picky...In[/url] hunting big game I consider the distance, but don't spend a lot of time worrying about it as I am usually looking for placement within a 6 inch circle...

Under my 85 yards, this being my estimate of 85 yards as it maybe really 60 to 100, I aim right at them, no figuring anything...

Just my way... ...The Lizard...

 

[BrownBear]

From what I've seen it relates to the height of the sights, almost the same way that mounting a scope high over the bore of a cartridge rifle really affects your mid range impacts. Don't know if that makes sense, but all the guns in our group with longer barrels tend to have very low sights, while the shorter ones tend to have taller sights along with their shorter sighting radius.

Remember that for a 50-yard POI, the bullet starts out below and arcs up to line of sight, and may actually pass over it slightly before dropping back down to your point of aim. The higher the sights, the lower it's going to be hitting early on in its flight.

I feel like I'm talking in circles (and maybe I am), but the point is that there's no free lunch. Even if gravity weren't at work and a bullet traveled absolutely flat, it still starts below the sights and catches up with line of sight at your point of aim. Since gravity works, it actually starts falling the moment it comes out your bore, so it's doing an arc rather than traveling in a straight line to hit point of aim.

Changes in velocity (and time of flight) resulting from changes in powder charge or barrel length also affect the shape of the arc.

Long and short of it, for the guns our group has been shooting, short barrels result in more change of POI close to the gun than is true with longer barrels, whatever the cause and however good (or bad) the explanation.

If you are a small game hunter aiming at close-range small heads, it's simply a matter of shooting it at closer ranges as well as at longer ranges when sighting in. As I said before, being an inch off on deer lungs at 50 yards isn't as big a deal to me as being an inch off on a squirrel or rabbit head at ten yards.

 

[Slamfire]

I'd sight in so that the ball struck the point of aim at the 75 yard mark you stated was yore maximum shot. The ball would never be more'n 2 inches high at apogee, and if you misjudge the range not more'n 2 inches low at 100 yards. :winking:

 

[Runner]

I sight in at 31 yards. I am a little high at 50, and a little low at 100. For the close precise work, I am dead on.

 

[Headhunter]

I have mine shooting a tad high (About an inch or two) at 50 and then see where she drops out to 120. Definatley see where it is shooting at 75.

HH