What Range do you Sight in for?

[bigbadben]

I've been fiddling with my 54 cal. Lyman GPR flintlock. I'm shooting a patched .535 ball over 110gr of FFg. The gun seems to like this load and shoots under 2" groups at 50 yards. (Might do better if my eyes were more up to looking through open sights.)

Right now it's set right on for 50 yards using a dead on hold. I've pinned down the rear sight and am filing the front sight down to bring the POI to where I want it. So if I file too far I'll pretty much have to buy a new front sight and start over.

I'd be curious to know what range other folks sight their guns in for. Is 50 yards good, knowing that I'll have to hold over a bit for 100-yard shots? Or should I shoot for a few inches high at 50 yards, knowing that that will make it shoot probably about 2 inches low at 100 yards?

Thanks,

Ben

 

[rabjr]

I used to sight in at 75 yards but after looking at my avg shot at deer was just about 40 yards, I've started sighting in dead on at 50 and then shoot at 75 to see where I am. My eyes aren't much good beyond that with open sites anymore.

 

[Halftail]

All my Muzzleloaders shoot roundballs so I sight them in to be Dead on at 50 yards using the 6 O'Clock hold.I then Practice shooting at 75 yards to see where it shoots.On game a 100 yard shot is a no-no(for me).However Iwill shoot at any target on the range at any distance.At one time I could hit a 120 yard gong fairly regularly offhand.

 

[roundball]

50 yard zero and know to hold for 75-100 yards

 

[Keppy]

I sight in at 50 yds and limit my shots to 70 to 80 yds. If it's a trophy buck I may take a shot at 100 yds broad side standing. I do practice at all distances but 50 to 75 is the main range. I do off hand practice but I always try to dead rest when posible hunting.

 

[leslie]

Sight in at 50 yds.then adjust for 100 or other distances.

 

[paulvallandigham]

I think you are asking for where people ZERO their guns, rather than where we sight them in.

With a new gun, I want to start shooting at no more than 10 yds. I can deal with any windage issues, at that short range, before moving back to 25 yds. At 25 yds, I am looking for a load that shows promise to group well, and is reasonably close to the center of the target.

Then I move to 50 yds, and " zero " the gun sights, taking the time to file down the front sight, or deeping the notch in the rear sight as is required. I do my load adjusting there, too, to find a good load that really groups well, and has the velocity I am looking for in that caliber. This takes considerable time.

When that is achieved, I shoot that same load at 75 and 100 yds, to note where the POI is for the load at those ranges, and then I also go back to 25 yds, and see where the POI is at that distance too. Generally, if I set a load to hit center at 50 yds, using a 6 o'clock hold on a 4 or 6 inch diameter bullseye, it will strike only an inch or two low at 100 yds. With iron sights, I can't hold that tight at 100 yds, so the gun is " zeroed" for all practical purposes at 50 , 75( about dead on ), and 100 yds. At 25 yds, it is usually close to dead on, or just an inch high at most, and if I have a deer that close, I am going to make meat!

If I am zeroing a rifle for small game, then I zero for 25 yds, and want to know where it shoots at 10 yds. so I can still take head shots. So, the answer to your question depends largely on what type of game I am planning to hunt, the hunting conditions and range where I expect to find game, and the caliber of the gun I choose to use.

 

[Bountyhunter]

My .53 sights are set for dead center at 100 yards. If rare luck happens and it is closer, then I'm still in the kill zone and with some windage can move on out to 125 if need be. I rarely get a shot under 100 yards.

 

[playfarmers]

I do things a little different and sight in 1" high at 50 yards.That puts me bang on at 75 and just a tad low at 100.

 

[PitchyPine]

Right now my 50 is sighted in at dead on at 50 yards.

 

[Raynor]

I hunt small game for the most part and sight in dead on at 25 yards. Most of my target shooting is also done at 25 with 50 yards being about my max. :winking:

All my shooting is done off the back deck and 50 yards is the limit. Swamp after that and waders to set up targets. :youcrazy:

 

[jtmattison]

I do all my shooting at 50 yards. That is the max distance I want to be from my target be it paper or meat. Getting close to a critter is the fun part of hunting. After the shot the work starts.

HD

 

[bigbadben]

Thanks, you're right. I meant that the gun is currently zeroed for 50 yards. I'm thinking I may file just enough to bring it up an inch. But before I do that I think I'll pop up a few shoot n' see targets at 100 yards and get a sense for just how much bullet drop I'm getting.

I don't like to do 6 o'clock holds on hunting guns. I find I have a hard time remembering to hold a bit low when I don't have that round black ring to remind me.

Thanks,

Ben

 

[Slamfire]

50 yards is a far away as I can git down in the hollar, At least till I git brave enough to start sawin' on them downed trees. I've adjusted the sights to strike the center of a 5.5" shoot'n see target with a 6 o'clock hold. That'd hopefully be dead on at 85 and a couple three inches low at 100 yards. :v

 

[Kentuckywindage]

100 yards with .490 PRB, 110 grains fffg goex. average 2 1/2" groups at 100 with 1 1/2" @100 being the best so far. 50 yards with the same load its 3 1/2" high and can shoot a hole the silver dollar size pattern Without scrubbing barrel.

 

[biliff]

Being "out west", I prefer to have my big game rifles sighted in for 100 yards. That translates into somewhere between 2 and 3 inches high at 50 yards and allows a dead center hold from the muzzle on out to 100 yards. Having said that, I don't think I'd try a shot that far except under ideal conditions, solid rest, broad side standing shot and no wind. Haven't run into those circumstances yet.

 

[Ridge]

All my muzzleloaders are sighted for 50 yards. I rarely shoot at anything further than that.....althought the .40 has killed a few groundhogs at around 100 yards.

 

[MikeChapin]

I sight my rifles in for 50 yards with a light target load. For 100 yards I up the charge until I am on at 100 yards - my longest hunting range. That is the charge I use for hunting. Most of my hunting is done in the 50 to 70 yard range. That heavier 100 yard load will drop an animal cleanly within that range.

 

50 yards with 90 grains of GOEX. After I am confident with shooting at this range I move it back to 100 and shoot there to check the hold over. I have never shot a deer at over 75 yards with a ML. And now that I think of it, never over 100 with metalic.

 

[bigbadben]

Range has always been a funny thing for me. I hunt a lot out west, so I often practice for longer shots. And here in Vermont I've had cases where there were deer out at 150-200 yards that I would have shot if I were comfortable enough with my gun. (That scenario has a funny way of happening to me only during archery or MZ season. It happened to me once during MZ season when I had a doe tag. But I was shooting an old in-line that I could never get to group for beans. So it was pretty much a 75-yard or less gun.) So I would like to know what this Lyman can do for distance, as even here in the east where close-in shots are the norm I find that longer shots aren't unheard of.

But then again I shot my moose last year at about 15 feet. So I do get the argument.

Ben