rifle zero question?

Question

what is a good range to zero a .223 at so i dont have to do much adjustment to the windage/elevation to shoot at closer or farther away targets?

Answer 1

It depends on how far you plan to shoot your rifle. If you are always shooting 100 yards, then thats where you shoot zero the scope. Most 223s are pretty flat shooters, so about any realistic range will work. Many shooters go for the '100 yard zero, aim 1 inch high at 200' idea. My load data shows a 53 grain .223 bullet moving at 3200 fps, zeroed at 100 yards, drops about three inches by 200 yards, and close to 12 inches at three hundred yards. All those numbers will vary depending on bullet weight, barrel length and twist rate, velocity, atmosphere conditions, etc.
But to keep it simple, most shooters zero at 100 and then see what it does farther out.

Answer 2

It depends on the type of rifle, the type of ammo, and the ranges you are thinking about. I have done in the past about 2" high at 100 yards, or 200 yards if you have a really flat-shooting round like a 45 gr round.

Heavier bullets with a higher BC can be zeroed closer to 300 yards, but that can make it slightly harder to hit small targets up close. Hope this helps.

Answer 3

If it's an AR-15 or variant an ideal zero is 50 yards. This puts you back on, point of aim, point of impact at 200yds. At 250 yds the impact is roughly 2" low. This works only for rifles where the sighting system is roughly 2.5" above the center of the bore.

For scope rifles the standard is usually something like 1.5" high at 100yds. I am not home and do not have my ballistics calculator to give a full answer but I hope this helps.

Answer 4

Assuming you know how to zero a rifle, keep it around 100 yards if you want to shoot closer or farther away.

Use the best, most consistent ammunition for your rifle and know the elevation drop at certain ranges so you know exactly what to do when you adjust for elevation.

Answer 5

You'll have to figure this out for yourself to a degree. If you're shooting a bullet with a ballistic coefficient of about .265 (a 55 grainer will probably be in that vicinity) at around 3200 fps muzzle velocity (and you'll want to chronograph your loads), then a 200 yard zero will have you high about an inch and a half at 100, and low about seven inches at 300. Depending on what you're shooting at, that's pretty close. If you're shooting at a four inch target, a zero around 225 yards will get you there at any range at which the round's effective. That all changes with changes in ballistic coefficient, muzzle velocity, or target size.

Answer 6

The 55 grain 223 is pretty much a 400 yd round heavier ones can go out to 600 yds maybe. this in mind i would say zero it at 100 yards, 200 if available.

Answer 7

I like to zero at 100 yds for most rifles. The only time I vary this is when I hunt mule deer, I plan on making longer shots using a .243. My .243 is zeroed at 200.

If you can estimate the normal distance you will be shooting, it is best to zero at that distance. If you zero at 100 yds, and shoot shorter, you're really not going to be far enough off to miss unless you are looking for a head shot.

Answer 8

Well, to answer you really need to pull out your crystal ball and predict what a 'typical' range shot will be for you.....

If you are in forest, maybe 100 yards. Thick forest, less. Out west where it's wide open country, we look at 200 to 300 yards as typical.

I'm out west so I zero my .308 at 200 (meters actually as my range is metric) and then determine where I land at 100 and 300 and make notes on a sticky label noting the brand and grain ammo, which I stick inside my shell case with that ammo.

It is much better for me for example to aim 10 inches high for a 300m shot than to try and adjust my scope in the field.

Answer 9

223 should be zeroed at 25 or 50 yards.

Answer 10

i would zero it at 100 yards.thats what i zero all my rifles at.that is the most common range for zeroing a rifle