.223 sight in distance ?

TripleDeuce660

TripleDeuce660

Active member
what is the best distance to site in a .223 ?

I'm thinking 100 yards dead on would be fine.

or maybe 150 since the effective range on coyote is about 300 so 150 is half.

what distance do you guys use ?


i'm sighted in at 50 yards dead on right now since thats the furtherst I could shoot in the spot i was at. Should i just look at the balistic on the fiochi website for 40 gr. v max and raise it up to be on at 100 according to the chart ? I probably can't get to the range again anytime soon but i can start blasting coyote jack rabbit and ground squirrel.
 
I like to sight in at 200 yards. If I'm aiming at a prairie dog, I can aim at the head of a standing prairie dog and hit it no matter what, from 50-200. If I hit high, I know it's further than 200 and I need to start compensating.
 
on at 50 is on at a 100
on at 25 is on at 200
these figures are for standard fixed sight heights
You shouldn't get much of a variance at close ranges
 
Trip222, go to Federal's web site and download thier "ballistic" program. It's FREE. It's for Federal ammo but close enough to get a good idea what you want to do. You can change the sight in distance, the sight height, the increment at which it gives you the above/below line of sight, all kinds of ways to play with the "settings". I use it on various occasions. Well....... it can be plain FUN to fiddle with.
 
I prefer to sight my rifles in at 200. Shoot your rifle at 100, 200, and 300 to see where your rifle is shooting. Combine this with a rangefinder, and your kill rate should go up!
 
It is very difficult to calculate where you will be at a long range based on 50 or less yard zero because of the distance between the scope and bore.
 
sounds like i'm good enough for coyote just an inch or two won't matter till i get to prarie dogs. doubt i'll even get a shot past 150 yards.
 
Quote:
on at 50 is on at a 100
on at 25 is on at 200
these figures are for standard fixed sight heights
You shouldn't get much of a variance at close ranges

I don't know where you got those numbers, but they're not even close for the load he is using with a scoped rifle.

JBM ballistic calculator, 223 Remington, 40gr Vmax @ 3650 fps, 1000 ft elevation, 60 degrees F.

33c2c693.jpg
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9a104fc2.jpg
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032c5670.jpg


I use a 200-yard zero.
 
Rule of thumb that I use.....

.30-30 Win and similar slow rounds.....100 yards.

Almost everything else.....200 yards.

Real fast/flat shooters & magnums......250 yards.

A 200 yard zero is the most useful for the majority of centerfire rifles commonly in use today.

Mike
 
If you never shoot past 200 yards, try a 150-yard zero. It's laser flat from 50 to 175 yards. That's a good zero for small targets like ground squirrels at shorter ranges or for jump shooting jack rabbits type of hunting.
 
you guys always come through ! thanks for all the info ! wish factory loads where not so expensive so i could experiment more and try more loads ! looks like 1 inch high at 100 will be good.

most my hunting is going to be with the varmint grenades luckily they are not too expensive and my local shop has a bunch of them. Its a long drive to shoot lead for me but i'm definently going to make a trip to the west sierra soon where i can hopefully put some good old fashioned lead into a predator. I gotta get this rifle bloody ! If the economy picks up and I find some steady work i'll be moving to idaho next year where a man is still free! I'll also have a house to start reloading !
 
I use the downloadable targets from Varmint Al's website. It's a modified BR target that looks like this...

br12d.gif


I put the target up with the squares on the bottom. Aiming at the center of the square, I like my POI at 100 to be dead center of the circles, or just at the bottom of the center circle.

For all of my varmint cartridges, 17FB through 243, this puts my POI at 100 about 1 1/4-1 1/2" high at 100 and dead on somewhere between 250-300 yards depending upon the bullet/caliber. I can hold dead on a groundhog out to about 300 and use hold over out to about 400 before it becomes tricky. I then use "clicks" from there.
 
I have always sighted my .223's in at 200 yards. That is the way I like it. Lets face it the .223 is not a real flat shooter and for the rockchucks aat 300 it is a lot less compensation involed and works well for me. I have just gotten too use to it over time to change.

For coyotes 200 yards zero works great even if the dog is 100 or less, just aim center mass and hit high shoulder or ribs it will still be fatal if you do your part.
 
Quote:
Quote:
on at 50 is on at a 100
on at 25 is on at 200
these figures are for standard fixed sight heights
You shouldn't get much of a variance at close ranges

I don't know where you got those numbers, but they're not even close for the load he is using with a scoped rifle.

JBM ballistic calculator, 223 Remington, 40gr Vmax @ 3650 fps, 1000 ft elevation, 60 degrees F.

33c2c693.jpg
bf29a56a.jpg
9a104fc2.jpg
dff1868c.jpg
032c5670.jpg


I use a 200-yard zero.




I'll post the info, then you can recheck your's Maybe your scope height
is off or not in the program.
 
Last edited:
I zero'd my 223 at 150 yards. Why? I don't know why I chose 150, just seemed to me at the time that it was a good distance as flat as the 223 shoots.

t/c223encore.
 
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