how far do you sight in you rifle befor hunting coyote?

black_lab

New member
i will be sighting in my new savage 243 this week before i go coyote hunting friday..we will be calling..just wondering what you guys usually sight yours in at? 100yds or shorter/longer..thanks
 
I sight my 243 1.5" high at 100 yrds. I've shot cats, coyotes, fox, coons from 10 yards on out to 200+. On the practice range I'm ringing the 12" metal plate at 300 holding a little high.
 
if you sight in in at 1.5'' high at 200yds then when shooting animals at 10yds or 50 yds how low do you have to aim to make accurate shot
 
With my 223 shooting 60 grain V-max's, at 10 yards I have to aim about 1.75" ABOVE where I want the bullet to hit, because the scope is higher than the bore. It's crossing thru the bullseye at around 50 yards, then it's where I told it to be at 100. It's about 2" high at about 150. It's falling back thru the bullseye at about 225. Etc.
 
I zero for 100yds. I've always done that since I was younger, so I have naturally learned the holdover necessary for kill ranges on the .223. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif This way is definately the method I swear by, but I know the other way is easier for most folks that don't shoot a lot.
 
I sight in my 223 at 1.5" high at 100 yards. This puts the bullet right on the chickens at 200 yards and on a coyote sized game using the bottom top of the duplex and setting the power ring at 8x at 300 yards. I've killed coyotes one shot dead out close to 400 yards using this method. But I admit that by orkan's way of thinking, I am using a crutch to make up for not naturally knowing my bullets flight path.
 
It wasnt meant as a negative comment michael... so please don't take it that way. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

All I was sayin is that I find it easier to be consistent at longer ranges by doing it my way. Although I realize that it is not the "norm" these days.

Years back, you wouldnt find anybody that did it any other way. hehe
 
I rarely shoot anything much further than 150 yards... I so sight 1/2 inch high at 100.

When they are at 10 yards... I just am for the eyes... usually will hit somewhere around the base of the neck.
 
Sure there was a time ..... But that was before the idea of shooting down the Pipe became popular. What is shooting down the pipe? Imagine the kill zone of a given aninal, then imagine a pipe between you and the animal with the pipe laying over the kill zone. The distance where your bullet starts at the bottom of the pipe and never raises above the pipe and falls to the bottom is your effective range. For many modern bullets sighting in at 1.5" high at 100 yards the bullet will stay inside the pipe (and inside the kill zone) well past 200 yards. I believe in the K.I.S.S. principle sighting in at 1.5" seems logical. By the way sighting in at 100 yards will put your bullet high at 125-150 yards in most modern firearms.
 
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I am using a crutch to make up for not naturally knowing my bullets flight path.



And I am even more disabled. I use Leupold's varmint reticle and the 200 yd zero puts it appx 1.5" high at 100yds. For my caliber and bullet weight I need to set the scope just above 10X so I can make use of the 300, 400, and 500 yd. crosshairs. I am confident that I can put a shot in the vitals of a coyote at 500yds. with this system, under optimum conditions . I have routinly hit PD's out to ~400yds like this. The 500 yarders are a little more challenging and I usually need more than 1 shot to get it done.

I know it isn't the way it should be done and it's not as precise as if I were dialing in each shot, but it's a lot faster and works pretty darn good.
 
my savage .243 is sighted in 2" high at 100 yards. i shoot 55 grain ballistic tips, or 70 grain federals. at 375 yards i can put the smack on coyotes and red fox by holding just a little fur on the cross hairs.
 
I sight my .223's in at 2" high at 100 yards. In my guestimation that puts me dead on at arounds the 225 mark. But I am also located in the west where an occasional dog hangs up at 300 yards. And aiming at the top of the back at 300 is a dead coyote if I do my part. Of course these are so few and far between but I like being prepared.
 
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3/4" high at 100 puts me dead on at 200. shooting my .204 w/ 39 grain blitzkings. Seems to work fairly well for me.



Im The same here.. 3/4 high with the 204 at 100 yards, Dead on at 200 with 40 Gr V Max.. I love the flat shooting..
 
I TRY to zero most modern cartridges I shoot at about 2" high at 100, dead on a bit over 200. I say TRY. What I really do is try to get my best group with that rifle to center between 1.5 and 2.0 inches high. Of the various "hunting " rifles I use most, 300 win mag ( the real one) 270 winchester and 22.250 the trajectory is not that different out to 300 (which I consider a long shot)

"about 2 high at 100 about 4-5 low at 300." works for me.
that is paper, now the real part. You gotta shoot, alot at lots of ranges, lots of positions. Until you shoot the rifle you wont know, you'll be trusting "averages" from books.
After a bit and a few hundred rounds you'll get a feel for the rifles and the sight picture. Now is when you'll kick butt!! "There is a lot to be said for the 'one rifle' hunter" but you can learn two or three if you have them long enough and shoot enough.
Carl
 
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