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SIGHTING
IN YOUR RIFLE
When
making a shot on big game, none of the vital zones
is a 1-inch bull’s-eye; they are at least as big as
a 6-inch diameter circle. You can miss the exact
point you are aiming at by three inches and it will
still be a lethal shot. Allowing this, there is a
concept that big game hunters should consider for
sighting in their rifles. It is called Maximum
Point-Blank Range.
The
rifle scope is adjusted so that the bullet will rise
to three inches above the horizontal crosshair, but
no higher. This maximizes the range a shooter can
hit a 6-inch target without making any allowance for
distance. The targets in this book show the effect
of this strategy for common factory ammunition. A
photocopy of the page that matches your rifle and
bullet weight can be used for sighting in your rifle.
The
targets in this book are designed for rifles with
customary scope sights. The standard mounting height
for scopes puts the line of sight 1½ inches above
the center of the rifle barrel.
The
basics. Clean your rifle and scope. Use
the same ammunition you will take hunting. Go to
a level rifle range with measured distances. Shoot
from a sitting position, use a firm gun rest, and
hold the rifle tight against your shoulder. Control
your breathing; half exhale and hold your breath.
Slowly squeeze the trigger.
Short-range
shooting for preliminary adjustments. Start
at the distance where the target shows your bullet
first impacting the bull’s-eye. For the .243 Winchester
(100 grain), this distance is 26 yards. At this range
you should be able to readily see the bull’s-eye through
your scope. Hold ‘right on’. The bullet will leave
your rifle barrel 1½ inches below your line of sight.
It should then rise at this short range and impact
the target bull’s-eye. (If you are not even ‘on the
paper’ at this distance, start at 26 feet and adjust
your rifle scope so that the bullet impacts 1 inch
below the bull’s-eye.)
Shoot
three times, waiting a few minutes between each shot.
After three shots, wait for an extended time and open
the action to keep the gun from heating up. When
taking that first shot at any game animal, the gun
will be cold. The average impact is the center of
the triangle formed by your three bullet holes. Adjust
your rifle scope to correct your average impact.
Repeat as necessary until you consistently hit the
bull’s-eye.
Long-range
shooting for final adjustments. For fine-tuning
your scope, shooting at a range of 100 yards is very
adequate. Simply repeat the short-range process using
3-shot groups and keeping the gun cool. At long range
you may not be able to actually see the bull’s-eye
through your scope. Use the black squares in the
corners of the target as guides for your crosshairs.
The horizontal crosshair should go between the top
and bottom squares. The vertical crosshair should
go between the squares on each side. Always
aim at the bull’s-eye, but at 100 yards,
the bullet should not
hit the bull’s-eye. The .243 Winchester (100 grain)
target shows that at 100 yards the bullet impacts
about 2.6 inches above the bull’s-eye. Adjust your
rifle scope to correct your average impact. Repeat
as necessary until you consistently hit the 100-yard
mark on the target.
You’re
done! Each particular target graphically shows where
your bullet will now be at other distances. The yardage
at which the bullet impacts three inches below the
bull’s-eye is the Maximum Point-Blank Range for that
cartridge and bullet weight. The .243 Winchester
(100 grain) cartridge has a Maximum Point-Blank Range
of 285 yards. You can hold ‘right on’ for any distance
up to 290 yards and the bullet will not be more than
3 inches high or 3 inches low of the exact point you
are aiming at. (But its Maximum Range for elk is
only 150 yards.)
Muzzle
Velocity______ Average bullet speed for common
factory ammunition
Bullet Energy________ Kinetic energy
for that bullet weight at that speed
Knockdown
Power____Power Product of the bullet’s momentum
and its cross-sectional area
Gun
Recoil___________Index
of the ‘kick’ that the gun delivers to the shooter
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