# Sighted in at 50 yards.



## AMobley

Bought a new Abolt .270 a few weeks ago. I was only able to shoot at 50-60 yards. My groups are good, my main concern is distance, I won't have a chance to shoot it before Saturday. What's my rise and fall? Will it be two inches high at 100 then dead on at 150? Fallon to two inches low at 200? 

Thanks fellas.


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## pdsniper

My experience is if your dead on at 50 yrds your going to be at least 2 inches high at 100 yrds so you should be in the kill zone at 200 depending on the bullet weight and velocity


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## Atlanta Dawg

If you are dead on at 50 yards you will be fine.   Also-----consider how many shots you get over 125 yards.....or even over 100 ...

I don't have a 270 but my 300 win mag is 1 inch high at 50 yards and I have killed a lot of deer, coyotes, and bobcats at the end of the food strip in my avatar which is 125 yards---I am not an expert shot...and I have yet to miss .....In my view it is more about holding still and not flinching when you pull the trigger !  If the gun is shooting straight-you will be fine.


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## BriarPatch99

A Sierra 130 gr GK BT @ 3100 fps zeroed(0.0") at 50 yards, +.8" @100,  will be dead on(0.0") again at 180 yds and be -.7" @200 yds....  depending on your rifle/setup and load ... your results may be close the same ....


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## AMobley

Thanks for the info fellas! That's why I love this place.

Last question... What would the difference be between a 130 and 150 on rise and fall. The lighter the flatter or the opposite?


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## GunnSmokeer

I can't access my favorite ballistics and trajectory calculator at GunData.org right now, but I'm sure it matches or is close to the figures you were quoted above.

200 yards is NOT a long range shot for a fast, flat-shooting round like the .270 Win.  The 50 yard zero is still going to give you "point blank range" out to 200 or a bit longer. Just aim for the vitals and pull the trigger without worrying about bullet drop.

The reason is that when the barrel is aimed upward enough so that the bullet crosses the sight line so close, only 50 yards from the muzzle, that bullet will CONTINUE rising above the line of sight for some time, then arc over and begin falling. It will cross the line of sight somewhere past 100 yards for your second dead-on-perfect-zero distance, and after that the bullet will start dropping visibly on the paper. But at 200, it won't have dropped enough to make any difference. 300, yes, run the numbers on that and memorize your hold-over for a 300 yard shot.


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## BriarPatch99

Sierra 150 gr GKBT @ 2900 fps ... 0.0" @50 yds, =0.7" @100 yds, 0.0"  @ 163 yds & -1.4" @ 200 yds  .... again depending on your rifle setup and actual velocity ... YMMV


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## BriarPatch99

I like to use what is called POINT BLANK RANGE (PBR) ... you have to pick a radius of a circle that you are comfortable with ... say you pick a 3.0" radius ... that is a 6" circle ...  the bullet will never be more than 3" above the line of sight(LS) nor more than 3" below the LS ....

The 130 gr Sierra GK ... 3" radius will have a PBR of 307 yds ... zeroed at 263 yds .... +2.4" @100 yds

The 150 gr Sierra GK with a (with a 3" radius) will have a PRB of 291 yds ... zeroed at 249 yds  ... +2.5" @100 yds.

There are multiple inputs that can change these numbers ... one is the height your scope is above the middle of the bore, Temperature, atmospheric pressure and several others .... but the height above bore will have the most impact ....


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## JustUs4All

Good info above and useful in an emergency. 

However, ballistic calculations are not perfect substitutes for test firing the weapon with the desired ammunition at the ranges you expect to shoot.


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## NCMTNHunter

JustUs4All said:


> Good info above and useful in an emergency.
> 
> However, ballistic calculations are not perfect substitutes for test firing the weapon with the desired ammunition at the ranges you expect to shoot.



^ This. Ballistic Calculations are accurate but they are more useful when you can confirm them by sighting in at longer distances then checking you point of impact at closer distances.  A group can look like it is dead on at 50 but shows something completely different when you back up to 200.  This is all good info but I still wouldn't be comfortable shooting more than 100 yards based on a 50 yard sight in.


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## spurrs and racks

*Test fire your weapon*

+1

s&r


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## Elkbane

If you sighted it in with 130's I'd use the same ammo to hunt with and NOT change to a different bullet weight/ammo - the results will be unpredictable.

Changing ammo, you'd need to re-sight in again. Not as simple as shifting elevation based on bullet weight. You'll likely get some windage shift as well......sometimes pretty radically.

Elkbane


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## AMobley

thanks fellas. I'm going to sit a creek Saturday morning I wont have a shot over 60-70 yards. during lunch ill stretch it out. hopefully wont be but two shots.

I appreciate the advice gentleman! happy trails


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## BriarPatch99

> my main concern is distance, I won't have a chance to shoot it before Saturday. What's my rise and fall? Will it be two inches high at 100 then dead on at 150? Fallon to two inches low at 200?



With the O.P. predicament he'd be wise to limit his shots to "shorter range" until he can verify where his rifle is actually shooting ...  

I was simply providing him with a much better picture(information) of where his gun might be shooting than the "two high @ 100.. dead on @ 150 yds  .... 

Yes ... I should have pointed out that "actual" shooting of his gun was the only way to verify for sure ....

At least the O.P. took the time to shoot at 50 yds ... that is much better than some folks I know who have taken bore sighted guns to the woods without even verifying a zero ... 

I wonder what the percentage of hunters that actually verify what their rifle does at 300 yds ....before they draw a bead on that buck across the back pasture .... ???


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## NCMTNHunter

BriarPatch99 said:


> I wonder what the percentage of hunters that actually verify what their rifle does at 300 yds ....before they draw a bead on that buck across the back pasture .... ???



Very few


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## lonewolf247

I use ballistic calculators mostly to figure out how I want to sight in a particular caliber, with a certain load, before I go to the range. 

I own several calibers, and don't sight them in all in the same, depending on several factors. If it's a rifle I'd use for the woods, I'd sight in to be dead on at 100 yards. All of my other rifles, I try to sight in for maximum distance, without any holdover, and would take the maximum PBR into consideration, as BriarPatch99 mentioned. 

So, I use the ballistic calculator to figure out where I want my bullet to impact, at 100 yards, and I sight in for that. I shoot for very precise zero, and will go back on another day to check the rifles again, from a cold barrel, to verify it's correct. Sometimes I will back up to 200, to verify. I have found this system to work well for me for shots out 250-300 yards. I pretty much limit myself to that, and won't shoot beyond that.

Over the years, I have drastically increased my effective range by sighting in this way, being very critical of my point of impact, and practicing.  

OP should be good for shots to 100 yards, until he can sight in again.


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## Rich M

BriarPatch99 said:


> I wonder what the percentage of hunters that actually verify what their rifle does at 300 yds ....before they draw a bead on that buck across the back pasture .... ???



I don't shoot 300 but do shoot 200.  I was amazed to see a 6 inch +/- drop in a 100 gr 243 and 150 gr 30-06 from 100 zero to 200 yards.  The ballistics calculators didn't say that!  That's when I stopped believing them.

2015 I switched ammo and shot at 100 yards only.  It hit near the POI of the original ammo and I did not have to change the scope.  Missed not 1 but 2 mature bucks at 200 yards before I checked the zero at 200.  It was 11 inches LOW.  Switched back to original ammo and it was 4 inches low, where I was used to it being.  

This year my gun is dead nuts at 200.


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## BriarPatch99

Rich ... Not all Ballistic Calculators(BC) are equal ... and are pretty much worthless if incorrect inputs are entered ...   

Did you actually chronograph the muzzle velocity of either of those guns/loads? 

My opinion and it is just that my opinion .... your findings were based on the wrong muzzle velocity ...the height of the scope also plays a fair amount in how accurate BC are  .... sort like the old saying ... put junk in get junk out ....

As Lonewolf said above ...and like him I have used the BC  for impact at 100 yds  and then check at much longer ranges ... will it be dead on all the time ... NO ... but it will be dang very dang close ... I am talking about using a really good BC with lots of inputs ... not one those simple ones that have a couple inputs ... 

I believe that Ballistic Calculators have a place in shooting/hunting ... it is pretty much how you use them that matters ....


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