sighting in scope for deer

[ponishenko3136]

hey guys, i posted a post earlier about getting a rifle for deer. im a new hunter starting out, and was just wondering whats a good range to sight in a scope for deer? something that can be easily and quickly adjusted for shorter and further than its sight in. thanks a lot, much appreciated

[Karl.Luhr]

After you get your rifle from the store it will probibly be bore sighted. That is pretty worthless in my opinion. I always bore sight it myself by removing the bolt on a bolt action and centering both the bore and the cross hairs at 25 yards. Afterwards fire two shots at 25 yards, then adjust your scope to the exact center of the bull. Remember a 1 inch adjustment at 25 yards requires a 4 inch adjustment on the turrets. The turrets are calibrated for 100 yards changes. After you get your rifle dialed in at 25 yards drop back to 50 yards and rezero the rifle. Your adjustments will again not match the turrets, a 1 inch change at 50 yards is a 2 inch adjustment on the turrets. After this point ask yourself what is the range I can expect to shoot my Whitetail at. Is your area very woody, or mainly open spaces? I think most hunters are better off to have a rifle dead on at 100 yards. The old rule of 2 to 3 inches high at a 100 yards helped me miss an Elk on my first shot 20 years ago. After you zero your rifle at say 100 yards, go back and fire at 25 and 50 yards. You want to know where the bullet really is at various ranges. The prep time at the range should be fun, if it starts being work call it a day. I always like to say when I begin to shoot like crap, it's time for a milk shake and call it a day.

Karl

[spiker]

[Win73]

I zero my .30-06 at 25 yards and leave the elevation adjustment alone. I check the windage at 100 yards for any needed adjustment. That way I am dead on at two distances, 25 yards and somewhere past 100 yards. And point of impact is never more than a couple of inches off point of aim out to my maximum range.

This works because the bullet leaves the barrel below the line of sight. As it travels down range it rises above the line of sight at 25 yards. At some point past 100 yards it crosses the line of sight again as it drops. This way out to at least 150 yards I can just center the crosshairs on the vital area of a deer and pull the trigger.

So far I have fired my '06 nine times at deer at ranges from 25 to 125 yards. I put all nine of those deer on the ground. No follow up shots were needed. Some dropped in their tracks and some ran but none farther than 100 yards. And those that ran always left an easily followed blood trail although most of the time I didn't need it. Those that ran usually fell within my sight.

[Karl.Luhr]

By your post I would say that you have a solid system that works really well for you. Nine Deer in the freezer are a testament to your success. I would settle for one in the freezer right now. We didn't get one last year or the year before. I feel a pattern developing that isn't good.

Karl

[Win73]

Originally Posted by Karl.Luhr

By your post I would say that you have a solid system that works really well for you. Nine Deer in the freezer are a testament to your success. I would settle for one in the freezer right now. We didn't get one last year or the year before. I feel a pattern developing that isn't good.

Karl

I've been a successful deer hunter for the past six seasons. My kill totals for those six seasons were 1, 1, 1, 4, 2, and 4. Nine were with my .30-06, two with my .50 cal muzzleloader, one with my crossbow, and one with a borrowed 7 mm magnum.

My very first kill was a spike buck at 240 yards with my friend's borrowed 7 mm Remington Magnum. We were set up in his two man portable ground blind in his field. I was using his Savage 7 mm mag. The deer walks out of the woods and starts eating corn left from the harvest. I settled the crosshairs on the deer and pulled the trigger..............CLICK! I am sure the deer is going to get away. Anyway I open the bolt and see that for some reason a round did not chamber when I closed the bolt. This time I make sure a round chambers and aim at the deer again.........BOOM. But the deer nonchalantly keeps eating corn! I expected him to bolt any second. My friend hands me his Remington Sendero 7 mm mag and says, "Take this one. I know where it hits" I shoot again and the deer drops in its tracks. Later when examing the scope on the first rifle, we discovered that one of the crosshairs was actually broken. You could see a gap in it.

By the next season I had obtained my '06 and made my second kill with it. It was a six point buck. This past season I killed two bucks and two does, all with the '06. So far the biggest deer I have killed was a doe. I got it season before last with my crossbow.

[Scorpion8]

Originally Posted by Win73

I zero my *** at 25 yards and leave the elevation adjustment alone.

This system works. The bullet crosses the zero at two points and is never more than 4 or so inches above line of sight, so every shot out to 125+ yards will be within the 8" pie-pan kill zone. Makes sighting in very easy.

[3212]

I have a tendency to shoot high on deer,so I sight in about 2 inches low at 100 yds.I have observed this tendency in other hunters in the area I hunt.We usually don't get shots past 100 yds anyway.

[Stewart1516]

The kill zone on a deer is fairly big. I just got a new Remington 7600 and put a scope on it. I even had it bore sighted right at the gun shop. Then I took a few shots at 75 yards and couldn't even hit a 2' x 2' peice of plywood. You should deffinitly start at 25 yards bc you know you will hit paper and know what to adjust for. I have the bushnell trophy XLT with the new doa 600 reticle which makes holdover much easier. All you have to do is sight in at 100 and your set to go.

[3212]

I took my Ruger M77 to the range yesterday.I was shooting handloaded 100 grain .243 spitzers.I shot at 25,50,75 and 100 yds.A flat shooter with a 1 inch group at 100 yds.I'm wondering what the dead on hold distance would be.