No Brainer deer sight-in target

[Mr. Ten-X]

Easy system for the "average" deer hunter to zero a rifle out to the max distances they should really be shooting to under the best of conditions. This covers all std, high-intensity deer cartridges with normal hunting weight bullets such as: .243, 6mmRem, .250 Sav, 257 Roberts, 25/06, 6.5x55, .260Rem, 6.5/06, 6.5/284, .270Win, 7/08, 7x57, 280Rem, 7Rem Mag, 308Win, 30/06, 300WSM, 300WM, etc, etc.

Made a target similar to this many years ago for our deer sight in clinics and then made this target a dozen years back for distribution.

At 100yds, sight in to impact the horizontal bar when taking a center hold on the diamond. Depending on angle of departure variables due to scope height, the bullet will never rise more than 2.5-3.0 inches above line of sight in its trajectory. All similar calibers will then be very close to dead on at 250yds. If a person feels the need to shoot to 300yds, the bullet will strike very close to 5" low of point of aim, give or take.

The point is that when sighted in at 2.5" high at 100yds, you simply aim dead center on the kill zone out to 250yds or a tad further. It's a no-brainer. Most "average" hunters cannot shoot effectively much beyond that once wind becomes a factor (and many of them have no business shooting much beyond 100yds, truth be known).

 

[Larryh128]

What it doesn't compensate for is the height of the scope from the bore. I'm a firm believer in shooting (practicing) further than you intend to shoot. Once upon a time a gifted outdoor writer printed several acticle on how to sight in at 25 yds & you would be good to -----. As a youngster everything I read was the gospel and you couldn't convince me that my rifle wasn't tuned to 375 yds. I shot over so many foxes that I thought I was just a bad shot until I figured it out that he was only a gifted writer. I love the smell of gun powder in the AM, or any other time for that matter. Do like the target though.

 

[Trapper243]

I understand what your saying, but 100 yards does not tell you much. Many I have known have done just what you suggest, but when I put a target out at the speculated ranges many have been in for some unpleasant surprises. If people really want to shoot at those ranges they really need to back up and shoot at those ranges, reguardless of how they set their initial zero.

 

[Mr. Ten-X]

What it doesn't compensate for is the height of the scope from the bore. I'm a firm believer in shooting (practicing) further than you intend to shoot.

Larry, that is what "angle of departure" is all about.

Depending on angle of departure variables due to scope height, the bullet will never rise more than 2.5-3.0 inches above line of sight in its trajectory.

 

[Mr. Ten-X]

The average deer hunter in the Midwest blows the dust off of or buys his rifle a week before deer season, heads to the sight-in range and will never fire the rifle again until he sees game or a clean road sign at the end of the season

Those are the vast bulk of the people that you see at a deer sight-in clinic...or worse.

Unlike you and I that will use a virtual target scope with a custom reticule tailored to our loads, a tape on the side of the rifle/scope with 10mph wind deflection and bullet drop and an accurate laser...these folks simply want to go kill something with as little effort expended as possible. It's their man weekend away from the nagger and they are not huge in the thinking or testing dept.

This target is for them.

 

[TheOtherZilla]

I have always sighted in 3"high at 100 yds.. Worked for me since the sixties.

 

[onelastshot]

The average deer hunter in the Midwest blows the dust off of or buys his rifle a week before deer season, heads to the sight-in range and will never fire the rifle again until he sees game or a clean road sign at the end of the season

Those are the vast bulk of the people that you see at a deer sight-in clinic...or worse.

Unlike you and I that will use a virtual target scope with a custom reticule tailored to our loads, a tape on the side of the rifle/scope with 10mph wind deflection and bullet drop and an accurate laser...these folks simply want to go kill something with as little effort expended as possible. It's their man weekend away from the nagger and they are not huge in the thinking or testing dept.

This target is for them.

Unfortunately, the hunter you describe is alive and well back here in the NE as well. I spent the afternoon yesterday mounting scopes on my 270WSM and 6.5 x 284. A friend asked me to "look" at his rifle for him, the scope he told me was a bit loose. He has a nice Remington 700 chambered in 270. The scope I was told was a "special" that came with the rifle when he purchased it several years ago.

The scope, rings and bases were all junk. The vertical and horizontal adjustment knobs were stripped. Every time you shot the rifle the point of impact drifted a few inches father from center. The rings and bases had 4-5 more parts than necessary. Trying to tighten them was a joke. Two set screws were actually missing.

I let him borrow my 7 x 57 Mauser; It's a Ruger No. 1 with a Ziess 2-7. When he asked me if I had any bolt actions for follow up shots I told him he didn't need to worry about making more than one shot. I explained that it was sighted in at 200 yards, and shots are at most 150-200 in the area he hunts. I made him shoot the rifle until he got comfortable with it.

I've talked him in to getting a Vortex Diamondback; in my humble opinion, dollar for dollar you can't find a better value. Redfield rings and bases aren't expensive but they're solid and reliable.

I don't understand how people who enjoy hunting as much as he does, spend so little time preparing.

 

[onelastshot]

This is too funny. While I was writing my earlier post, is was about 6:30a.m., I heard a shot. I just got a text on my telephone from my friend, the one I let borrow my 7 x 57. He'd just killed a dear; first time he's gotten one with one shot. The text said " deer down, very dead, I love this gun!

I think I just might have convinced him that there is no substitute for proper equipment and practice.

 

[K22]

I use the old Jack O'Connor rule - sight in 1.5 inches high at 100 yards which puts me about 1.5 inches low at 200 yards for my 308 with my handloads. For where I hunt this works fine for me since it's rare that you'll get a shot over 200 yards. If fact, in 40 years of deer hunting I never shot one over 185 yards.

I do all my final sight in using the system I'll use in the field - for me it's shooting sticks. I like to shoot five rounds at 100 then five at 200 off the sticks. I like to repeat this at least two more time on different days to get a more precise idea of my sight in and capabilities. If I'm feeling brave I'll take a few off hand shots at 50 and 100 yards.

 

[GSPV]

For normal-above-bore scopes, sighting in dead on at 25 will put it 2.5" high at 100 and dead on at about 225-250.. 25/2.5/225 it is easy for the avg deer hunter to remember.

Note that I did not advocate practicing at 25. Just that it's an easy sight in method and mnemonic to remember.

I'm an advocate of hunters practicing on life sized deer targets with vital outlines to the max distance they will shoot...from realistic shooting positions. I think that many deer are wounded and suffer needlessly because hunters do not get realistic practice.

 

[Mr. Ten-X]

Sighting in 2.5" high at 100yds is pretty easy for the neophyte to remember and it gives them a verified zero at a longer distance.

"Aim dead center to anything from the muzzle to 250 yards"

Beyond that, let them go.

Of course, to the average hunter, 250 yards is actually 400 yards or further. Just ask them.

 

[GSPV]

That's a reason for shooters to practice some on life-sized targets. They get a handle on how big the deer is in the scope...how much of the vertical reticle the chest covers.

If they are in any way enterprising, they figure out how to do some range finding with the distance between the duplex points and between them and the horizontal reticle.

 

[Mr. Ten-X]

Maybe in a perfect world.

In the real world, deer hunters show up at a sight-in clinic, zero their rifle and call it good. They won't look through the scope again until they see fur.