The Captain's Journal » How to Zero Your Rifle For Your Most Effective Range

02 Nov 2021

How to Zero Your Rifle For Your Most Effective Range

BY Herschel Smith

5 years, 6 days ago

Not for precision shooting – for hunting.

I think I agree with one of the comments. His final bullet was probably due to shooting slightly uphill.

Firearms,Guns

8 Comments

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Paul B

5 years ago

Good stuff. It. Is what I am doing with a lot of rifles of late

Jsf

5 years ago

Same concept as the tactical 36 yard zero for 5.56 rifle.

Ned

5 years ago

Been using MPBR for hunting since I began handloading as a teen.

I also used to mark holdovers on tape on the stock, but never used it.

Georgiaboy61

5 years ago

The military concept of battlesight zero (BSZ) and the hunter’s maximum point-blank range are basically the same thing, but adapted to slightly different uses and circumstances.

Many service rifle competitors, not to mention old GIs, believe the sights on the old M-1 Garand to be the finest ever put on a military issue rifle. And indeed they are very good and highly-capable sights. One of the features designed into them is that there is a range-finding function built into the front sight, and it has to do with the battle-sight zero of the rifle and its ammunition.

The standard (non-National Match) front sight blade measures 7 moa in diameter in relation to the rear sight aperture. The width of a standard military silhouette target (enemy soldier) across the shoulders when perpendicular to the rifleman is roughly 20-inches.

Using military-issue M2 150-grain M2 Ball/FMJ at 2800 fps, the rifleman would zero his sights at a near-zero of ~ 25 yards, and a far-zero of 275 yards, which will keep his shots +/- 4 inches above/below LOS (line of sight) out to 300 yards. This means that the rifleman can frame his target center-mass, and if the front sight width is equal to or greater than the front sight blade, the enemy is within BSZ range, and can be engaged without further adjustment of the elevation drum.

In sum: If 1 moa ~ 1 inch at 100 yards, and 3 inches at 300 yards, then seven moa – the width of the front sight – matches the width of the front sight very closely around 300 yards, which is the maximum point-blank range or battle-sight zero of an M-1 using M2 Ball ammo.

The sights on the M-1 are good-enough to allow highly-precise shooting out to the visual limits of most users of iron sights, and even beyond, if the rifleman has a spotter with field glasses to track his shots for him.

The iron sights on an M1A/M-14 are very similar to those on a Garand, except that they are graduated in meters on the elevation drum rather than yards. Recall that 1 meter = 1.09 yard.

Georgiaboy61

5 years ago

Re: “In sum: If 1 moa ~ 1 inch at 100 yards, and 3 inches at 300 yards, then seven moa – the width of the front sight – matches the width of the front sight very closely around 300 yards”

This is what you get by writing before finishing your coffee. The above should read:

“In sum: If 1 moa ~ 1 inch at 100 yards, and 3 inches at 300 yards, then seven moa – the width of the front sight – matches the width of the silhouette very closely around 300 yards”

xtphreak

5 years ago

@Georgiaboy61

glad you added the second post

’cause I were cornfuzed

Georgiaboy61

5 years ago

@ xtphreak

Yeah, my typing outdistances my proof-reading sometimes…. sorry about that.

George

5 years ago

vapor trail shows up with atmospherics and sunlight.
if no humdidity then shows as a mirage type of visual distortion, still showing the bullets track.

You are currently reading "How to Zero Your Rifle For Your Most Effective Range", entry #28565 on The Captain's Journal.

This article is filed under the category(s) Firearms,Guns and was published November 2nd, 2021 by Herschel Smith.

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