Sighting In ?

[Longhntr]

I just bought a 15" 7-30 Waters Barrel for my Contender and just scoped a 14" .223 Hunter Barrel that I have had for a while. I know a lot depends on bullet/load etc. but how should these cals. be sighted in at a hundred yards. I plan to use the 7-30 for deer with 120-130 gr.  and the .223 for Varmints( woodchucks and coyote) with 50-55 gr. I sight my .308 rifle 2.25" high at a hundred yards and I can pretty much hold dead on from point blank range out to 225 yds. Again I know there are variables but what do you guys do, on average? Thanks.

[KYODE]

i sight the same as with rifles that i used to use before the sickness hit. :lol:  usually between 1-2" high at 100.

[ShootnStr8]

Generally speaking, 2 inches high @ 100 yards is fine for the 7-30 Waters.  As I'm sure you know, it is good to verify the performance of the load at the range it is intended to be used.  

Hornady 139 SSTs pushed by W748 or IMR4064 do very well out of the Contender at 200 yards.  Hornady 100s and W748 make a nice 7-30 varmint load for that range.  

Blessings!

ShootnStr8

[Javelina]

Longhntr,

I just had to butt in here on the sighting-in issue because it involves something that is near and dear to my shooting heart. . .accurate velocity measurement.

I see you are in the east, and certainly that would have a lot to do with how you sight in your firearm since much of your hunting area is covered with heavy forest, just as those in the west or even those who shoot competitively might have different considerations.

All this notwithstanding, my opinion is that it’s always a good idea and certainly a good learning experience to chronograph your loads to be able to better predict the bullet path (among many other things) at various distances.  I realize chronographs are not inexpensive, heck, a dollar is still a dollar to me, but these days we have some good, yet inexpensive chronographs that make it easy for all of us to have access to accurate bullet velocity information - chronographs are even easier on the bank account if you split one with a buddy.  The bottom line here, and the point that I’ve finally managed to get to, is that once you have velocity information for an individual load, you have easy access to ballistics information including drop, wind drift, etc., that makes it easier for  you to select your sight-in method for any given animal size at any desired range.  What’s the benefit here?  Well. . .the end result is that you are much better prepared to go afield with greater confidence – confidence due to the fact that you know where your bullet should hit at various distances assuming you have reasonably good ability to estimate distance.  Voila!  Another accuracy risk factor is reduced, another game animal is given a fair shake because of your ability to effect a humane harvest, and you’re a happy guy ‘cause you bagged one of whatever it is you’re hunting, primarily because you have become a BETTER SHOOTER due to knowing your velocity and logically it follows that being a better shooter will certainly improve your hunting odds.

Just my $.02 worth.  Good luck with getting your firearm sighted-in!

By the way, if you need access to a good, cheap (free) ballistics Excel spreadsheet that will help you determine the pertinent ballistics for your load, give me a holler and I’ll make you a happy guy.  There’s nothing like free stuff that really works to improve my attitude a couple of notches, I’m assuming you probably feel the same way.

Good and safe shooting to you.

Javelina

[Longhntr]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the input.
Javelina, you are right on the money. I know the info I use is a general rule of thumb. It works for me because, as you pointed out, shots here in the East are often measured in feet rather than yards. With a .308 and similar rounds the bullet path crosses at 25 yds. and again at around 225, putting you 1.5 high at 50 and 2.25-2.5 high at 100. I always shoot at all the distances available to me to double check. Thanks again.

[helobill]

The ballistic tables and theorectical data is great to decide how far your round is effective and make that your theoretical maximum distance. Then find a place you can shoot out to that maximun distance and set up targets every 50 yards and know for sure. Conditions change, ammo doesn't always perform as advertised (look at the original "hype" on the beltless magnums and what they're chrono'd at lately). If you know you can group well 2" high at 100yards and 3" low at 200 yards with a particular round, what else do you need to know. Now load development is different if you're a handloader since no ballistic table exists for your particular load, but for factory stuff you can get a good determination of maximum effective range to make a clean kill. But then it becomes, can YOU make the shot? If you can't find a place to test yourself at 200/300/400 yards, you shouldn't take the shot at an animal no matter how much you've "crunched" the numbers. The first time I shot at the 300 meter range over 20 years ago it was quite an eye-opener, I wasn't as good a shot as I thought. That one "flyer" 3" high at 100 looks really bad at 300!
Helicopter Bill