Lead Sled Zero

[Herman Lesley]

Has anyone zeroed a scope using a lead sled and then shot it off sand bags to see if it is in the same place?

I have wondered if the lead sled zero and hunting zero, shooting off shooting sticks or rail on front of stand, would be the same or close enough to use.

Thanks

Herman

[Grumulkin]

I sighted in a 375 H&H Magnum with a Lead Sled and then used said rifle to take 2 warthogs, a blesbok, an impala, a blue wildebeest and a zebra each with one shot.  The shot at the zebra was about 200 yards.

[teddy12b]

I've used my lead sled to zero magnums and slug guns.  The zeroes didn't change for me, but I also get a gun sighten in with the lead sled, and then practice shooting that gun from hunting positions too.  I try to make sure I can hit what I aim at standing too if nothing else.

[jhm]

If you sight your rifle in using a Lead sled and then go out and miss making a reasonable shot it isn't the rifle it's YOU !!  the lead sled removes any human error.   Jim

[torpedoman]

If you sight your rifle in using a Lead sled and then go out and miss making a reasonable shot it isn't the rifle it's YOU !!  the lead sled removes any human error.   Jim

  Yep

[Larry Gibson]

Herman

That is an interesting question and I don't see an actual answer posted so far.  I've wondered the same thing.  I do know that the more recoil a rifle has the more varience of actual zero there is between shooters who are different in size/weight. This has to do with the rifle starting to recoil before the bullet has left the barrel and what that actual line of departure is related to the line of sight (aim).  I.e. if a heavy recoiling rifle is zeroed by a pretty stocky guy of 250 lbs then my experience is it won't be zeroed if it is then fired by a smaller 160 lb guy.  It would seem to me that while zeroing from a lead sled may be close enough to kill zebra at 200 yards it still doesn't answer the question if the zero is the same.  While close enough for zebra at 200 yards is it close enough for prarie dogs at 400 yards?  It might be, I don't know and would find it interesting to find out. Not interesting enough to buy a lead slead just for the test though.

Larry Gibson

[jhm]

I know of vary FEW shooters who begin setting up a rifle free hand, all use at least some kind of support to stabalize the rifle be it a tree limb 4x4 limber, sand bags, or rifle rest, and the leadsled is just a upgrade to the rifle rest does all that the others do but also has the ability to ruduce the felt recoil, and yes they help to set a rifle up as there is minimal movement when you fire.   Jim

[Varmint Hunter]

Shooters that I know of who have used the Lead Sled extensively say that it DOES cause a noticeable shift in point-of-impact as compared to field positions or sand bags which allow the rifle to recoil naturally. It only makes sense that arresting a rifles rearward movement while the bullet is accelerating up the bore would result in a different POI than when the rifle is permitted to move back/up while the bullet is still in the bore.

However, every rifle/bullet/cartridge can react differently to the many variables that the shooter introduces. I assume that a Lead Sled with minimal weight added could have a different affect on POI than a sled with a maximum amount of weight added.

I have also read, but not witnessed, that a heavily loaded Lead Sled has caused some stocks to fracture as they absorbed all the recoil energy from a rifle which could not move rearward.