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Q:
Ok have a question? So I just started reloading today and I was looking over the Hornady reloading book and they had a option to go on their web sit and come up with some ballistics calculation. Well I filled it out and it gave me a ballistics table in yards. So my question is, if my rifle is zeroed at 100yd. and i want to shoot at lets say 300 yd. it tells me that the bullet will have a -15.8" at 300 and a MOA of 5.0, so does that mean that I change my scope setting 5 clicks up? I was just wondering if that is right? My scope has a MOA of 1/8" at 100yds.
Question by Hunting92. Uploaded on December 19, 2011
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Answers (9)
One click at 300 yds should equal roughly 3/8 of an inch. And if I did the math in my head correctly that comes out to 42 clicks of adjustment.
The information is approximate and the best thing to do is go shoot it and see where does it hits at 300.
ballistic tables are no substitute for putting bullets downrange and seeing where they actually hit.
And as others are pointing out, the best thing to do is to shoot at that range to see what happens. Nothing in the real world is the same as a predicted table of values. Things such as slight differences in scope adjustment can start to become a big deal at those ranges, also important is the repeatability of a scope to accurately adjust. But somewhere in the 40ish ballpark of clicks should get you close to paper...
It is 42.13 repeating to cover the 15.8 in drop at 300 yrds. if you sight it in at a hundred and have a bdc reticle that helps to judge where to put the cross hairs at certain distances. You can take the ballistics charts and estimate where to aim by using kentucky windage.What i do is sight an inch high at 100 yrds for .308 cal its dead on at 200 yrds and at 300 I aim for the top of the back of a deer. Hope that helps
I agree completely with clay cooper best way to find out is to shoot at 300 yards. With that table one MOA is roughly the equevelent of 8- 1/8 clicks. That is the amount of clicks it takes to move the reticle 1" at one hundred yards. So if you had a one hundred yard zero and you wanted to shoot a prarie dog at 300 yards with out holding over you would have to move your reticle 5 moa or 30 clicks with 1/8" adjustments.
sorry my math was screwed up I ment 40 clicks.
With your scope 8 clicks equal 1 MOA. 5 MOA = 40 clicks. The actual velocity of your load and the ballistic coefficient of the bullet may cause a slight variation in target impact at 300 yards so you have to test to validate. Hornady's ballistic tables are pretty good as long as you are using the specified bullet and it is actually going the specified velocity.
Using a rifle with your velocity, I suggest zeroing for 200 yards and you will be able to visually approximate your holdover at 300 yards without touching the elevation knob. Look at the tables for your bullet and velocity but it will probably be around an 8 inch drop at 300 yards and one inch high at 100 yards. This is easy to visualize and you can get a shot off in a second or so without a chance of making a mistake on the elevation turret. 40 clicks is way too much for hunting purposes. These 1/8 MOA scopes are great for the competitive target range but you shouldn't be using that much turret adjustment for most hunting conditions. It takes too long and is too error prone.
Ballistics calculations aren't some voodoo or "guess" so to speak. They are very accurate IF you give them good inputs. I have measured the MV of my rifle several times (close to 100 rounds have been choreographed for y hunting load) so I feel I know the muzzle velocity pretty well. it Averages 2940 fps with an ES of 14.87 fps on average. I also carry a Kestral 4000 weather station with me to measure Barometric Pressure, humidity, altitude, and temperature. I calibrate it every time before I leave the house. I use the proven G7 BC from Bryan Litz in the program, record the angle of my shot, and have measured my scopes ACTUAL movement with one click. Scopes advertise 1/4 MOA or 1/8 MOA adjustments, truth is, they never are perfect. I measure mine and then use a laser range finder to measure my range to +/- 1 yard and then input all of this information into my BulletFlight ballistics program, dial my scope and shoot. I've used this system out to 1400 yards and hit man silhouette gongs. It has been spot on for me in elevation, definitely MOP in elevation clay. The wind is what gets you. Don't have doubts in ballistics programs, it is a very advanced science. If you provide good inputs you get good outputs.
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The information is approximate and the best thing to do is go shoot it and see where does it hits at 300.
One click at 300 yds should equal roughly 3/8 of an inch. And if I did the math in my head correctly that comes out to 42 clicks of adjustment.
And as others are pointing out, the best thing to do is to shoot at that range to see what happens. Nothing in the real world is the same as a predicted table of values. Things such as slight differences in scope adjustment can start to become a big deal at those ranges, also important is the repeatability of a scope to accurately adjust. But somewhere in the 40ish ballpark of clicks should get you close to paper...
ballistic tables are no substitute for putting bullets downrange and seeing where they actually hit.
It is 42.13 repeating to cover the 15.8 in drop at 300 yrds. if you sight it in at a hundred and have a bdc reticle that helps to judge where to put the cross hairs at certain distances. You can take the ballistics charts and estimate where to aim by using kentucky windage.What i do is sight an inch high at 100 yrds for .308 cal its dead on at 200 yrds and at 300 I aim for the top of the back of a deer. Hope that helps
I agree completely with clay cooper best way to find out is to shoot at 300 yards. With that table one MOA is roughly the equevelent of 8- 1/8 clicks. That is the amount of clicks it takes to move the reticle 1" at one hundred yards. So if you had a one hundred yard zero and you wanted to shoot a prarie dog at 300 yards with out holding over you would have to move your reticle 5 moa or 30 clicks with 1/8" adjustments.
sorry my math was screwed up I ment 40 clicks.
With your scope 8 clicks equal 1 MOA. 5 MOA = 40 clicks. The actual velocity of your load and the ballistic coefficient of the bullet may cause a slight variation in target impact at 300 yards so you have to test to validate. Hornady's ballistic tables are pretty good as long as you are using the specified bullet and it is actually going the specified velocity.
Using a rifle with your velocity, I suggest zeroing for 200 yards and you will be able to visually approximate your holdover at 300 yards without touching the elevation knob. Look at the tables for your bullet and velocity but it will probably be around an 8 inch drop at 300 yards and one inch high at 100 yards. This is easy to visualize and you can get a shot off in a second or so without a chance of making a mistake on the elevation turret. 40 clicks is way too much for hunting purposes. These 1/8 MOA scopes are great for the competitive target range but you shouldn't be using that much turret adjustment for most hunting conditions. It takes too long and is too error prone.
Ballistics calculations aren't some voodoo or "guess" so to speak. They are very accurate IF you give them good inputs. I have measured the MV of my rifle several times (close to 100 rounds have been choreographed for y hunting load) so I feel I know the muzzle velocity pretty well. it Averages 2940 fps with an ES of 14.87 fps on average. I also carry a Kestral 4000 weather station with me to measure Barometric Pressure, humidity, altitude, and temperature. I calibrate it every time before I leave the house. I use the proven G7 BC from Bryan Litz in the program, record the angle of my shot, and have measured my scopes ACTUAL movement with one click. Scopes advertise 1/4 MOA or 1/8 MOA adjustments, truth is, they never are perfect. I measure mine and then use a laser range finder to measure my range to +/- 1 yard and then input all of this information into my BulletFlight ballistics program, dial my scope and shoot. I've used this system out to 1400 yards and hit man silhouette gongs. It has been spot on for me in elevation, definitely MOP in elevation clay. The wind is what gets you. Don't have doubts in ballistics programs, it is a very advanced science. If you provide good inputs you get good outputs.
Post an Answer