Sighting A Rifle

[decoy]

I have been looking into info about sighting in rifles. I shoot a .30-06 and I have it sighted in at a 100yds dead on. This year I missed a nice shot at

230+ yards. My partner says it's because my gun isn't sighted correctly, and at long shots I'm just guessing.

I've read and been told that I need to sight my rifle in at 1.5 inches high at 100yds. That way I'd hit anything within 200yrds.

Is this info accurate?

Any thoughts.

decoy

[lawdog]

That is not necessarily the problem. I don't think there is a "right" spot to sight in a gun, it all depends on where you hunt and what your shots will be. The more important thing is to know the range and the bullet drop. Remington (and I'm sure others) have ballistic programs that let you say where you have it sighted in, and then show you the drop and where it will be accordingly as you go out on the range.

What might be optimal for "point blank" sighting in may not make sense if your hunting situation doesn't dictate. If you sight it in for dead on at 100 because that's where you shoot, and you know the amount of drop at 230 you'll be just as accurate as if it was sighted in to shoot dead on at 150 and less drop at 230. You just need to know your bullet's details.

[almostthere!]

Yeah, Lawdog is correct.

You must have been aiming for the heart and not the lungs. A 4 inch drop would have missed the deer if you were aiming for the heart as it is sitting low in the chest.

There are a lot of reasons for a miss: deer fever, trigger pull instead of trigger squeeze, rushed shooting, improper breathing, hot barrel, etc... I missed a buck at fifty yards on the first shot only to drop it on the second shot, both times aiming at the same position. Don't ask me how I missed it on the first shot, I do not know.

[hobbydog]

A 30-06 that shoots on at 100 yards will be about 2" low @ 200. At 230 it should be no more than 4 inches low. So if you aimed at the center of the deer you should still have had a hit. At 230 yards marksmanship comes into play. Not a hard shot from a bench rest but under hunting conditions it can be a hard shot. Your shake is going to easilt be plus or minus 4 inches. In other words....the gun shot 4 " low and you shot 4' below the aim point. 8 inches could make a miss. Then there is the windage factor.

Are you sure it was 230 yards. Are you positive you did not hit the deer? Lack of blood does not mean a miss. At that range it is vital you get a good mark on the last known spot. At 230 yards that can be tough.

[luckey]

I got the following from the "Norma Ballstics" web site. You can select caliber, bullet weight, zero, and crosswinds. Selecting a 30-06 Nosler Partition 180gr with zero at 100 yds, the bullet will hit 6.5" low at 230 yards.

If you sight this combination in at 200 yards, the high point will be 2.1" and at 230 yards it will be 1.8" low. Even at 250 yards, this setup will hit only 3.4" inches low. So from 0 to 250 yards you could aim directly in the center of the deer and still hit a vital area. (assuming of course thats where you were aiming when the gun fired_