Multi Range Zero for .22LR?

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So the 5.56, when zeroed for 50 yards is also zeroed 200-225 yards (depending on the bullet). I'm curious if there's any common standard for a dual-range zero for the .22LR (i.e. 20/75 yards or something like that).

In particular I'd be interested in one that best optimizes the arc of the .22LR bullet. For example the 25 yard and 100 yard zero for the 5.56 leads to much more severe highs and lows at critical ranges than the 50 yard zero. I'm curious if there's a .22 zero that optimizes a .22 to be used, say, inside of 100 yards. My thinking in terms of usage is a single zero that has a simple and mild holdover/holdunder at ranges before and after the dual-zero distances. (Again using the 5.56 as an example... I know that at 25 it's a 1" holdover, at 50 it's on, at 100 it's a 1.5" holdunder, at 200 it's just a slight holdunder and at ~215 it's on again.)

Currently I have my Savage MKII zeroed for 100yards. It's a great zero for bench shooting at the range, but I'm looking for a more practical zero for the real world (think small game hunting).
 
There are too many variables. Velocity can range from 1,000 fps to 1700 fps. Height of sight above bore. Ballistic Coefficient. Answer those and someone might be able to help you.
 
http://www.arld1.com/images/swfs/trajectorypbr2.swf
(Click the little restore down box on the top right of your display to fit to screen)
Enter on screen under “OPBZ Math”

For a typical .22 LR High Velocity bullet:
Sight height 1.5
Muzzle Velocity 1260
Vital Zone 1”
Ballistic Coefficient 0.1172

Optimum Point Blank Zero: 75.5 Yards (right on target)
Near PBR: 5 yards (one/half inch low)
Secondary Zero 17.4 yards (right on target)
Apogee 46.8 yards (one/half inch high)
Maximum Point Blank Range: 87.2 yards (one/half inch low)
So if your target is 1", zeros are calculated to be 17.4 and 87.2. That will get you in the ballpark. As stated earlier, different velocities will give different results. Notice too that the Ballistic coefficient of the .22 bullet is actually higher at lower velocities. Subsonic rounds are always more accurate too... [thinking]
Note:
Potential problem with PBR... If you actually want to hit the target every time without making adjustment for range, you will have to zero at a shorter range than MPBR. As a rough guide, calculate MPBR, subtract half your group size at that range from the size of the target. Use that reduced target size to calculate MPBR again.
http://www.ballisticsimulator.com/pointblank.htm

Following was used for reference:
http://www.exteriorballistics.com/ebexplained/22rimfire.cfm
http://www.gunsmoke.com/guns/1022/22drift_cross.html

White Feather
 
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I started with one rifle and a 3x9 variable power scope at 50 yds. I zeroed it in with one brand of ammo at 3X, then moved to 6x and finally to 9x. At each change in magnification there was a need for a slight adjustment and noted each change. Switched to another brand of ammo and repeated the process. I tried to repeat the process a few months later, no such luck. Different lots of ammo and brands all had different zero points. They were close but the variation was in the neighborhood of about a 2-3" circle (most within about 2"). Feredal HV 22lr copper plated, Remington gold points and cci mini mags were the closest (all in the 40 grain range).
 
http://www.arld1.com/images/swfs/trajectorypbr2.swf
(Click the little restore down box on the top right of your display to fit to screen)
Enter on screen under “OPBZ Math”

For a typical .22 LR High Velocity bullet:
Sight height 1.5
Muzzle Velocity 1260
Vital Zone 1”
Ballistic Coefficient 0.1172

Optimum Point Blank Zero: 75.5 Yards (right on target)
Near PBR: 5 yards (one inch low)
Secondary Zero 17.4 yards (right on target)
Apogee 46.8 yards (one inch high)
Maximum Point Blank Range: 87.2 yards (one inch low)
So if your target is 1", zeros are calculated to be 17.4 and 87.2. That will get you in the ballpark. As stated earlier, different velocities will give different results. Notice too that the Ballistic coefficient of the .22 bullet is actually higher at lower velocities. Subsonic rounds are always more accurate too... [thinking]
Note:
Potential problem with PBR... If you actually want to hit the target every time without making adjustment for range, you will have to zero at a shorter range than MPBR. As a rough guide, calculate MPBR, subtract half your group size at that range from the size of the target. Use that reduced target size to calculate MPBR again.
http://www.ballisticsimulator.com/pointblank.htm

Following was used for reference:
http://www.exteriorballistics.com/ebexplained/22rimfire.cfm
http://www.gunsmoke.com/guns/1022/22drift_cross.html

White Feather

Great post, will read links later. Was just thinking about .22 zero last night.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
theres always a "zero" that will get you hits on target. As stated above you could hit with in one inch of a certain zero.....as long as the ammo is the same or very close from. Ideally you want to find the ammo that works the best for you and buy a shit ton of it from the same lot. Then get to learn your holdovers for different distances. This is where the multi aim point scopes come into play. I happen to use Hawke brand scopes with the map 6 reticle and the software is pretty darn close to calculating the hold points.
 
Great info White Feather, good info, +1.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/small_game_rifles.htm

The trajectory of the .22 LR cartridge is such that its maximum point blank range (MPBR) +/- 1 inch is about 85 yards. Zero a scoped rifle using one of these high velocity HP loads at 25 yards and the bullet passes through the line of sight for the second time at about 75 yards. The mid-range rise of a .22 so sighted is about 1 inch.
 
http://www.arld1.com/images/swfs/trajectorypbr2.swf
(Click the little restore down box on the top right of your display to fit to screen)
Enter on screen under “OPBZ Math”

For a typical .22 LR High Velocity bullet:
Sight height 1.5
Muzzle Velocity 1260
Vital Zone 1”
Ballistic Coefficient 0.1172

Optimum Point Blank Zero: 75.5 Yards (right on target)
Near PBR: 5 yards (one inch low)
Secondary Zero 17.4 yards (right on target)
Apogee 46.8 yards (one inch high)
Maximum Point Blank Range: 87.2 yards (one inch low)
So if your target is 1", zeros are calculated to be 17.4 and 87.2. That will get you in the ballpark. As stated earlier, different velocities will give different results. Notice too that the Ballistic coefficient of the .22 bullet is actually higher at lower velocities. Subsonic rounds are always more accurate too... [thinking]
Note:
Potential problem with PBR... If you actually want to hit the target every time without making adjustment for range, you will have to zero at a shorter range than MPBR. As a rough guide, calculate MPBR, subtract half your group size at that range from the size of the target. Use that reduced target size to calculate MPBR again.
http://www.ballisticsimulator.com/pointblank.htm

Following was used for reference:
http://www.exteriorballistics.com/ebexplained/22rimfire.cfm
http://www.gunsmoke.com/guns/1022/22drift_cross.html

White Feather

Exactly the type of info I was looking for with all the right considerations. Thanks. I'll definitely use this as a jumping off point next time I'm at the range and try a 17.5 yard zero, followed by placing the target at 75.5 yards to compare POI and work it from there. Your way of looking at it was exactly what I was thinking. No more than 1" high at apogee and no more than 1" low through the practical range.

The bullet velocity should be playing in my favor in this case as my gun likes Winchester bulk 36gr CPHP which I chrono at around 1255fps from my gun.

Also thanks for the links. I now know what Point Blank Range really means.
 
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http://www.arld1.com/images/swfs/trajectorypbr2.swf
(Click the little restore down box on the top right of your display to fit to screen)
Enter on screen under “OPBZ Math”

For a typical .22 LR High Velocity bullet:
Sight height 1.5
Muzzle Velocity 1260
Vital Zone 1”
Ballistic Coefficient 0.1172

Optimum Point Blank Zero: 75.5 Yards (right on target)
Near PBR: 5 yards (one/half inch low)
Secondary Zero 17.4 yards (right on target)
Apogee 46.8 yards (one/half inch high)
Maximum Point Blank Range: 87.2 yards (one/half inch low)
So if your target is 1", zeros are calculated to be 17.4 and 87.2. That will get you in the ballpark. As stated earlier, different velocities will give different results. Notice too that the Ballistic coefficient of the .22 bullet is actually higher at lower velocities. Subsonic rounds are always more accurate too... [thinking]
Note:
Potential problem with PBR... If you actually want to hit the target every time without making adjustment for range, you will have to zero at a shorter range than MPBR. As a rough guide, calculate MPBR, subtract half your group size at that range from the size of the target. Use that reduced target size to calculate MPBR again.
http://www.ballisticsimulator.com/pointblank.htm

Following was used for reference:
http://www.exteriorballistics.com/ebexplained/22rimfire.cfm
http://www.gunsmoke.com/guns/1022/22drift_cross.html

White Feather

Good links thank you.
 
Many useful posts in this thread.

in nutshell, it is going to vary from load to load.

in my experience, for typical 40gr 1200 ft/s round, i note the first "zero" at approx 12-15 yards, then back to the second "zero" at 100 yards. Faster bullets will have less overall arc so the the first zero position will move out farther.

when i have tried to zero to 100 yards by employing the first zero at 12 yards, i typically find my rifle to be wildly incorrect. My theory is that any small error at 12 yards gets amplified at 100+. Even 5 moa at 12 yards looks like its perfect but the at 100 its way off...simple geometry.

personally i use ballistic calculator to determine how high the POI should be at 50 yards, and i adjust accordingly. I find this approach gets me spot-on at 100 almost every time.

everyone has different approaches. Its part of what makes shooting so cool.
 
Many useful posts in this thread.

in nutshell, it is going to vary from load to load.

in my experience, for typical 40gr 1200 ft/s round, i note the first "zero" at approx 12-15 yards, then back to the second "zero" at 100 yards. Faster bullets will have less overall arc so the the first zero position will move out farther.

when i have tried to zero to 100 yards by employing the first zero at 12 yards, i typically find my rifle to be wildly incorrect. My theory is that any small error at 12 yards gets amplified at 100+. Even 5 moa at 12 yards looks like its perfect but the at 100 its way off...simple geometry.

personally i use ballistic calculator to determine how high the POI should be at 50 yards, and i adjust accordingly. I find this approach gets me spot-on at 100 almost every time.

everyone has different approaches. Its part of what makes shooting so cool.

With my 36gr Winchester CPHP and 16" Savage MKII I went to the range and figured out a great 25/75 yard zero. It's an inch high at 50 and 3" low at 100.
 
I shoot a 4" plate at 25, 50, and 75 yards. With no sight adjustment. If I try 100 I hold over about 4".
Ammo makes a difference sometimes but not usually enough to screw with the rifle zero.
 
the problem w using 50 or 75 as a zero point is that it makes 200 yards darn near impossible to hit.
i like being zero'd at 100 because then 200 is do-able.

in the past i have tried being zero'd at 200 and that makes 100 possible but 50
is crazy difficult, POI like 18" high.

all this craziness is why i love 22lr.

another fun ballistics exercise is to shoot the 22lr quiet rds that go like 700 ft/s. hitting a 100 yard target its like throwing a football but still fun and rewarding when it hits the steel!
 
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