Opening day is this coming Saturday and I am looking forward to it. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I never got out during bow season at all this year. My brother-in-Law Allen is able to get off from work this year and we plan on hunting both Saturday and Sunday unless we tag out on Saturday.
I have my Ruger mdl 77 MKII in .270 ready to go and zeroed 1.5 inches high at exactly 100 yards and last 2 shot group fired with Federal Power Shok 150 grain ammo put 2 holes center to center 9/16 inch group.
I also have my Marlin Mdl 1895 45-70 good to go at exactly 100 yards and also printing dead center and 1.5 inches high. My heart is set on taking a deer with the 45-70 so currently plans are to take that rifle with me on Saturday. It is sighted in with Hornady 325 grain LeverEvolution ammo and is good for a dead on chest hold out to 150 yards or so which encompasses 90% of the whitetails I have ever taken in NY.
IF you haven't spent any range time yet this year or decided which rifle to take hunting Saturday, you are running out of time. Every year at the range I encounter guys with brand new rifles and loads putting their first target out at 100 yards and trying to get on paper. You NEED to put up your first target at 25 yards, not 100 yards, and zero at that range. Remember that with a 1/4 min adjustment for windage and elevation it takes 16 clicks to move the point of impact one inch at 25 yards. Use a solid but forgiving rest like sand bags and remember you are sighting in your rifle, not testing your skills at this point. A good rule of thumb based on my experience with rifles in the .308, 30:06. .270 class is to have the point of impact to be dead center and perhaps 1/2 inch low at exactly 25 yards. This will put you hopefully dead center (Left to right) at 100 yards and approximately 1.5 to 2 inches high and then you can adjust the point of impact based on your average shots where you hunt. My .270 and my .308 are both sighted in with 150 grain ammo to be 1.5 to 2 inches high and dead center at 100 yards. This will allow me a dead on chest hold out to 200 yards plus. That encompasses 90% plus of deer hunting almost everywhere.
IF you should slip and fall or drop your rifle onto a log or rock etc. or you suspect your rifle got bumped travelling to your destination and wonder if your scope got knocked out of alignment here is a quick fix. As long as you KNOW exactly where it was shooting at 25 yards, it will only take one well placed steady rest shot to determine if your zero is okay or if you need to make an adjustment in the field. Sooner or later it is going to happen to you and this is an easy way to check your zero in the field. If you kept records of the elevation point of impact at various ranges based on the KNOWN point of impact at 25 yards, it will save you time and ammo to do a check, especially on an out of state hunt etc.
1/4 min clicks = 16 clicks to the inch at 25 yards
8 clicks to the inch at 50 yards
4 clicks to the inch at 100 yards
When you remove your scope turret caps, you will be able to tell if your scope has 1/4 min or 1/2 min
adjustments as it is etched or painted on the dial. With a 1/2 min scope, it would take 8 clicks to move point of impact 1 inch at 25 yards, 4 clicks at 50 yards and ONLY 2 clicks at 100 yards.
Have a Great Season and WEAR ORANGE and stay safe. Be sure of your target before you shoot. Don't use your rifle scope to look over terrain and to determine if an object in your view is a man or a deer. That is why God made binoculars, so carry a set with you along with a range finder if you need it for a long shot.
Dan
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