Secondary Optic - Zero Distance?

[Xfactor]

I'm trying to decide where to zero my C-More STS - which is mounted on my hand guard, just forward of the barrel nut. The sight height (off the bore axis) is still about 2", so I'd rather keep the zero range pretty close to minimize the amount of POI offset for CQB-range targets... But close-in zero ranges really throw off anything past 25 yds.

Please let me know what your secondary optic zero range is, and what distance range you use it in (e.g. 20 yd zero, used for targets from 0-50 yds)

Thanks,

Edited May 12, 2010 by Xfactor

[Alaskapopo]

I sight mine in at 50 yards just like a primary red dot would be sighted in. This works out to 200 yards or so with minimal changes in the point of impact vs the point of aim. Don't sight in up close as you will not be able to shoot further out. Close range shots will always be about 2.5 inches off due to bore off set from the sight. I have been practicing using my red dots at 60 yards and in on the Stealth and at 25 yards and in on the Colt. I have shot the red dots to 100 yards without any issues.

Edited May 12, 2010 by Alaskapopo

[Xfactor]

Do you use a fixed or higher magnification primary optic? I currently have a 1.25-4x primary, so I don't think I'd ever use the secondary optic past 50 yds...

[RiggerJJ]

I zero at 50. just remember the offset with closer targets. I usually don't use the sceondary any further than 50.

jj

ETA; 1.5-6 primary, reddot secondary. set the primary to what you need it to be for the long shots, and shoot everything close (under 50) with the secondary, seems fastest to me.

Edited May 13, 2010 by RiggerJJ

[DyNo!]

I zero @ 10 yards where most of the shooting is going to take place with my dot anyway.

If its smaller than a half profile target AND any further than 30 yards, I have an ACOG that's going to be within 2" up to 200 yards and the use of the BAC.

Edited May 12, 2010 by DyNo!

[Xfactor]

I can see that there are probably going to be two camps here... those with fixed power (or higher-range variable power) primary scopes, and those with low-range (e.g. 1-4x) variables.

If I were running a fixed 4x, I could see wanting to use the secondary dot all the way out to 50-75yds+

But for those of us with 1-4x primary scopes, a big part of the draw to a secondary optic is the speed and reduced offset at close range... (not having to adjust for a 2"+ POI offset is nice on close range upper A-zone shots)

But on the other hand, another big advantage to a secondary optic is that there's no need to adjust the magnification setting mid-stage... with that goal in mind, the question becomes, at what yardage does 4x really start to make sense... 50yds? 75yds? not until 100yds??

My thought at the moment is to zero the secondary optic at about 20yds - which yields a manageable POI offset at close range, but is still usable out to 40 or 50 yds - and just choose the magnification setting on the 1-4x primary scope based on the layout of the mid- to long-range targets on the stage. (Worst case scenario is if there are 60 yard swingers, and 300yd flash targets, then I'll still want to adjust the magnification mid-stage.)

[DyNo!]

My thought at the moment is to zero the secondary optic at about 20yds - which yields a manageable POI offset at close range, but is still usable out to 40 or 50 yds - and just choose the magnification setting on the 1-4x primary scope based on the layout of the mid- to long-range targets on the stage. (Worst case scenario is if there are 60 yard swingers, and 300yd flash targets, then I'll still want to adjust the magnification mid-stage.)

On a ballistic calculator with a 100 yard zero, my ACOG's POA/POI is nearly identical at about 80 yards while in practice, a 1.5" offset on a full scale full profile target at 20 yards isn't a big deal holding in the "A" zone.

What slows me down at that point is the fixed magnification which is where I'd bust out the red dot with the super short zero for speed up close.

15 Yards is the point at which my magnification doesn't bother me at all but with a 10 yard zero, I can shoot accurately underneath that range.

On paper it looks whacky but in practice, it's actually as flat as irons (up close).

You should try both - I can do holdovers in my head on the fly (From shooting open with a short zero) but some have trouble with it.

Edited May 13, 2010 by DyNo!

[Alaskapopo]

Do you use a fixed or higher magnification primary optic? I currently have a 1.25-4x primary, so I don't think I'd ever use the secondary optic past 50 yds...

On my Colt I run a fixed TA 33 3x ACOG. On my Larue I run a 2.5-10 x Nightforce.

Pat

[Xfactor]

My thought at the moment is to zero the secondary optic at about 20yds - which yields a manageable POI offset at close range, but is still usable out to 40 or 50 yds - and just choose the magnification setting on the 1-4x primary scope based on the layout of the mid- to long-range targets on the stage. (Worst case scenario is if there are 60 yard swingers, and 300yd flash targets, then I'll still want to adjust the magnification mid-stage.)

What slows me down at that point is the fixed magnification...15 Yards is the point at which my magnification doesn't bother me at all...

At 15 yds - for a closely spaced series of static targets - I agree that even 3- or 4x of magnification is not an issue. But I shot a stage recently where a popper activated a fast out-and-back swinger... the targets were about 60yds away, and the transition from the popper to the swinger was about 30ft or so... Everyone who was running their scopes at 4x was having a lot of trouble transitioning quickly enough to the swinger before it disappeared. (Probably a combination of the magnification and the reduced field of view.) For that scenario, I would have been happier at about 2x...