Cqt Zero

[Brian Payne]

I couldn't find what I was looking for in the Search.

For the Leupold CQT users. How are you zeroing your sight. Example - dead on at 50 yards and holding high at 300 yards? Basically what I am looking for is a rough zero to get started and I can figure the rest out by playing at the range.

Also when you have targets at long range (300 yards) are you holding high, dead on, or six o'clock on the target. Using iron sights I always liked to have the target sitting on top of the sights at 300 yards and then work from there. Just curious what has worked the best for you with this sight.

Thanks in advance.

[George]

Don't have a CQT, but the general rule for any optic with a crosshair is to pick a range that is optimum for the bullet trajectory and zero for a dead on hold at that distance and then check the bullet drop in reality against published tables to make sure the hold-overs and unders are on the money.

The accepted zero distance(s) for crosshairs and a 55gr projectile running downrange at 3100+ fps is either 200-225 yards, or at 250-275 yards. If you choose the 200-225 yard option, you will be dead on at about 40 yards also. The 250-275 zero puts you dead on at 50-60 yards. Never just sight at the short distance as the projectile is still rising and small innaccuracies at this distance are much greater at the real downrange zero. I always start with close zero, refine at the actual distance and re-check for the close zero, but do not adjust from the real zero.

Both these zero's will be a bit high at 100 yards but not enough to be off a plate or even an upper A/B if you hold at the top of neck. The 250 to 275 zero will also be about an inch to an inch and a half high at 200.

All this means that you hold dead on on anything from close up to 250ish. At 300, the 200-225 yard zero wants to hold just over the top of a 10-12" plate and the 250-275 zero is held from the top quarter to just at the top edge depending whether you use 275, or 250. The faster the 55gr ball goes, the better the farther zeros work as the trajectory is flatter and allows you to pretty much hold on at all distances except 300 and beyond.

A scope with a shape in it like a TA-11 ACOG donut, or triangle will want a different approach than a crosshair style optic.

IMHO, If you shoot heavy bullets (69 gr+), then the extra drop at 275 plus makes a dead-on 200 yard zero a better choice because extending the zero beyond 200 yards raises the 100 yard hold-unders up to something like what a 300 yard 55 grain bullet zero gives at 100 while still requiring holdover at 300. No gain here for the hassle of short range hold-unders.

Get a ballistics table on the projectile weight and velocity you use and see what the drops say to you. The 250 to 275 zero is considered a good "point blank" zero for fast 55gr ball which means that you basically hold dead on for most targets to just beyond the zero distance and the bullet is never far enough above or below the sight line to be out of an A zone or off a steel plate.

[SinistralRifleman]

I prefer a 50 yard zero with the CQT. I do hold high at 300 yards.

enter your data here:

http://www.eskimo.com/~jbm/ballistics/traj...traj_basic.html

when you output the data, it is most helpful for it to give it to you drop in MOA and list drop for every 5 yards.

[Mickster]

I've been using a 16" carbine with the CQT for a couple of years and have settled on a dead on zero at 50 yards on 3x, even though I shoot 50 yard targets at 1x.

Because it's a 3moa dot what works for me for tight shots is at 1x hold with the bottom of the dot out to about 35, dead on from there to about 75 and top of dot out to about 100.

Turn the power up to 3x and hold top of dot from 100 to 200. Back to dead on from 200 to 250 and hold bottom of dot around 300.

It sounds complicated but once you get the hang of it, you don't even think about it. Doing this will theoretically put your shots into about a 2" cone.

In a match however, where other things come into play affecting practical accuracy, you should still be able to reliably hit 10" plates from 200 to 300 with the CQT.

The above works pretty well using 55 grain bullets at about 3100 fps.

[M.E.Anglin]

I do a figure "8" at 300' ,a 10" flash target being at the bottom and the dot being at the top, this on 3X, 14.5" bbl. with 69 grainers. everything elase is pretty much dead on. close enough for most 3 gunning. I don't shoot this gun much past that.

[Brian Payne]

Thanks for the help guys. Great info.

[Chuck Anderson]

I zero at 100 yards top of the dot at 3x. This puts point of impact about the center of the dot at 50 yds and 200 yds and within an inch or two of the bottom of the dot at 300 yds. This is using 68 gr BH ammo and a 20" bbl. Setup has worked very well for the last several years.