Rifle Sight Changes During A Match

[Mickster]

Let's say stage 1 is a close up course with targets from 5 yards to 50 yards and the rifle is set up for a 50 yard POA zero and you shoot it with a dead on hold. Then stage 2 has 50 yard targets, 200 yard plates and 300 yard plates.

Is it better to make a sight adjustment to your optic or irons before shooting the stage to adjust for the long range or would you just kentucky windage the thing and hold over for the long shots?

What do you fellows out west do where very close and very long shots are the norm?

[George]

Adjusting sights from stage to stage is generally not a good thing to do in IPSC rifle shooting. A better way to go about this is to pick a zero that will hold center for everything out to 200 yards plus, then you just hold over a tad at longer distances. The holdovers required are generally not more than a few inches above target center from 250-350 yards.

A 50 yard zero with an AR shooting most 55gr ball (3100fps typically) will put you a little over (1.5-2") at 100 yards, just around an inch high at 200 and 5-6 inches low at 300 yards. This allows you to shoot a center hold on everything out to about 250, then you just add a little bit of holdover for 300 yard plus shots.

A little hold under is always required at real close targets because of the offset of the sights from the bore center (typically 1.5-2.5 inches) out to about 15 yards.

BTW, you will almost never see shots beyond 325-350 yards in 3 gun matches even out west. Most rifle shooting is typically under 200, and a large proportion of that is usually 100 yards and under in most matches I have been to.

I personally use a 200 yard zero with my AR shooting 69 & 77 grain loadings. I compensate for the additional drop at 300 yards plus (compared to a 55 grain trajectory) with a little more holdover.

I hope this helps,

Regards,

[BillL223]

I zero @ 200 yds and knowing my POI @ 10,50,100,and 300 hold acccordingly. For close upper A/B shots, the crosshair is on the top of the head. 50 yds is close to zero, 100 is 1-1/2" high, 300 is about 8''low. This figures are for a typical .223 load

[kellyn]

I agree with the above statements.

When shooting a scoped rifle, I have never changed a zero during a match. With optics, holdovers are easy, really easy with an ACOG or a scope with a BDC or even a duplex reticle.

With irons, I don't usually change my zero but I would if most of the shots on a stage were at 300 plus (a very rare event). AR sights are very (usually) repeatable and I don't like to hold over with irons since you can't see the target. I also know where my 300 yard zero is with the load I'm shooting.

[ErikW]

I guess I'm the odd man out because I change them. Mostly what I do is crank up the rear for short range targets with the large aperture. I've got a nice couple of near and far zeros which give me a lot of range without needing sight adjustment. But let's face it, with a rifle that has its front sight 2.6" over the bore (scopes are about the same), you're going to be low out until your near zero. This becomes a problem with the close upper A/B shots. Best case, you drop two Minor B hits (assuming .223). Worse, you're below the B zone in the black. Worst, you're below the B zone in a No-shoot. But wait, you asked about 50-300 yards, sorry.

I would also dial some elevation for steel plates past 250 yards or so. But we never get anything beyond 200. Holding over at distance with irons is impossible.

I won't even rule out dialing elevation during the stage, especially if it's already a time-sucker.

I would have to see the stage in question. I might dial in beforehand for the 300 yard plates and hold a hair low closer. If your 50 yard targets are full IPSC, no big deal, lots of room in the A zone for high or low. Depends on how many plates at 200 and 300.

[Overkill]

With my M1A I just dial the range into the rear sight. I'll even adjust it during a stage if it goes from near to far.

[Wakal]

FWIW: running Open with a AR, I have the dot set for 50 yards and the scope zeroed at 200...

Alex

[kellyn]

This thread reminds me off the SINGLE most impressive display of rifle shooting that I've ever seen.

At one of the SOF matches, there was a stage where the shooters shot at one plate each at roughly 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 yards. The shooter fired off a sloped ramp in a goofy prone position. The shooter was required to engage the plates in a specific order not 1,2,3,4,5 but something like 2, 4, 1, 5, 3 or something like that. The shooter shot one shot at each plate (no more) and did the sequence twice in a time limit. 50 seconds I think.

It was a challenging course of fire, even for a scoped gun. I watched one military shooter, Antek Skoniek (?), shoot it with a full size AR15. He hit EACH plate and made a sight adjustment between each shot. No other iron sighted shooter came even close. Talk about a guy who knew his zeroes! I'm glad he's on our side and I would not want to be an Al-Queda Baathist enemy of democracy with him around.