What's your 223/5.56 "zero'd" for and why?

[Sour Kraut]

I'm new to AR ownership and not certain the best all around zero distance for my needs Looking for a compromise between short range (HD) distance and mid range without a lot of hold over. Seems like 50 yds is a good compromise for shooting from 25 to 300 yds. What are your thoughts?

 

[TIMC]

I never shoot more than 200 yards so a 100 yard zero is good for me.

 

[beeenbag]

Your sight trajectory and bullet trajectory will cross each other twice, the height of the sights from the bore will determine where the second crossing will be.

 

[Mohave-Tec]

I'm new to an AR also but it seems to me that if you zero a scope/dot at 50 yards with a scope that is centered 3 inches over the bore then you will be 18 inches over at 300 yards minus bullet drop. Too much guess work for me. I will zero at 100 yards and not bank on shots over 200. I have long rifles for the longer shots.
Am I missing anything here?

 

[Auto426]

I'm not as experienced as some with an AR, but after a good bit of reading I plan on staying with a 50/200 yard zero for the immediate future. At the typical ranges that I will encounter I'm my neck of the woods, it should be more than adequate for anything I will come across.

 

[back40]

google "revised improved battlesight zero". my irons are set up this way, and RDs are zeroed at 50.

 

[rcmodel]

I sight in every rifle I own at Maximum Point Blank Range.

It's the only logical way to do it.

For an AR-15 shooting 55 grain FMJ, that would be approximately:
1.2" high at 100.
0 at 200.
3" low at 250.

In other words, you don't have to hold over or under out to 250 and the bullet path will not be more then 3" from the POA.

rc

 

[briansmithwins]

I do a rough zero at 50 and fine tune it at 200 yards. Don't need any holdover or under for most targets out to 250 or so.

BSW

 

[GCBurner]

A 25-meter zero will be on target out to about 300 meters, thanks to the flat trajectory of the 5.56 round.

 

[yzguy87]

My scope is zeroed at 100yds. I like it that way bc it's point blank out to 200. I haven't had the chance to shoot beyond that.

 

[Willie Sutton]

Inch over at 100 works out to 300.


Willie


.

 

[holdencm9]

MPBR (as RC said) is the best way to go, it will vary based on your exact ammo/rifle and what size target you plan to shoot, but you can generally get pretty close with your "typical" ammo and just leave it alone. For instance if you are like me and 90% of your shooting is 55-62gr ammo, just take your favorite 55gr ammo and sight in for a convenient distance (50 yards for me), assuming a 6" diameter target. You could assume a 12" diameter target as a typical COM of a person, or what-have-you.

To be most precise you'll need a chronograph, but the whole point of MPBR is so that you don't have to think so much. But for fun you can go to Hornady's (or any decent) ballistic calculator and type in some values to see what happens.

For a 55gr Hornady FMJ BT (BC = 0.243) and muzzle velocity 2900 fps (assuming sight is 2.5 inches above bore axis)

25 -1.1"
50 0.0"
100 +1.3"
125 +1.4" (highest it ever goes, still within target)
150 +1.2"
200 -0.4"
250 -3.9" (just outside your target)
300 -9.5"

As you can see, a 50-yard zero will never go higher than 1.4" but will drop outside your intended target prior to the 250-yard mark. So you would maybe consider a closer zero (or making it so that the impact at 50 yards hits a bit higher, however you like to think about it). To really optimize the MPBR, you have will have to be x.x" above or below the target at a certain distance, but personally I just like to put the crosshairs on the target and truly "zero" at that distance.

 

[avs11054]

We were always trained to zero at 50 yards. We used Colts. With that zero, it was dead on at 50 and 200 yards. It was 1 inch high at 100 yards. At 300, we aimed at the head of a sillouette, and it hit center mass.

 

[Sapper771]

I Zero Irons and red dots at 50 yards. I prefer it over the Military 25 meter zero.

 

[taliv]

i use 50/200 for red dot sites.
ACOGS and such with special reticles, depends on the reticle
i use 100 yard zero for scopes with target turrets

 

[Gordon]

I zero the BUIS at 50 yards and the optical device at 200 yards.

 

[ID-shooting]

I just put a scope on my AR, book says to zero at 200. Headed to the range this afternoon to zero and then test where drop puts things.

 

[Art Eatman]

I set up all my scoped rifles for right at 2" high at 100 yards. That's generally pretty close to dead-on at 200 and roughly 6" low at 300.

That holds reasonably well for the .223 and all the deer cartridges that are faster than a .30-30. It excludes the magnums and the serious .22 centerfires.

 

[Coyote3855]

RC is the man, as usual.

 

[ThePenguinKnight]

http://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=107572

Interesting article/post from m4carbine.net. Also be sure to check out the threads linked at the top of the OP. Just food for thought, not necessarily my own opinion; whatever you sight your rifle for, make sure you understand how it works in your individual rifle, and test it out as best as you are able.

I don't have an AR (yet), but I do like to read. To paraphrase a wise Biblical person, the first step of being smart is trying to get smarter =P

 

[snakeman]

100 yards, 40 grain vmax, for yotes

 

[HoosierQ]

I followed the military iron sight zeroing protocol for an M16A2 which what my setup was like. Except I couldn't get on the very limited 25 yard range that day and did it at 50. It worked like a charm and I am good at 25, 50, and 100. I have no access to a longer range and mine is for punching paper in these, what pass for peaceful times. My FIL has coyote problems and as soon as his wife and my wife start speaking again I hope to assist with that. Every tried to hunt coyotes with a shotgun? Yeah...

 

[YZ]

My AR has a red dot. I sighted it in at 100 yards. That's about as far as I can see the .223 hits. I like practicing offhand, standing. If I shoot at a closer range, I can adjust quickly. I am not interested in a range longer than 100 also because my scoped bolt action rifle is better for that.

 

[stumpers]

I recently switched from an Aimpoint back to irons. I zeroed at 25 meters with the small aperture, and use my large aperture (50m) for most shooting.

 

[byf43]

AR-HBAR is zero'd at 100. I'm good holding 'center mass' out to 300+ yds. (If it'll hit inside of a paper plate at those distances, I'm good to go.)

Remington 799 in .223 is zero'd at 100, also.



Either one = 25 yds to 300 yards I'm gonna be either dead on or +/- 3 inches.