Whats the best distance to zero a .300 Win Mag?

Question

What distance is best to zero a 300 Win Mag?

I hear so much about the trajectory of this round, I'm just not 100% sure when I take aim... 250-300 yard shots and still be accurate at 100yds. I am currently 9+ years Military, raised in the country, with LOTS of shooting exp. Just asking about the distance to best zero a 300 Win Mag.

(I said the last part because it seems like so many ppl go into a lecture about different cal. different game, ect...)

Answer 1

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I am a long time Alaskan hunter, trapper, and former military long distance competition shooter. Oh, and a Certified Alaskan Hunter Safety Instructor.

For the 243, 308, 30-06, 300 Win Mag, 338 Win Mag and similar flat shooting calibers I recommend to always sight the rifle in at 200 yards. Generally, this will make you 3" high at 100 and 3" low at 300 yards for most of these calibers - on wolf and deer sized game this is perfectly fine for a one shot kill. Of course, with your 300 Win mag it will be more like 2" high at 100 and 2" low at 300 yards. It's not until 400 yards the 300 Win mag starts to run out of steam and needs a little elevation to do get back on target.

The beauty of sighting in at 200. If you muff a shot at 50-100 yards (this is actually a really normal distance for a guy to stumble across a deer) the deer is running into your zero.

What you need to avoid are the very heavy round nose bullets 180gr and larger. These are for hunting game meat in brown bear country - unless you are up here in Alaska or Canada don't bother with these and stick with the 150 to 165 gr bullets and you will be very very happy with the performance. These heavier bullets bring the 300 Win Mag backward into 308 and 30-06 range ballistics and you loose all the advantage of the extra power. Remember - if the bullet goes through the animal like a laser beam and does not expand - you could be spending the next day tracking a half dead deer.

Me - I use the 338 Win Mag the most. But - then again, I am in Alaska.

Answer 2

This Site Might Help You.

RE:

Whats the best distance to zero a .300 Win Mag?

What distance is best to zero a 300 Win Mag?

I hear so much about the trajectory of this round, I'm just not 100% sure when I take aim... 250-300 yard shots and still be accurate at 100yds. I am currently 9+ years Military, raised in the country, with LOTS of shooting exp. Just asking about...

Source(s): whats distance 300 win mag: https://biturl.im/S0gP7

Answer 3

For most center fire rifles in a hunting role you want to ZERO the rifle at 200 yards. That means having it hit 1.75 to 2.0 inches high at 100 yards. Anything less than 200 will not effect your shot placement enough to worry about,and even going out to 300 yards is a minor adjustment (6-8 inches depending on bullet ballistics and weight). Even 400 yard shots are within reason for a well trained shooter,with a good target picture and knowing his obligation to being an ethical hunter too. A 300 Win Mag isn't the "Hammer of Thor" at 400 yards,but it will sure feel that way on your shoulder. Most 30 caliber cartridges are edging into too little retained energy at 400 yards,even the mags. Yes you could take longer shots--but most people can't shoot well enough to attempt them.

The 2 high at 100 works for 223,243,30-06,about everything but lever action cartridges like 30-30 and 45-70,or the bigger calibers like 375 and 416,458.

Source(s): I reload for 223,243,30-06 and 300 WSM--has the same ballistics as a 300 Win Mag. http://www.shootingtimes.com/ballistics/300_winmag...

Answer 4

If your hunting it depends on the ranges you expect to get shots at. If the terrain/game you hunt requires it and you are skilled enough to ethically take clean shots at long ranges I'd suggest 300 yards with a 165 or 180gr SBT like the Nosler Accubond, Swift Sirocco or Barnes MRX. Otherwise figure out the load you are using and sight in for max. point blank range, on deer say what ever zero distance keeps max height above line of sight to 3 inches then MPBR is where the drop below LOS is 3 inches. Elk you could use the same idea but with say +4 then -4 inches. This MPBR concept seems the most flexible when you may jump a deer out of its bed at 30 yards or sneak over a ridge and catch one feeding at 280 yards.

For most target work where you'll be moving windage and elevation a lot I'd use 200 as a base zero and then shoot for real every 50(or even 25) yards from 100 out to your max range and make note of the actual changes necessary to hit on the crosshairs at each distance. I've seen ballistics tables off compared to real life by 4 or 5 inches at ranges as short as 400 yards so real shooting is best.

Answer 5

300 Win Mag Ballistics

Source(s): https://shrink.im/a8b9z

Answer 6

whats distance 300 win mag

Answer 7

Maximum point blank range is a good place. To figure that, you need to know the size of your target (the vital area of the animal). You also need to know the trajectory of the load, and not from some table but actually from shooting at distance. When figuring MPBR, it's helpful if you have a chronograph, know the ballistic coefficient of your bullet, and can plug the numbers into a ballistic calculator, but you can also do it the old fashioned way.

So you get the lecture anyway, simply because you have to know the game and the load to arrive at an answer.

Answer 8

Any individual's personal needs, wants, style choices, and other preferences are diverse. What matters is that we take the time to accurately define our personal needs. I believe hunters as a rule are over-scoped, over magnified, over-powered, and over-sized. Mangnum DOES NOT automatically equal $500+ scope. However, I do believe that you don't get what you don't pay for. I think that we are all, to a degree, allured by big objectives and large magnifications. Many put scope dollars into the wrong places and pay for what we don't need--and really don't want. For over twenty years the USMC sniper scope of choice has been a Unertl fixed ten power scope with a one inch main tube, 36mm objective and 32mm ocular lens. The extreme performance required of that scope and the ranges at which it is employed greatly exceed those of any common hunting circumstances, as does the training and abilities of the shooters. Yet, sometimes we "need" larger objectives and even more magnification big game hunting with comparatively large targets at comparatively short ranges. We pay a price for our perceived need for large objectives, both in performance for the dollars we spend. Large objective lenses of the same quality cost more; larger pieces of glass without flaws are more costly. It sure does not mean we are getting better glass, better coatings, or better polish, it just costs more for a larger lens. With that larger, heavier, more costly piece of glass we also get glass with more mass that does not withstand recoil as well, being harder to retain in perfect alignment. Adjustable objectives have their place, but they cannot help but add cost, complexity, and a bit of fragility. This gives us either a lower end scope at the same price point and little real-world value unless we are shooting at close range with magnification above 7 power or so. My suggestions for your 300 Win Mag? Zeiss Conquest, Leupold, Trijicon, Kahles Helia CL. If cost is of no concern and you want the very best scope made on the planet. Look into US Optics.

Answer 9

Zero'ing a rifle is only good for shooting that exact distance, every time. Anything short of zero, anything over zero, you end up having to make adjustments.

I started SIGHTING to MPBR for game size years ago and I'll never look back. No idea what any one of my rifles is zero'd at, but I know how far they can shoot without adjusting for holdover or holdunder.

Pretty much every person I hunt with has switched to MPBR after letting me sight their rifle once. My most refuse to learn anything friends had me sight his rifle once when he was just too busy to do it. He was headed to a guided CO elk/deer hunt. When I gave him the rifle I told him if it's within 350, just hold dead on and pull the trigger.

When the time came he was just flat out amazed that at 183 yards he against all instincts did exactly what I told him to, and watched the animal drop, and then followed it with 302 yards doing the same thing.

Answer 10

* 100 yards *

Source(s): * Run like a Deer.*...............Fly like an Eagle.*~~