Wife has her own setup now. Question about sighting in her rifle?????

Sitting here tonight I was thinking since I have another blind and feeder as of today I now have set my wife up with her own spot. From her new blind to the feeder itself she is exactly 140 yards!!!
150yards to the back of the feeder pen and 130yards to the front.
She shoots a 25-06 interlock 117grain through a 24 inch barrel

I'm questioning what should I sight her rifle in at?

The reason I ask is

This bullet shoots flat out to around 200yds
Seeing that she needs to reach out to 120-150?yards what would you sight her scope In at?
Her blind is elevated 10ft up.

Her ballistics are below

Muzzle. 100yds 200yds. 300yds
2990fps. +1.6 0.0 -7.0

Below is a picture of the feeder and pen I set her up with today.
I need to round the front edges off as I got a little flat with the front sides
( I'm blaming 100 degree heat ) then slap on the hog panels.

I think I set her up good. Elevated blind , feeder with the timer and a hand remote to throw corn when you want.



Now my 5 year old son and I can enjoy our time while momma has her fun.

So what would y'all sight in her rifle at with those distances and those ballistics ???

This is not the scientific answer, as it's 11.45 on a Friday night. But you would be fine with a 100 yd zero. If it's 150, correct slightly high. Or, zero 1-1.5" high at 100 and call it good. Without knowing the BC of your bullet and atmospherics, there's no sure way to establish a better estimate as to true ballistics.

.59 inches high at 100 yards would hit a bullseye at 150 yards.

But you might also consider a setting of 1.5 inches high at 100 yards, which would create a 200 yard zero. She could safely reach the kill zone out to 250 yards with no need for hold over, since the drop would be just 2.6 inches low at that distance, given a high shoulder aim to the vitals. The drop at 250 yards with a 150 yard zero would be almost five inches, which would require hold over.

I have my 25-06 set to hit an inch high at 100 yards.

Put dead on at 150. That's were the feeder is and most likely where 90% of all shots will be taken.

Thank you for your responses. I didn't know with it shooting so flat if it would be better to sight it in for 1 inch high at 100

In theory, 2" high at 100 yards puts you 2" low at 250, so you can basically just point and shoot at all reasonable ranges. So, that's the theory. In practice, I'd probably just zero at 150 as suggested above, as that really will be where 90% of your shots are taken. With the 150 zero, you're 2" low at 200 and 5" low at 250.

if she's shooting past 100 yards, sight it
in at a range past 100 yards. shooting at
game animal it needs to be dead on. don't
depend on some book or magazine or website
and whatever formula for so many clicks up
at so and so yards or hold over 1 inch at
this many yards. be sure when you're talking
about an animal. there are plenty of gun
ranges that folks talk about right here that
have stations past 100 yards. and for gods
sake don't sight at 50 and try to use that
like so many do. be sure or don't shoot.

2 inches high at 100. Teach her to aim high shoulder where the neck meets the shoulder.

she's probably afraid of the kick and will have some excuse why she didnt fire the rifle anyway, so I doubt if it makes any difference.

Needs a air conditioner/heater unit in blind.

That's a very easy problem to fix. My wife is 5'2. She shoots a 30/06 with 180 grain bullets. She has 24 shots and 24 kills with this rifle. Her arm is black and blue after shooting an animal. The secret is that I do all the sighting in for her and that rifle kicks the crap out of me. She never pulls the trigger unless she is shooting at an animal. The tells me she has never felt the rifle kick at all. It's worked for 40 years for us.

If you have someone who is very recoil sensitive get a Lead Sled. After a broken collar bone and 2 shoulder surgeries sighting in from the bench sucks. They also make sighting in a new scope a 2 or 3 shot process at 100 yards. Just my 2 cents.

"Flat shooter" is a misnomer. There isn't a bullet made that doesn't begin to drop once it leaves the muzzle.

Pretty sure everybody understands that nothing shoots perfectly flat.

If the OP's wife is just going to hunt that one blind, just sight the rifle in to be dead on at that distance. If she'll be hunting other places and distances, I'd sight it in for an inch high at 100.

Thank you for your response !

It is also a misnomer to say all bullets drop after they leave the muzzle...a properly sighted weapon will have bullet rise and then fall to hit back at muzzle height at the distance the weapon was sighted in...and then past the "zero" range the bullet continues to fall.

Semantics possibly, perhaps a misunderstanding of bullet trajectory. Either way, I am
Up way to late to make much fuss about it.

Teach her how and let her decide.'That or sighted the same as yours in case you need to borrow it, trade w/ her or whatever. P_102

We have to remember that many beginners read these posts and remain silent. And even those who have been hunting for years, may carry misconceptions and half truths.

I'll never forget the time I hunted with a guy who had been hunting deer for years, told me that he had shot at a deer and missed it. When I asked him if he was sure he missed, he replied that he had seen it "run off." When I asked him if he had gone to look for it he said "no". We looked and found the deer a few minutes later. The poor guy had never learned that deer will often run after being hit, and every hunter that he had hunted with before just took his "must have missed" comments for granted. He admitted later that he wasn't sure how many hit deer he may have left in the woods. True story.

So if someone takes your discussion down a level, don't take offense. They're probably just trying to help those who are still learning the ropes. After all, how many experienced hunters will actually take the time to review the ballastic characteristics of the loads they shoot.

A bullet will 'rise' because the barrel is pointed above the line of sight the scope is on. P_102

While teaching Hunter Education, I have run across older teenagers, and even a few adults, who had no idea that sighting in a rifle involved determining the path of a bullet as it travels in an arch.

A question taken from a pre-course exam...

"When properly aimed at a distant target, how many times will a bullet leave or cross the center axis of the sight when fired from a rifle?

Depends, did the shooter hit the target? P_102

Incorrect.

Anywhere the rifle is zeroed, the bullet is beginning below the scope, that is sight offset. We cause what the scope "sees" to where the bullet path is to meet at a determined point in space, the zeroing distance. We cause the scope to move our line of sight to match where the bullet is in space. Any rise above a straight line from the chamber, and therefore muzzle, is caused by the scope, not some miraculous projectile rise from some unknown force. Bullets begin to fall immediately after leaving the barrel. The faster the bullet is moving, the less the fall within a predetermined distance.

OP, zero it at 100, or 150, you pick. The error from one to the other is very slight with that cartridge, and distance.

It's a matter of the terminology used in describing the shooter's line of sight and the path of a bullet. The diagram at the link below, shows the answer to the question noted earlier, that is, twice.

As an example, a .270 bullet that begins its trajectory below the shooter's line of sight, would be roughly 3 inches above it at 150 yards in order to hit a target 250 yards away.

Ballistics Basics

^^That's wrong^^

Its hard to convince people that gravity will cause the projectile to drop towards earth immediately upon leaving the muzzle.
Velocity and BC just help determine how far it goes before it returns to earth.

If it were possible to drop a bullet from the same height as the muzzle of a rifle at the same instant a fired bullet leaves the rifle, both bullets would hit the ground at the same time. This assumes the rifle barrel is parallel to the ground.

Agree with FiremanJG the Ballistic Basics in the graff tis some what misleading...
the scope sits above the barrel & is actualy factory set at a pre deturmaned distance down range were it first meets the crosshairs in the scope, giving the illiouson that bullet rises up like in pic shown in the ballistic test, then again when the path of bullet intersects the second time.. tis no arch in bullet my humble apologies for inproper use of words, if some be confused... as stated, me grammer not the best, i got D-... same with archery, sight pins set above arrow rest & noch... tis what ol timmers call shooting threw the pipe...

Is she going to be aiming for the left or right eye on this deer.

it took me years to explain the concept to my FIL ... the bullet starts to drop from line of bore as soon as it leaves the end of the barrel, bullet does not rise from line of bore ... line of sight and line of bore are not the same (at least shouldn't be if you want to zero down range). With the line of sight being parallel to the ground, the line of bore would be inclined upward causing the line of bore and line of sight to intersect down range ... the path of the bullet starts out following the line of bore, but immediately starts to drop as it exits the end of the barrel due to gravity ... the path of the bullet should cross the line of sight twice, once as it crosses with the upward trajectory due to angle of line of bore versus line of sight and once as it drops crossing back across the line of sight, an arc. The second time it crosses the line of sight is typically referred to as your zero.

I have my 25-06 sighted in 1.5 high at 100 using Federal Premium 117 gr Sierra Gameking BTSP, 3030 fps at muzzle. This setup is +.5 @ 50, +1.5 @ 100, +1.3 @150, 0 @ 200, -2.6@250, -6.6 @ 300 ... very easy shooting 0-~225 ... easiest to explain think of anywhere from 0 to 225 yards, you would be hitting a target the diameter of a coke can roughly by aiming at the center of the can thru that entire range.

1" high at 100 yds. is a pretty tested and proven thing for most rifles..

That's right for a 200 yard zero, that's wrong, with a 100 yard zero. Bullet path crosses the line of sight ONE TIME, and that is at the zero distance, 100 yards.

I've shot MOA from 7 yards (dial up like you're dialing for 875 yards) all the way to 1000 yards. The bullet is below the line of sight at every single point along its' path except for the 100 yard mark.

I think we are all tossing around different terms and trying to make it all seem the same.

Yes, gravity affects all bullets as soon as they leave the muzzle. That is simple physics.
Yes, a scoped weapon has offset such that we don't actually shoot at muzzle height when looking through the scope.
Yes, a scoped weapon bullet rises when compared to muzzle height in most hunting applications.
Yes, when shooting at varying distances there will be times when you are shooting above or below muzzle height.

If anyone has issue with any of these statements, please correct me. I believe I am correct but could be off (it has been known to happen). I also believe many of these comments have been talking about different things but made to seem the same.

true for short distance zero, bullet crosses line of sight once. I stand corrected on that! good catch!

Texas buckeye, that is why I was trying to use common terms ...

line of sight is a straight line as viewed thru the scope (or open sights)
line of bore is a straight line as view thru the barrel
trajectory of bullet is an arc due to gravity where projectile starts dropping as soon as it leave muzzle, this is why there is an upward angle for the line of bore compared to line of sight.

you would not believe how many in-depth arguments I had with my FIL over a number of years about the bullet "rising" ... which is an inaccurate statement the way he was using it ... finally sunk in that the upward angle of the line of bore was causing the bullet to appear to rise.

PMK, I agree, and I am just trying to clarify my understanding of this as well. All these different terms and people disagreeing and agreeing with certain terms has me confused as to what everyone is saying.

I made a statement (implying the arc of bullet trajectory on a scoped weapon as most of us hunt) in that not all bullets drop immediately once leaving the muzzle, but left out "due to the arc of bullet trajectory" (that was my fault and I made the statement late at night and wasn't thinking 100% straight). I got jumped and people started using gravity, line of sight, line of muzzle, etc...especially in long range shooting, the bullet is on an upward path as the bore is aimed upward to account for the drop that will ensue. Thus, the bullet rises higher than the muzzle in that situation. Am I wrong? Not nit picking, and certainly not trying to pick on you PMK...but I was told this was wrong by someone who knows a lot more about shooting than I do. I thought it was a semantics issue but by strict definitions of muzzle height/elevation and bullet height/elevation, the bullet will go higher than the muzzle on more than a rare shot due to line of bore being angled upward some...correct?

OK, correct me if I am wrong here, as I am making some assunmptions that may not be true:
Assumed the rifle is scoped and the scope is mounted on a regular set of rails.
Assume the rails are parallel to the rifle bore (this assumption may not be correct??)
Assume the rifle is sighted in at 100 yards, and the bullet meets the target and hits bull at 100 yards while only crossing the line of sight one time as you mention above. Based on all the assumptions above (and assuming they are correct, that's the biggee, again may not be the case), this bullet would have a trajectory of flight that means in essence the bullet is gaining inches of altitude/height/elevation compared to the muzzle/bore based on the scope height, and if there was no target present at 100 yards would continue to elevate above said bore until a point in the arc where it max'd out and then began to decrease in elevation relative to bore and if allowed to continue forward would eventually be at bore elevation and then continue doward until it hit ground, all of this depending on bullet/powder/etc.

No, the bullet will not ever rise above the line of bore, above the line of sight yes, but not the line of bore. We may be getting back into semantics again since you used the term "higher than the muzzle" and to answer that, yes it will but that is due to the upward angle of the line of bore.

If you think about it, forget the scope, open sights, line of sight for a minute ... just think of the line of bore. If the line of bore is held exactly level on level ground, as soon as the weapon is fired, the projectile (bullet) moves down the line of bore to the end of the muzzle. As soon as the projectile leaves the muzzle, gravity starts pulling it towards earth or in other words, the bullet immediately starts to drop... never does the bullet "rise" above the line of bore. Make sense?

Okay, let’s put the scope or open sights back into play. This forms the line of sight which is a perfectly straight line. The line of site is some distance above the line of bore at the muzzle, typically 1.5 inches for most normal 1 inch tube with 40mm objective scopes with normal height mounts. The angle between the line of sight and the line of bore is very slight but still an angle with the line of bore being upward compared to the line of site. Let’s keep it simple as FiremanJG pointed out with the 100 yard zero where the bullet basically comes up to the line of site without crossing it and I will use the same 25-06 since I have the ballistics handy on the load I use in mine as mentioned in my first post (Federal Premium, 117 gr, Sierra Gameking BTSP, 3030 fps, 1000 feet above sea level, 50 degrees F).

The line of sight set at 100 yards for zero, the angle of the line of bore is upward enough to where the trajectory of the bullet will intersect the line of sight at 100 yards which is what we will be zeroing the rifle for. Below are 10 yard increments out to 200 yards and although it appears the bullet is "rising" it actually following the line of bore minus the gravitational pull downward based on several factors including bullet weight, velocity, bullet coefficient, etc. causing an parabolic path or commonly referred to as an arc.

0 -1.5
10 -1.2
20 -.9
30 -.6
40 -.4
50 -.2
60 -.1
70 0
80 0
90 0
100 0
110 -.1
120 -.2
130 -.4
140 -.6
150 -.9
160 -1.2
170 -1.6
180 -2.0
190 -2.4
200 -3.0

the first image shows an exaggerated angle for illustration purposes and illustrates the rifle showing line of sight and line of bore angle differences:


the next image shows an exaggerated angle for illustration purposes and illustrates the rifle showing the line of sight and the trajectory of the projectile (in this case the zero point has projectile cross line of sight twice, in my example above, the blue line merely comes up to tangent to the line of sight at 70, 80, 90 and 100 yards before dropping below the line of sight instead of crossing it)


and if you want to dive deeper into the mathematics formulations (started making my head hurt in short order after a 12 hour day behind a computer screen) you can look at this LINK

PMK, the added "line of" to muzzle or bore makes all the difference. Maybe that is implied when discussing these things? I don't know as I don't talk technical gun/shooting stuff with many folks and my BIL's and brothers I talk shooting stuff with are all very non-technical jargon type people.

Having said all that, I totally agree with what you said and posted up above. Line of bore. the bullet doesn't rise above, can't, as bullets don't have flying characteristics other than being pushed through space really fast by the gas (maybe not the best word here but products of gunpowder combustion is more technical?) they are pushed out of the barrel with. However, as your diagrams show, the bullet does rise relative to the actual muzzle itself....

Again, not trying to be super technical nor ignorant, and I apologize if I am coming off as both. I am simply trying to clear up these concepts for any newbies or Misinformed people out there, maybe it is me who is misinformed about what terms usually mean and what they don't, but when I hear bore or muzzle I do not automatically think "line of bore".

As said, I think we are all talking out of the same hymnal, but using different words to describe the same concepts and making it all confusing about what is right and wrong.

So, should he sight in at 100, 200, or 140?

140
that's the yardage she'll be shooting deer at.
that's what counts

With a 25-06 on deer, any of the above mentioned zeros would work perfectly fine.

As pappy once said: Tis all about the english, i learned Kentucky english using cap & ball iron sights ... Ya can put all de fancy words any ways ya wants it still the same...

Still talking 100 yard zero here.

Bullet, and muzzle are both headed somewhat skyward, because you have the scope set to make you do so, while the scope is looking in a straight line to the target. Immediately after the 100 yard zero mark, the bullet is lower than it was at 100 yards, and even lower than the line of sight of the scope.

Carry that to 200 yards, and you'd have a .4 Mil correction in the scope (2.88") above the target at the target, but the bullet will not hit that much lower. Now we get into maximum ordinante. The Max distance the bullet had to rise to compensate for the fall, and it is significantly less than the point of aim.

Take it out to 500 yards so it's easier to understand. My 6.5 Creedmoor needs 2.6 Mil (46.8") above the target at the target, that's my hold over. But the bullet's Max ordinate is about 12". It only rose 12" higher than a straight line from the muzzle to the target.

The last two paragraphs are extra credit.

Fireman, I think we are saying the same thing there....aren't we?

I'm dead on at 100 yards. I can pick the hair I want to hit with my 25-06...flat and fast with a bull barrel. Most of my shots are around 87-90 yards. I'd go with the .59" high. Good luck to your wife.

No. Read your last post. You said bullet continues to rise after the zeroing distance. That is incorrect.

getting a lot of drama... Zero at 130 yrds, & don't over think it... As daulongranch said = Good luck to your wife ... Think the little lady will do just fine, Best wishes to her, & injoy the time spent...

personally with the 25-06, 1.5 high at 100 give you dead on at ~200 yards (at least with the factory ammo I shoot)... anywhere from the muzzle out to ~225 yards the bullet is within a 3.00 inch diameter bull which should be fine for "normal" hunting and "normal" shooters minus high neck & head shots. IMO.

I see where u are coming from now...That excerpt you picked out from my post was referring specifically to the 100 yard zero where the bullet only passes once through the line of sight (at the target 100 yards away)...in this specific situation the bullet's arc-like trajectory would need to be maximally 1.5-1.75in (or whatever the scope height is) and the zero would be right at that maximal arc height. For larger calibers and heavier bullets, I would think the arc is taller and would create a situation where the bullet would hit the 100 yard target on upward movement of the arc and continue to elevate if allowed to pass through the 100 yard zero (or perhaps there is no way to even have some of the heavier bigger bullets create such an arc?). Agree, there are probably plenty of small caliber bullets that have smaller arc heights to coincide with a 100 yard zero where the bullet only passes through line of sight once. Again, I may be wrong, but talking specifically here about the 100 yard zero where bullet passes through line of sight once.

^^And I wasn't trying to say I was wrong only specifically about this one topic, I am wrong about a lot of things and that's why I am trying to clarify...

I read the last post again and it made me sound very self righteous and indignant about being wrong about one specific thing...Lord knows I am wrong a lot more!

Again, with a 100 yard zero the bullet will only intersect the line if sight at the zero line. It does not matter how fast, what BC, or what weight the bullet is. My 22-250 is the fastest thing I have, at 3200 fps MV. It's still got a drop after 100 yards. My .308 is the slowest thing I have with an MV of 2600 fps, and ita got more of a drop everything after 100 yards.

No bullet is above the zero mark, after the zero distance, with a 100 yard zero. I don't meant this rude, but you're making this more complicated than what it is.

This is one of the good reasons so many of us zero at 100 yards, especially with scopes that allow quick adjustments, or holds. You're always coming up, for any shot that is not 100 yards.

Thank you will do

No, you aren't being rude at all, I am just being dense...I think I have it figured out. 100 yard zero will have bullet drop shortly after zero point. 200 yard zero will have arc-like path that rises above line of sight, maxes out and begins to drop somewhere in the post 100 yard mark usually, and then hits back at line of sight at 200. I am so used to thinking in this "arc-like" bullet path and I don't use terms such as line of bore, line of sight, etc, enough to use them properly or incorporate them into my description of ballistics. I have looked at plenty of ballistics reports and path trajectory graphs and stuff, but I just don't put it all together in a cohesive written phrase like you do. That's why I am trying to clear things up for me.

My brain has been a little fried lately too, so that isn't helping with my thoughts or writings...

Now ya got it!

When I have customers out to the range for the class, I have a dry erase board to draw pictures. Makes it way easier to understand!

yep, why I added the graphics yesterday about line of sight, line of bore and trajectory ... I heard a picture is worth 1,000 words ... sometimes more

True, but that graphic is not correct for a 100 yard zero, which is what Texas Buckeye was having trouble with.

correct, that's why I clarified in text immediately above that graphic that the bullet path (blue line) merely comes up to tangent to the line of sight at 70, 80, 90 and 100 yards before dropping below the line of sight instead of crossing it ... guess I should have modified the plagiarized graphic

It's all good, we're all on the same page now.

this might help for the 100 yard zero aspect although would need to exaggerate a bit more to be clear

^^Good illustration^^

Depending on sight offset, I've seen 100 yard zeroed rifles have bullet path, and line of sight meet between 60 and 75 yards from the muzzle, and continue to 100 yards. But at less than 150 yards the bullet is below line of sight. But we're talking hitting tiny targets with these corrections.

Hey guys, it's me again, with a little more sleep on my brain so I am thinking a little more clearly now i think, have a question I am pretty sure I know the answer to but want to ask folks that know and do this a lot more than I:

lets assume you are trying to set up a 100 yard zero with a scoped rifle. We discussed the 100 yard zero as above in previous posts. But I know there is also some yardage (let's call it yardage x) zero which will have the bullet path arc create a 100 yard hit through the bull before it comes back down to hit zero (the bullseye) at the yardage x. Other than taking the gun to longer distances, is there any way to figure out which "zero" a gun actually has, as both will seem "zero'd" at 100 yards.

There is just one distance in which the bullet will intersect a distant bullseye, given the weight and charge behind the bullet, and the angle in which the rifle is held by the shooter. And this is true no matter what type of sight is used by the shooter.

Think for a minute about how iron sights are adjusted for distant shots. As the rear sight is raised to make more distant shots, it causes the shooter to lower the rear of the rifle in order to align the front and rear sights. This causes the rifle to be angled slightly higher in front, thereby causing the bullet to follow a higher arch so that he reaches the more distant target.

The same thing happens when you adjust the crosshairs on a scope. If the bullet hits low, the scope's elevation setting is adjusted so that the shooter must hold the rifle slightly lower in the rear in order to make the crosshairs appear over the target.

The laws of physics cannot be overcome no matter what type of sight is being used by the shooter. If the target is farther away, the rifle, cannon, or whatever must be angled higher to reach it. In the case of a rifle, the difference is so small that we don't notice it.

I get the arc-like path of the bullet confused by thinking there is a straight level line of sight associated with that path, however the line of sight is not a level "zero inch" on the arc path. As one of the pics PMK posted, it shows the line of sight a level "zero inch" while the bullet path rises above that "zero inch" and drops back down to the zero mark where the rifle is said to be sighted to...

Is that picture wrong?

I guess I am asking if there are times where the bullet passes the line of sight twice in a longer yardage zero, rather than once as in a 100 yard zero?

Absolutely, if the line of sight is close enough to the barrel and the distance to the target requires a higher arch in the path of the bullet. Iron sights would create a line of sight that's closer to the barrel, whereas a scope might be mounted with a center axis that well over an inch above it. The bullet would pass through the target point on it's downward path as it crosses the line of sight a second time.

The Nikon "SpotOn" app works great in determining where a given round should hit a target at a given distance (100 yards for example) in order to hit a down range (200 yards for example) bullseye or zero. Use the ballastic data to get an idea of the arch of the bullet as it travels down range.

The SpotOn app will also show you the "hold over" distances for the Below Dead Center (BDC) crosshair markings so that the shooter can adjust their aim at a target beyond the zero distance. Think of this as being able to quickly raise a rear iron sight for the same purpose.

Ok, so IF there is a distant "zero" which can create a situation where the bullet will cross the line of sight twice, once closer and once at the distant "zero"....could this could create a situation where there are technically two zeros when sighting in the scope for the shorter distance?? What I am asking is how do you know you have the proper sight in if you only shoot at 100 yards? Is this "situation" even possible?

Am I way over thinking this?

No, you have it now.

According to the SpotOn app mentioned earlier, a 25-06 bullet would be about a half inch below the line of sight at 25 yards, and about a half inch above it at 50 yards as it continues on the upward side of it's arch to a target zero of 200 yards. The chart reads it being about 1.5 inches high at 100 yards, reaching a peak in it's arch of about 1.6 inches high at 125 yards. From that point, it begins falling where it will eventually cross the line of sight again at 200 yards, which is the zero distance selected by the shooter when setting the scope.

If the shooter's practice target is 100 yards away, he need only adjust the scope to hit 1.5 inches high and know that it should hit a bullseye at 200 yards with the crosshairs resting on it. The fact that the bullet will be an inch an a half high at 100 yards does not keep him from killing a deer at that distance, given he's taking the most ethical shot, that being one to the vitals.

I should add the ballistics table from the SpotOn app shows the bullet continuing its downward arch beyond the 200 yard zero mark, being 2.6 inches low at 250 yards. This is close to what is called the "point blank range" of the load/bullet, meaning it would create a kill shot at any distance up to that range (250 yards) without the need for crosshairs holdover. Still, a shooter could use the BDC markings on their Nikon scope for the correct holdover to reach beyond 250 yards.

That's a key reason for using the SpotOn app. In addition to telling you were to adjust your scope for a target at a given distance to create a zero at a more distant range, it tells you how far beyond the zero range a bullet would travel to meet the shooter's line of sight when the target is placed on each of the BDC markings. In other words, it tells you how far the zero range can be extended when using each of the BDC "hold over" markings.

ok, so is there no theoretical distant zero which would correspond to the bullet flying through 100 yard line of sight on its way upward on the path only to crest sometime after 100 and then begin to fall and cross again at the distant zero?

Looking at the bullet paths/trajectory graphs, this seems an impossibility even though I have always thought it to be a theoretical possibility....

I guess I am way over thinking it...

That would require a lot of explosive force behind the bullet to cause it to continue rising beyond 100 yards. However, a quick check found that a 7mm Magnum would reach the peak of it's trajectory of 1.5 inches at roughly 100 yards. This would be roughly the same height as the scope's line of line, meaning the bullet would rise to impact a 100 yard target before beginning its descent.

Of course its possible. Many of us with Mil/ Mil scopes can make it happen whenever we need to. Zeroed at 100, dial elevation up .4 Mil to hit a thumb tack at 50 yards. Place a thumb tack at 200 yards and you would need to dial up to .4 Mil. So a 50 yard zero can be a 200 yard zero. But you're .4 Mil high at 100 yards.

Fireman, I completely understand what you are saying about a 50/200 yard zero, but I am
Asking specifically about the 100 yard zero many of us use. Is it possible with a 100 yard zero to have the bullet still on the upswing as it passes through the bullseye or is this just not possible due to limitations of physics?

I typically sight my thermal scope in at 50 yards due to the fact it is easier but also because I know with a .223 a 50 yard zero will rise through 100 about an inch and then be good all the way out to about 225. I still have to shoot it at 100 to make sure it isn't on the down swing after 50, so I make sure it is hitting high at 100, but the 50 yard zero is effective for almost all night hunting.

I'm not going to say it is impossible, but I've seen sight heights from 1.5" to 2.5", and cartridges from .223 to .338 Lapua Mag, everything in between, and have never seen that be possible.

100 yard zero your bullet is low from the muzzle until ~60 to 100 yards, and then low again not far beyond 100 yards. But I'm not talking even minute of coon, I'm talking 1 minute of angle, or 1/10 Mil. Can someone zero at100, 150 or 200 yards, and be effective on hogs and deer from 50 to 250-300 yards? Absolutely, it's been done for many decades.

Ok that's all I need to hear from an expert in shooting. I think sometimes in theoreticals and not real life, and I have wondered about this happening for a while, hence my initial posts on this thread.

Thanks for clarifying!

I love hearing guy's discuss Nikon's Spot On app and how it has in the field application's. I'm all for a 200 yard zero, she will be 1.45 inches high at 150 which should make no difference to the hogs. 25-06 is a great round and I applaud you for doing your best to get your wife dialed in. I can tell you, if your wife is anything like mine, she will want to hunt with you and not by herself. I figured we could cover to pinch points as 2 seperate units, my wife informed me that should came along as something for us to do together. All I needed to hear, just grateful she wanted to come along. I added the Spot On info below for your use. Keep us posted.

Ballistics drama aside, shouldn't your wife be sighting in her own rifle? ;-) She's the one who will be using it, after all...

But considering the distance from the blind to the feeder, I would just go out to 200, but I also think that your wife needs to be comfortable with that distance, too.

Yup, have her aim dead on. She's good to 250 at least before she might worry about bullet drop.

I think it's cool that you care so much your overthinking it.:)

She might hit a tad high from the elevated blind but not enough to to worry or aim different

From what seen posted, wife is pretty familiar with the 25-06.. tis thinking balistics would come inta effext if chooten a slower heavier rifle at that distance, such as a 30-30... lots of good info though in this discussion...

This wasn't "ballistic drama". It did get off topic, but I think it was informative for those that cared. The original question was answered long ago.

Zero at 100 or 150, the difference is very small.

Keep it simple... Put a target next to the feeder and sight in dead on from the blind.