So my rifle is sight in at 100 yards. 1 inch above bullseye. If a deer comes in at 40-50 yards, where should you aim. Keep normal behind shoulder shot? 2 in lower? Thoughts?

Put it dead on and pull the trigger.

At that range I try and anchor them with a shoulder shot like I do anything else

Dont compensate at all aim where you want the bullet to go. If you do your part, the bullet will to.

Head or neck at 40.

Shoot the gun at 40 yards

If he’s at 40 just slice his throat

Or you could shoot your gun at 40, whatever’s easier

^This^
Then shoot it where ever you like best. 40 yards is a gimme.

According to what I've read, it depends on high your scope sits above the rifle bore. But it will be close enough not to matter in a practical hunting situation.

Yet another reason to take the time to properly mount your scope and get it as low as possible.

I sight mine in to be exactly on at 100 yards and for anything past I’ll dial the range in the scope, however with a 100 yard zero 40-75 yards the difference is negligible.

If your seriously worried about it zero at 50 and see what your printing at 100, and 200 and you’ll probably find that 50 yard zero actually works well.

I use the iStrelok app on my phone. Put in your info, hit the calculate button and it gives you a nice table with the rise and drop for a range of yardages

Put the cross hairs on him and pull the trigger, don't over think this one.

Shoulder...always the shoulder.

With most rifles (hunters use for deer)sighted an inch high at 100 you are going to be very close to being on at 40 yards or at least within 1.5 inches on about all. Shot to the vitals through the ribs or shoulder and you have a dead deer.

You don't carry a handgun?

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

Where I grew up, you would be lucky to see a deer past 50 yards, due to thick vegetation. I have killed dozens of deer at 50 and closer, all with guns sighted in at either 100 or 200 yards. Never thought about making adjustments, just put the crosshairs on and squeeze. May be an inch off, but I always shot for lungs.

This

A 50 yard zero is often a 200 yard zero.

Being 1" high at 100, he might already have a 50 yard zero.

All of these stating the difference is not going to be that much are killing me. I had my thermal AR-10 sighted in at 100 yards. But then I had a number of close shots - 25-30 yards and I kept missing them. Turned out the difference was well over a foot! So now I have it sighted in at 25 yards, it is 4" high at 50 yards and 12-14" high (its a thermal - hard for me to get exact at that distance). At least I'll miss the long shots and not the easy shots.

In short, just check it at a number of intervals so you know. I realize most rifles will not be like mine, but it shocked me that I missed at the close ranges - and that it was that far off.

How high is the thermal line of sight above the bore? The further off the line of sight through the optic from the bore the bigger the difference will be.

Wow. What I know about ARs has to do with deer antlers and all I know about thermals has to do with what you wear under camo or has to do with wind. What I do know is that I wont hunt if my weapon is over a foot off at 25 yards.

Exactly my point!! Should yield a (275 + or - a little) yard max point blank range!

The Fireman is dead on here. A 50 yard zero on a scoped rifle is surprisingly practical. With most modern cartridges it's no more than an inch up or down out to 225 or so.

The posts saying don't overthink & just point & shoot are correct.

Must be extremely high, huh? My main scoped rifle is dead on at 100 and not a huge difference at shorter distances. But on my thermal, it is indeed a big difference.

40 yards, pick a tick and send it