Need help please!

[BBM]

I just bought a new bushnell elite 4200 scope and want to sight in my .270 win. i am shooting a 140gr hornady btsp, only range I can shoot @ would be a 40 yard indoor range! Does anyone know where my shot should place on target to be zero'd in for 200 yards? any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[russ]

I know this isn't much help, but having traveled your path before. I think you're better off giving up some precious hunting time and doing it properly. Short range sighting is so finicky that small differences at close range may have big implications at long range. That's just my opinion. I'm sure a few people could tell you where the bullet should @ impact if you measure the height of the centre of your reticle to the center of your bore & know the bullets velocity.

[Okotokian]

Where are you? if we knew someone could probably suggest a local range.

[Pheasantnut]

I know the (40 yrd) range I went to had a chart in the stalls. All you had to do was look up your calibre, find the grain bullet you're using and the chart told you how high to sight in for, given the 40 yard length.

[Bushrat]

You really need to shoot it at 100yds to see what it is doing. At 40 yds it may or may not put you where you want to be at 100. There are a variety of factors involved one of the big ones is how high above the line of bore the scope is positioned, i.e if you aim dead on at 40 yds you still don't know where you will hit till you actually shoot it at 100yds. You could have 3 identical rifles of the same caliber adjusted to hit the same point of impact at 40 yds, if those three rifles have different mounts i.e. one having low scope mounts, one with medium height mounts and one with high mounts all hitting the same spot at 40 yds yet because of the height of the scope differences above the bore they will all have different points of impact at 100 yds. You will just have to shoot it at those distances to find out for yourself.

[Bobby B.]

Personally, I'd prefer sighting in over the hood of my pick up at a target paced out at 200 yds in a field then rely on the guesstimate approach offered by a 40 yard range offering a 'calculation chart'. Although not exactly optimal, the former provides tangible field results however rough whereas the latter is theoretical conjecture. Do whichever provides you the confidence to shoot with certainty.

Bobby B.

[altaberg]

ideally you would be sighting in a new rifle at 25m and subsequently at 200m but if you can't here is what I would do.

At 40m most common rounds 270, 30-06 should be slightly less than an inch high. Sight your rifle in on that and then go out on crown land where you can legally and safely shoot, measure 200m by walking or GPS and see what kind of groups you get.

At the start of the season I often go to the Phoenix range because it's quick and check my rifles. Once they are properly sighted in that will tell you if the scope was knocked since last year. When I do that my rifles shoot just a tad less than an inch high on 45y and it should almost be a single hole at that distance.