The 25-Yard Zero?

[Adam Helmer]

Ok, you have a new (mayhaps to you) muzzleloader. Where do you set your initial (First bulseye target?) I have read that a 12.5 yard target is fine for any muzzleloader. Whatever?

I have long ago set my initial targets at 25 yards (from my bench) for smokeless and BP arms and have not seen any need to alter my initial yardage. Today, I shot and recorded the results for ball and maxis for my newly acquired .50 T/C Hawken flinter. At 75 yards the POI/POA were the same as I found at 25 yards.

I have found that a 25-yard POA/POI (Point of aim/Point of impact) will keep you "on the paper" at 100 yards with both smokeless and BP arms. Yes, sometimes a bit of minor tweeeking is needed, but it is not all that much.

Find your Zero and write it down for all your arms, both smokeless and Black Powder.

Adam

[Mr. 16 gauge]

Got to agree, to a certain degree.....Shotgun slugs from a smoothbore are the only exception that I have found. Plus, where I usually shoot, you only get a choice of 25,50, and 100 yard targets.

[rattus58]

Hi Adam,

Well I know that Fadala and a lot of other bookwriters subscribe to the "25 yard - 100 yard" Zero. That may work out for ball park 30-30 and such but I've found that for me with open sights anyway.. that zeroing at 15 yards first is senisble. Then move to 25 yards. I then move to 35-40 then on to 50 out to 125 yards for my guns that flat shoot enough to that distance (mostly my whites).

The rest I zero at 50 yards then just for spite move up to 3" high at 50. For some reason with most of my round ball and muskets, this keeps me about 3" both at 50 and 75 yards and about 0 at 100 yards.

This is with a 58 caliber. I have a 54 that I' ve yet to try out (flinter) at range as I'm still trying to keep ME on at 25 yards...

I've found that zeroing out to distance is more effective in "learning" your gun than just getting it in at 25 then moving to 100. In some guns, the midrange will totally surprise you. The higher the velocity the less the difficulty with mid-range to be sure, but I still find it nice to "KNOW" what the gun is doing all the way along my path.

Aloha..

[roundball]

I always zero a new ML or load at 25yds mainly for the simple convenience of being able to see results with the naked eye, and adjiust to get things centered up pretty close...then move to 50yds for final zero.

With my woods hunting here in the east, I leave all my MLs zeroed at 50yds...then I'll shoot a couple groups at 100yds to confirm the drop (usually around 3-4") and I'm done with it.

The longest deer shot I've ever had with a TC Hawken was only 70yds...

[Riposte1]

Ditto, 25 yards.

Normally I move out then to 100 and zero about 2" high.

However, I use that 75 yard zero for 22 rifles and handguns (which have a very similar trajectory) for small game. Hits on at 75 and 25 and is about 1" high at 50.

I use 75 for a lot of service sized handguns when used in the field (like the 9mm, .357, 40, 10mm and .45 with 5" or less barrels) - they are a bit high at 25 & 50, and at their highest at 37 (about 3.5") and then about 4" low at 100 (using the center of the group, naturally the group size is often big enough to mask the trajectory).

My .44s an .41s get zeroed at 100, as does my longer barreled or optic sighted .357s.

Riposte

[Adam Helmer]

Well,

It seems we all agree to start close, about 25 yards +/-, and then recheck our bullet/ball trajectory at 50, 75 and 100 yards. I do that and put the data on a piece of masking tape affixed to the stock of the gun involved.

Adam