# Sight in for 200 yrds



## lifeisgood (Aug 31, 2010)

A couple of years ago I was talking with my neighbor about his muzzy hunt and he was telling me how he and his son kept shooting at a deer that was over 200 yds away by holding a little high, they kept missing. I was thinking man that is too far to shoot a muzzy and why would you if you did not know how much drop you had out that far.

Time goes by and I keep reading on here how 200 yds is doable, so I think I got to find out if it is doable for me. I always sighted in at 100 yds since I figured I would never shoot over that, and just know high high I shoot at 50 yrds to compensate. Last year I was shooting at the 100 yrd range and decided to go over to the 200 yrd range and see what kind of group I could get. Well I could not hit paper, so I raised up and fired again. Still not on paper, so I aim for the top of the target holder and I hit about 17" below. I decided that I did not want to shoot that far without taking the time to sight in differently last year.

I will not be muzzy hunting this year, but I still want to see what I can do at 200 yrds while not messing up the 100 and 50 yrds hold much. I am shooting 250 grain TC sabots with 100 grains of triple seven powder. My question is should I try to be at zero at 150 yrds or at 200 yrds? How will this push me up at 100 yrds or 50 yrds? I dont mind being 8" low at 200 yrds I can deal with that, but 17" is just too much. Those that shoot that far regularly any advice on how best to approach this without a ton of trial and error? Thanks


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## Nambaster (Nov 15, 2007)

I originally started out shooting 2 50 grain pellets of pyrodex behind a Hornady Sabot and a Hornady XTP that weighed 300 grains. I had my zero at 100 yards. Once I was getting a good enough group at 100 yards I tried a few 200 yard shots and I discovered 24" of drop. 

I switched to 240 grian XTP's and now I am able to shoot at 3" high at 100 yards and 3" low at 200 yards. I was very surprised to find that the 240 grain bullets only drop 6" out to 200 yards compared to 24" with the 300 grain bullets. Muzzleloading has been an adventure for me, but this example just goes to show that past 200 yards even if you manage to land a hit it may not have the energy to ethically kill an animal. 

I have found that the streamline .44 mag bullets with a sabot get a little farther than the powerbelts, and the other full bore rounds. Figuring out weight, charge, and distance is pretty cool to explore. I am perfectly happy with a 240 grain hollow point bullet expanding 1.5 times its size and confidently shooting out to 200 yards over shooting a 300 grain bullet and having it drop 4 times as much... 

I think anything beyond 200 yards and you start losing elevation so rapidly it is not even worth figuring out. Just figure that the bullet is pretty much dropping off of the face of the earth.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

All my smokepoles are sighted in for a 125 yard zero. I've rarely taken a shot past that.


-DallanC


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## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

I sight in dead on at 25 yards.-------SS


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Yikes, not me... that would result in a chart like this:










Vs my hunting load:










How high are your sights above the centerline of the bore? That would help the first trajectory some.

-DallanC


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## Nambaster (Nov 15, 2007)

That point blank database is pretty amazing. According to the trajectory chart that must mean that my true 0 is around 170 yards. You also have to keep in mind that Springvilleshooter is shooting open sights and using the 6 O clock hold which makes the adjustment for elevation entirely up to him. 

I ended up using my Cabelas Pine Ridge 1X scope because elevation was pretty hard to figure out with open sights and a 6 O clock hold.


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## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

From my targets in the field this is the trajectory for my load:

25. 0
50. +1
100. +.5
150. -3
200. -10
250. -25
300. -40

This data comes from shooting a 4x8 sheet of plywood and measuring the drop with a tape measure. My load is 250 SSTs leaving the muzzle at a little over 2000 fps. The data past 200 is rough as I measure the center of groups that were 3-4 inches. -------SS


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## timberbuck (May 19, 2010)

I have an accura v2.

Shoot two of the triple 7 magnum pellets with a 250 grain Hornady sst.

I am 3" high at 100 yards and about 3.5 low at 200 yards.

The mid range trajectory at 150-160 yards is not high enough to worry about.


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## Bo0YaA (Sep 29, 2008)

Last buck I killed with my muzzy was exactly 200 yards. I put the horizontal line of my Hawken Hunter 1x scope flush across his back and pulled the trigger. The wound channel was amazing with complete penetration. According to Utah state law, to hunt moose or elk with any kind of pistol it has to be able to generate 500lbs of energy at 100 yards. Using this mentality of what is consider "enough energy to kill ethically" my load of 110gr of BH209 and a 250gr SST has enough energy (over 500lbs) clear out to 580 yards. Am I saying I would take that kind of shot, heck no but If I could use a 3x9 scope I would have no issues taking shots out to 250-300 knowing full well that if I do my part the bullet will do its with more than enough energy to spare.


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## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

Hey Booya....we shoot the exact same load. I used T7 pellets last year and killed a buck. This year I experimented with BH and the T7 was quickly replaced. This load is powerful and accurate. I can hit really consistently at 300 yards but wouldn't shoot game quite that far. I also ditched my factory sights and went to an improved aiming system. I am going to shoot a prairie dog at 300 yards this summer.-----SS


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## Bo0YaA (Sep 29, 2008)

LOL prairie dogs with a 250gr bullet :shock: that aught to be quite a site :mrgreen:. I'm running that load through a 26" tube and getting 2100+ FPS. It is a great load and the sweet spot for my gun. I wont shoot that far with a 1x scope but would with a 9x scope. I could put my fist through the wound channel on my last buck. A little disturbing to be down right honest. So i know if it had that much energy and created that much damage at 200 yards adding 50-100 yards would tone it down but still be plenty to drop a Mulie. Elk is another story, I would stay under 150 yards with that load. Even though it has over double the 500lbs of energy at 300 yards the state thinks it takes to kill something that size ethically with a pistol at 100.


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## Mavis13 (Oct 29, 2007)

My .45 shoots flat enough to make that shot; the guy behind it however..... is less qualified.


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## fishreaper (Jan 2, 2014)

Springville Shooter said:


> This data comes from shooting a 4x8 sheet of plywood and measuring the drop with a tape measure. My load is 250 SSTs leaving the muzzle at a little over 2000 fps. The data past 200 is rough as I measure the center of groups that were 3-4 inches. -------SS


Jeez, sounds like you're getting 1 inch groups at 100 yards with a muzzle loader. I must say, I am quite impressed, despite the fact that I have no experience to compare it to. Most people are quite content getting 1in groups in a modern rifle.


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## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

Yes, my TC Encore will shoot 1" groups at 100 yards if I do my part. I am a somewhat experienced rifle marksman but started into front-stuffing last year. I was extremely suprised at the accuracy of my muzzleloading rifle. I don't shoot a ton of paper now that I know my trajectory but pop cans and 20 oz plastic bottles are doable at 100 and milk jugs almost always get killed at 200-250 yards. I can ring my 18 inch gong at 300 but things start getting a little dicey at that range as sight limitations combined with a lot of bullet drop add many variables.------------SS


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## El Matador (Dec 21, 2007)

SS, you're a better shot than I but my T/C Omega can still manage sub moa groups with me at the helm. That's with a 3-9x scope though. The guns themselves are pretty amazing and will easily kill deer out to 300 or beyond. The biggest limitation by far is the sighting systems allowed during the hunt. A good peep or 1x scope will allow you to get out to 300 if conditions and lighting are just right. Wind is also a big factor with these big heavy bullets. I modified the elevation turret on my 1x scope so I can dial up if a long shot ever happens in the field. For the most part I limit my shots to 200 yards and just hold over if needed, but I have drop charts and rangefinders just in case that long range shot ever presents itself.


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## bugchuker (Dec 3, 2007)

Here's my first attempt at 200 yds. 120 gr BH209 and 225 gr Hornady FTX.


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## fastcamo (Aug 27, 2012)

I use the TC prohunter with 1x scope, 300 grain scorpion PT gold with CR sabot and 110 of Blackhorn. My math computes to

100----2.5"
150----0.4"
200---- minus 4.9"

Chrono is reading 2100 average
Bullet BC of .250

225 yards would be my max I go though. Here is my 200 target


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## torowy (Jun 19, 2008)

200 yards is about all I dare shoot through my 1x scope.


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## MWScott72 (May 23, 2011)

I'm shooting a 375 grain bullet (BC of.300) out of a .52 Knight super disc. Pushing it with 100 grains (by weight) of Blackhorn. There's no data out there for this powder/bullet combo. I don't have a chronic so not sure of my FPS. This is what I know (using iron sights.

100 - +3.5-4"
200 - -9-14"

Still honing it in but it will be more than adequate to drop an elk out to 200 yds. I need to shoot it at 25 and 50 yds to see where I'm at at short range.


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## El Matador (Dec 21, 2007)

I'm also a fan of the 125 yd zero. With my setup (250 Barnes @ 2025 fps) I'm within 2" all the way to 150 and about 6" low at 200.


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