Not sure if this belongs here or elsewhere, but I thought some might use a specific target for ARs that they may not use for other guns for whatever reason.
I’m looking for something to use for zeroing irons at 100 yards, that will also work for RDS. No magnification in the sighting system in either case, so it needs to be something visible at that distance. Ideally it would also be useable at 50, and I don’t see any reason the same target shouldn’t be usable for both.
Are you just walking 'em in or what? These are the targets you’re talking about, right?
I was hoping for something a little more… precise. While the sighting system I’m using is not magnified I will have a spotting scope with me to check the hits and gridlines would be helpful to make adjustments.
From the one on the link it is the other target shown to the right of the web page: Long Distance Rifle Tgt. with the black head and shoulders.
I use it for irons and RDS. Start at 50 and move out to 100…shouldn’t be off by much. I haven’t needed a grid. POA is top of post where the black starts at the chest line.
I personally don’t use a 100yd zero as the 50yd zero with another cross around 212 (varies by ammo/rifle type) makes more sense for me and my uses. Of course that’s a whole other discussion. Anyway, I like to use these targets provided by another member here. They are both 50yd (with one designed for when a 25yrd range is all that’s available) with variants for both 4moa and 2moa dots.
They seem to work well for me and you might be able to find something similar (or modify these) for your 100yd zero
my favorite targets for zeroing RDS is a blank sheet of white paper (12" “project” paper or poster board works good) that I make a square grid on with 2" blue painters tape. aligning the tape 45% diagonally works well for precise aiming points but is harder to get it right so I just go with the square grid.
it’s cheap, I can get 4 aiming points per sheet, and I don’t have to special order, etc… the blue is dark enough that I can see it easily (if you can’t see it at 100 yards, use black tape but the blue works real well for 50 yards and under), the red dot is contrasted very well against it (unlike the common orange sight-in targets), and I can see the holes easily.
I can record my data right on them and then afterward, I just hole punch them and keep them in a binder separated by gun/optic/load/whatever…
Not a problem, can’t claim credit so thank the original poster who made them.
For the record though there is such thing as a 50 yd zero; it means–you guessed it–you’re zero’d at 50 yds. I’m also well aware that a 50 yd zero and a 200 yd zero aren’t the same thing. Just because nobody chooses to zero their rifle at 42 yds or any other arbitrary number doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist or isn’t viable if the user knows their holds and is comfortable with it.
Ok since we’re going to go on with it, I completely disagree. Pick a shooting spot, measure off 50yds and hang a target with a dot in the middle. Shoot at the dot, adjusting your optic until you hit that dot every time (accuracy of whatever ammo your using aside). Your trying to tell me that isn’t a 50 yd zero?
Again I’m not saying it’s the same as a 200 yd zero and I’m not magically expecting the two to line up but to say it’s physically impossible to zero at 50 yds is just asinine.
ETA: Molon (and I’m sure others) also don’t seem to think its impossible
Oh I do understand the difference. By your rational there would be no such thing as a 200 yd zero either. It would just be a secondary intersection. Just because YOU (I love how you use the caps) do something one way doesn’t mean its the only way and everyone else is wrong or doesn’t understand.
No, it would be both a zero and a second intersection. In shooting the second intersection, or final intersection, is called a “zero”.
Which, by the way, brings us to why I prefer the 100 yard zero, since the thread is good and hijacked and I already got what I wanted…
with a 100 yard zero you get initial intersection, maximum ordinate, and zero all ~at the same point. Very useful, and produces less overall deviation between POA/POI all the way out past 200 yards than the 200 yard zero (or 40 yard initial intersection).
