Just curious. For those of you in the state of PA, what range do you zero in your XBolt (or anything really). I've got a Stainless Stalker .30-06 and will be moving to southwest PA this summer. I've heard recommendations of zeroing at 25 yards so I'd be about 1.5 high at 100 yards and dead on at 200-225 yards. Is there that much open land even in the state of PA?!?! Just looking for your thoughts.
That formula is good enough...but it actually depends on what county you're talking about hunting in...
No problem...Enjoy the Keystone State !! List of Pennsylvania state symbols The Ruffed Grouse US Brig Niagara in port Motto: "Virtue, Liberty, and Independence" Tree: Eastern Hemlock Game bird: Ruffed Grouse Flower: Mountain Laurel Insect: Pennsylvania Firefly Animal: White-tailed deer Dog: Great Dane Fish: Brook Trout Fossil: Phacops rana Beverage: Milk Song: "Pennsylvania" Ship: US Brig Niagara Electric locomotive: GG1 4859 Steam locomotive: K4s 1361 and K4s 3750 Beautification and conservation plant: Penngift Crown vetch
I 'm not in PA but I always make sure I'm on paper at 25 yds and then take it out to 100 and zero 1.5 in high.
Thanks! That's pretty much where I'm at right now. I'm right on at 25 yards and then about 1.5 - 2 inches high at 100 yards. Sometimes a little higher. Or lower. Or to the left. Or to the right. I'm still working that out. That's all me though!
You've started looking into one important area of setting up your X-Bolt - what are your shooting conditions going to be like (open areas or heavily wooded). Next you might want to think about just what it is you're going to be hunting. Then finally, what do you consider an ethical distance to take a shot at, with 'ethical' being how far you feel you can confidently put down the target at your skill level knowing the way the rifle shoots. With that you can start picking the actual bullet you're going to use (and I'd sight in using that same round for more consistent real-world hunting results). Then you might want to consider this strategy -- zero in at a range that would give you a high probability of putting the bullet within some specified sized circle at distances you expect to encounter your game at. Let's say you will be hunting deer and figure that if you aim at what you think is dead center of its heart and hit within 5 inches of that point of aim, you'll take it down with a heart shot. More about that, and why to consider a lung shot instead at: http://troutswildoutdoors.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=83&Itemid=102 Anyhow, after deciding on what bullet, be it Federal, Winchester, Hornady, hand load or other, to use then do some work with a ballistics calculator to see at what ranges you could expect to get within your decided upon circle based on the zero setting for the scope. That will also give you some useful info for shooting at other-than-expected distances. I did some quick work based on a 165 grain 30-06 bullet and found that if zeroed at 100 yards, my 5-inch circle would be valid from the muzzle on out to about 220 yards, and if I zeroed at 200 yards, then that circle pushes on out to roughly 270 yards. In either case, the 165 grain 30-06 would have plenty of power to take a deer. Note - for the bullet I picked, that +5 inches from point of aim is vertical, but at 270 yards, a 10 mph crosswind would push the bullet just under 6 inches inches left/right. Safe hunting!
So much good info in this post. Thank you for taking the time to reply and put all this together. Been here in PA since August and loving every minute of it.
Thanks for the complement. Here's a strategy you might consider - once you decide on a bullet to actually hunt with, get your scope pretty tightly zeroed in with that bullet. Then you could purchase less expensive bullets (if there are some) to do target practice with - with the goal of improving your technique (breath control, trigger pull and all of that stuff). But don't adjust the scope to that bullet unless you're willing to rezero with the hunting bullet later on. Assuming you don't change the scope's zero point, simply look for close groups with the 'training' bullet as you practice. For just refining my technique I actually got a target quality .22LR (CZ 455 - although I strongly considered bull barrel version of the Ruger 10/22, and I imagine a Browning SA-22 would be a good choice also). In my mind you can develop and refine your technique with almost any rifle, then apply what you learn when you use (and practice with) your hunting rifle. Even the difference in the cost of a .22LR bullet and a 30-06 mounts up if you go practice and run through 50 or 100 rounds at a session: good quality .22LR can be had right at $0.08 each now online (plus shipping), while the cheapest I see 30-06 on line right this minute works out to $0.53 each plus shipping. By the way, one great source of availability and pricing on ammunition that I've found is http://ammoseek.com/ - kind of an Amazon or Travelocity for ammo - it's a portal that checks many ammo sellers pricing throughout the day and provides the box/case cost with a per-bullet cost breakdown and provides a link right to the source.
Excellent ideas. Thank you. I have a Marlin 795 .22LR that is a real tack driver and we had some fun with it in AZ before we moved. I used to go out to the desert range and plink for hours with that thing. It's amazing how accurate a $100 rifle can be. No scope though. And thanks for the ammoseek link. You've given me a lot to chew on with all your advice. Much appreciated!
