Has anyone done any work on creating a zeroing target similar to the Bisley one, for other ranges? It would be very handy to have one for another range I shoot at so I was thinking about doing some sums and working one out but hoping someone else has gone down that road first so I can steal their work....
Yes, all the time. They work extremely well and quite easy to work out. I use my Anschutz 54 .22 match rifle for both 25 yd benchrest and also for long range .22lr matches out to 400 yds. I don't have access to anything other that 25yds for sighting in and preparing for long range so I work out what elevation I will need and shoot a tall target. All you need is a good guess at the velocity and BC of your bullet and a known distance. Plonking a new scope on your .22 and knowing your first shot is going to hit the target at 400 yards is quite satisfying.
I use the basic Strelok app (no longer available I believe) but any other ballistic program would work.)
What range/velocity/bullet are you thinking about and what range is available to zero at?
If you already have zeros/come-ups for the distances you shoot, go to your zero range and shoot a 'ladder' like this to use as a reference.
If you remove or replace the scope you can quickly get back on target. This way you have a more specific zero target for all your loads and would be a good indicator for zeroing similar rifle/cartridge combinations further down the road.
Doesn't work on a new-to-you rifle/scope/cartridge system thoug. That might need something like Strelok or some brain-aching maths.
Arming the Country, one gun at a time.
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I've made and used custom zeroing targets. It's quite straightforward.
You need to know, at a minimum, muzzle velocity, balistic coefficient of the bullet and height of sights above the bore. Download a basic balistic software package. I use something called "exbal" which is just a spreadsheet file that works in Microsoft excel or any good spreadsheet program. The beauty of this is that all the boxes are filled in, you just change the relevant values. Alternatively email the bullet/ammunition manufacturer the above data and they will usually supply the information, just make sure you specify you just want the 25 yard value for each distance.
As your zeroing range is 25 yards set the distance increments to 25 yards. For your "come ups" enter the "zero" distance (the point where line of sight and trajectory coincide) and read off the 25 yards value. On your zeroing target put a line that distance above the aiming point.
For example, for 500 yards you will enter 500 yards as the zero distance. If you look at the table you will see the value for height above sights at 500 yards will be 0.0 inches. Now scoot over to the left, 25 yard column, and you will see, say, +6.5 inches. On your zeroing target rule a line 6.5 inches above point of aim. Now shoot and adjust elevation until your shots coincide with that line. Write down the sight setting.
I have used this system many times and it's freaky how close it is, it has always got me on target first shot. When I used it with my. 223 with the 75gr A-Max I was only 1.5 minutes out on elevation, at 900 yards.
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