On the Garand battle zero, range estimation, and hold.

[Lone_Gunman]

On Saturday I posted the following question over at the CMP forum.

I know that the battle zero is your 200 yard zero +2 clicks, or your 300 yard zero -1 click.
Is this while using the 6 O'clock hold to get your 200 & 300 yard zeros, and then once your BZO is established you use the center hold for man sized targets out to 400 yards?

The thread got 350 views, and not one answer, so I set about answering the question for my self.

This is what I came up with.

Well, having done a lot of research the last day or so, and I'm going to take a stab at answering my own question. Looking at ballistics tables, and the amount of rise/drop, and reading everything I could find, I think that to correctly use the BZO you need to use a center hold at either 200 or 300 yards, and then add 2 or subtract 1 click accordingly.

Here's why: the standard front sight of the Garand will appear to be the same width as a man at 275 yards, which is your BZO. If the target appears as wide as, or wider than your FSP you are within your BZO, so you can aim center mass, and fire.

M2 ball, fired from a Garand with a 275 yard zero will be at +0.3 inches at 25 yards, peaking at +4.7 inches at 150 yards, zeroing at 0.0 inches at 275 yards, and falling to -8 inches at 350 yards.

If you have zeroed with a center hold and are aiming center mass, eg. right at the solar plexus, you will score a hit on a man sized target out to 350 yards.

Furthermore, since you can use the FSP as a rough range finder it should be fairly simple to see that if the man sized target appears narrower than the FSP it is farther than 275 yards away. You can hold on the base of the throat, and score a hit out to 425 yards with a bullet drop of -20.6 inches.


From the research that I've done over the past day or so this appears to be the case, of course this all needs to be confirmed at the range.

[6mmintl]

Why don't you just come out and shoot highpower or military/regular silhouette and learn ballistics, sight settings, and range estimation related to your gun and 3006/308 calibers out to 600 yards.

Then you can reset your elevation knob to the correct setting/notch/yardage for quick visual sight settings.

[Lone_Gunman]

Why don't you just come out and shoot highpower or military/regular silhouette and learn ballistics, sight settings, and range estimation related to your gun and 3006/308 calibers out to 600 yards.

Then you can reset your elevation knob to the correct setting/notch/yardage for quick visual sight settings.

I am slowly collecting the equipment necessary to shoot those matches. Before I got my first Garand I had never shot over 100 yards, and only from a bench, or plinking at shorter ranges.

I just recently got a shooting mat, and now I'm waiting for some HP ammo from the CMP. I will make it out and start shooting the steel matches.

That said, it was kind of an acedemic question regarding the correct use of the BZO. I am much more accurate at known distance using the 6 o'clock hold, but I also wanted to know the correct use and sight picture for the BZO setting.

[OpenSightsOnly]

The BZO is just a sight setting either for 200 or 300 yards while center mass hold is used. The challenge with the BZO is that it presumes that the man size target is stationary. Also, BZO presupposes that you have good eyes and can focus on the flat top of the front sight post. Light, wind, and how you hold/support the rifle (standing, sitting, prone, shooting on a bench, etc) will also affect your zero and your perception of the target.

Have you tried the normal come-ups?

0-100 - 2 mins
100-200 - 2mins
200-300 - 3mins

If I were you, show up in a Garand match, the sponsoring club normally sells M2 ball ammo, and have stuff like shooting mat or rifle to lend for new shooters. That 200 yard match is good training. I did that then moved on to shooting highpower.

[rojocorsa]

I am slowly collecting the equipment necessary to shoot those matches. Before I got my first Garand I had never shot over 100 yards, and only from a bench, or plinking at shorter ranges.

I just recently got a shooting mat, and now I'm waiting for some HP ammo from the CMP. I will make it out and start shooting the steel matches.

That said, it was kind of an acedemic question regarding the correct use of the BZO. I am much more accurate at known distance using the 6 o'clock hold, but I also wanted to know the correct use and sight picture for the BZO setting.

Just so you know, some of these guys here helped me get started on shooting the matches; all I had to bring was my humble old M-1.

Just pay it forward some day. At least that's what I try to do (and will do more as I attain more experience).