Scope dialing and zerostop question.

[SGGear]

Evolutiongsr - I ve placed a zerostop at 300 yrds and then turned the screw 10 clicks (about 1 mil) and installed the turret for me to get depression at 1mil.

HK Dave - should I be safe and put a depression at 2 mil? I do plan on shooting specific load by reloading but I would like to be able to shoot different loads and have a good setup. With all the elements that can effect the ballistics of the bullet, what would be a preferred depression at 300 yrds?

[HK Dave]

I'd reckon 2 mils is safe with 308 zeroed at 300 yards. It's actually a tad much for me. Personally I'd be ok with 1 mil under. If you dial down to 1 mil under you're hitting roughly .3 - .5 mils high at most, that's less than 2" at 100 yards. Seems fine to me personally.

That feels like a lot to count for me though.

I setup differently... I zero at 200 yards. When I need to hit 300, I can either dial in .8 to 1 mil or just hold over one mil dot.

When Zerod at 200 yards, I hit high by 2 inches or so at 100 yards... 2 inches isn't a deal breaker for me so my zero stop is set at 0 for simplicity sake.

[SGGear]

Ok. thanks for the reply. NF insturctions recommends at 100 yrds a 1moa or .3 mil of depression below the existing normal zero. However, they didnt say anything for 300 yrds. I just took a guess and set it for 1mil. I m pretty sure I wont go anywhere close to 2 mil but I want to know its there when i need it.

[HK Dave]

I'd set for 1 mil personally. 2 mil is a lot. hah

[NytWolf]

I was reading about how zerostop works and how to set it. I dont own the scope yet but I plan on a 3.5-15x50. It was suggested that you dial the scope "down" a few clicks to have some adjustment past your zero, but this confuses me, because dont you need to dial it down for further ranges? Or does dialing it "down" really mean moving point of impact up? Im confused.

The zerostop you are describing has to do with the type of scope that has a movable turret.

Being that no scope is ever quite matched up to any rifle, once the scope is sighted-in to the rifle, your turrets are not always where you started.

Scopes that have a zerostop feature, will have the turrets marked with numbers, one of them being a ZERO. The zerostop feature allows you to move the ZERO back to the "middle" without moving your reticle. Another feature of the zerostop function is, it allows you to shim your elevation turret so that you can't turn your turret down past your zero. THAT is the zerostop you are reading.

When you dial up for shots longer than 100 yards (your rifle's zero), you move the reticle down, which would then require you to raise your rifle up, thus compensating for the holdover. Once you are finished with the shot, you can quickly turn your elevation turret back to zero. The zerostop just stops you from going past your rifle's zero, thus the name, zerostop.

[G-forceJunkie]

The actual number you set the zero stop really doesnt matter, just make sure it is less than one full turn from you zero. The whole point of a zero stop is so if you get lost as to what revolution the turret is at, you can quickly correct it by screwing it down untill it hits the stop, then back up to zero. As long as the stop is set somewhere within one revolution, it will serve its function. Why limit yourself, set it a full 1/2 or 3/4 of a turn below your zero.

[JaeFern]

The actual number you set the zero stop really doesnt matter, just make sure it is less than one full turn from you zero. The whole point of a zero stop is so if you get lost as to what revolution the turret is at, you can quickly correct it by screwing it down untill it hits the stop, then back up to zero. As long as the stop is set somewhere within one revolution, it will serve its function. Why limit yourself, set it a full 1/2 or 3/4 of a turn below your zero.

Exactly. Its just a function for quick reset. It doesn't have to be exact. Your turret covers should show you your exact zero. The stop just helps you get to the area faster without rediculously going past it...

-Jae from my Photon 4G

[FLIGHT762]

I set my Nightforce 3.5-15X50 NXS zero stop about 2.5 MOA lower than my 100 yard zero. If I decide to shoot a different bullet weight for a while, that 2.5 MOA down buffer gives me plenty of leeway when switching bullet weights.