Target Question?

[xjjeeperx]

I was looking at some targets and came across this target.
It says " This target is specialy designed for sighting in big-game rifles 3" high at 100 yards. Sighting in a big game rifle this way will achieve a gun's maximum usable range without having to hold high on the animal and without the bullet rising unreasonably above the line-of-sight."

Why would you do this? I rarely kill a deer farther than 150yd and my zero is for 100. I know what to dial for shorter, so what is the point of shooting an inch higher that point of aim. Did I miss something lol. Here's the target...http://www.mytargets.com/target104 grid 3inch high.pdf

 

[Lindy]

Re: Target Question?

Well, that's not an effective way to do it with all loads, but it's an effort to achieve maximum point-blank range. See:

http://www.exteriorballistics.com/ebexplained/4th/55.cfm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point-blank_range

 

[xjjeeperx]

Re: Target Question?

Thanks for the links. So lets see if I understand. If you sight it in an inch high you would still hit at a closer range, yet if your prey happens to be farther out the same zero will hit the vital without a scope adjustment. cool!

 

[Barticus]

Re: Target Question?

Sighting in high at 100 yards is important because it helps protect you from the Bullet Fairies.

I bet you are asking yourself "What the hell are Bullet Fairies???"

It turns out that they are small magical creatures that are rarely seen but often cussed by marksmen worldwide. They are related to Leprechauns, Tommyknockers and Garden Gnomes. Apparently they originated on the British Isles and were spread around the world first by the Romans and later by the British Empire. If you ever see one you will know it because they look like Leprechauns in drag (thus the fairy part) that fly around on magical rocketpacks that are powered by a fuel that seems to be pure oak-aged high-test Irish Whiskey.

Now on to how this relates to shooting...It turns out that the bullet fairies are the mischievous sort, and they like to play practical jokes on shooters. Things like blowing bullets off course (fliers) and putting a couple of turns on your target knobs when you aren't looking...

Sighting in high to make use of your ballistic maximum point blank range (for your appropriate target size) helps protect you from their favorite prank of all....They like to teleport targets! You know that trophy buck that you swore was at 175 yards that you held dead on and shot just under? Well the instant you squeezed the trigger a bullet fairy teleported it out to 250 yards so you would miss the deer entirely! Now if you had sighted in for maximum point blank range (which does happen to be roughly 3" high at 100yds on a 10" target for most modern chamberings) you would have still hit that buck, Fairy be damned!

Of course you may be thinking to just shoot a higher velocity gun to protect you from the bullet fairies' teleportation trick....that works, but it really pisses them off, and at night they crawl inside your barrel and burn the rifling out with the flames (plasma???) from their whiskey-powered jetpacks. I just prefer to drink a toast to them out of respect and just sight in my rifles for max point blank range to protect me from their pranks and my range misestimation....

 

[treebasher]

Re: Target Question?

Barticus, may the curse of Mary Malone, her nine blind illegitimate children and a libidinous leprechaun chase you so far over the hills of Damnation that the Lord himself can't find you with a telescope.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: Target Question?

Where the <span style="font-style: italic">Hell</span> did I put those hip waders...?

 

[treebasher]

Re: Target Question?

Damn those Bullet Fairies are ugly...

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[bdh308]

Re: Target Question?

I saw those little bastards the other nite when I was SNIPE hunting. Could have sworn one of them was Julia Roberts.

 

[Barticus]

Re: Target Question?

be afraid, be very afraid...

There are times when small arms are just not enough gun...anyone have a round of 120mm Cannister handy?????