Finding YOUR Zero - shot by shot

Every Airgun is unique and every different pellet choice presents its own ballistic challenges.
Although I only punch paper for setting up my Airguns; this method of finding your optimal zero can easily apply to everyone.
BUT
it is a lot of work, albeit satisfying work, which results in a great visual tool and very useful information about your Airgun and your pellet choice Ballistics.
For starters you can zero your Airgun at 25 yards - I chose 30 yards - but I could have chosen 25 or 35 yard. At this point I’m just interested in finding the apex of my trajectory.
Next step: using some 8”x11” graph paper, tape them together on some coroplast; then draw a straight line all the way across the top and then mark your line with a X every inch or so.
Label your X marks by the 1/2 yard from 10-55 or however far away you plan on shooting.
i recommend the next step to be done from a bench to minimize variables.
place your target at 10 yards and begin shooting With your point of aim on the line at the X for each distance. Your pellets point of impact maybe or will be lower than your point of aim, and that’s part of the important data.
Below picture shows my results shooting .177 jsb 13.4 RD’s from a Redwolf at 812 fps.
when finished you will have created a real life ballistic chart for your gun and pellet choice. Useful for determining holdovers and or clicking the turret!

Of great interest to me was how quickly the pellet began dropping after my chosen zero of 30 yards. 3" drop by the time we reached 55 yards.
wind was actually blowing left to right in accordance with the pellet drifting
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Every Airgun is unique and every different pellet choice presents its own ballistic challenges.
Although I only punch paper for setting up my Airguns; this method of finding your optimal zero can easily apply to everyone.
BUT
it is a lot of work, albeit satisfying work, which results in a great visual tool and very useful information about your Airgun and your pellet choice Ballistics.
For starters you can zero your Airgun at 25 yards - I chose 30 yards - but I could have chosen 25 or 35 yard. At this point I’m just interested in finding the apex of my trajectory.
Next step: using some 8”x11” graph paper, tape them together on some coroplast; then draw a straight line all the way across the top and then mark your line with a X every inch or so.
Label your X marks by the 1/2 yard from 10-55 or however far away you plan on shooting.
i recommend the next step to be done from a bench to minimize variables.
place your target at 10 yards and begin shooting With your point of aim on the line at the X for each distance. Your pellets point of impact will be lower than your point of aim, and that’s part of the important data.
Below picture shows my results shooting .177 jsb 13.4 RD’s from a Redwolf at 812 fps.
when finished you will have created a real life ballistic chart for your gun and pellet choice. Useful for determining holdovers and or clicking the turret!

Of great interest to me was how quickly the pellet began dropping after my chosen zero of 30 yards.
View attachment 531720View attachment 531721
If you want you can then measure the difference between your point of aim and point of impact with a ruler and then you can aim at a target by guessing the distance and using a holdover of inches above where you want to hit.
i would have to aim 3” above my target at 55 yards to score the proverbial bullseye
IMG_8962.jpeg
 
This is a great way to learn the trajectory of a projectile and get to know your weapon!

I've been doing exactly this with slingshots, bows and guns for over 60 years.

Cheers!
If we study my chart some we can see my initial trajectory apex is probably right around 23 yards; but extends to approximately 32 yards. I could rezero the scope to the middle of the apex say 26/27 yards and reshoot, to minimize holdovers but in my case it’s not that critical since I have hard holdover values I have validated.
Good fun when you are kinda snowed in.
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Looking at graphs like yours I've often wondered if higher scope mounts are better for HFT and 16x than lower scope mounts. There will be more rise in the trajectory at short distances where ranging is more accurate and less drop at long distances where ranging is less accurate.
Largely depends on the details provided by the reticle - in this case - a Sightron SIII 10-50x60 FT, it lacks some detail from zero to 1 which does make it more difficult to hold point. I may switch to an Athlon Helos Gen2 6-24x56 so this affects 21-39 Yards
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Largely depends on the details provided by the reticle - in this case - a Sightron SIII 10-50x60 FT, it lacks some detail from zero to 1 which does make it more difficult to hold point. I may switch to an Athlon Helos Gen2 6-24x56 so this affects 21-39 Yards
View attachment 531765
picture of the two reticle options Sightron v Athlon side by side

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Looking at graphs like yours I've often wondered if higher scope mounts are better for HFT and 16x than lower scope mounts. There will be more rise in the trajectory at short distances where ranging is more accurate and less drop at long distances where ranging is less accurate.
My understanding is that a lower scope will make the closer shots need less holdover. The far shots will need more holdover.
 
My understanding is that a lower scope will make the closer shots need less holdover. The far shots will need more holdover.
my scope is pretty much slammed down but I also use a air superiority 20 MOA Redwolf specific pic rail. So what you stated makes sense because of the 20 MOA rail.
 
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You can download “Mero” software on PC for free and input all of your variables (pellet weight, fps, scope height, etc etc) and it will do all of this for you, including showing you a reticle and where to aim at any distance. Quite an impressive piece of software. Similar to Chairgun, but free. Chairgun is great on iOS but if you have a pc/Mac download Mero and check it out.
 
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You can download “Mero” software on PC for free and I put all of your variables (pellet weight, fps, scope height, etc etc) and it will do all of this for you, including showing you a reticle and where to aim at any distance. Quite an impressive piece of software. Similar to Chairgun, but free. Chairgun is great on iOS but if you have a pc/Mac download Mero and check it out.
Thank you, I have chairgun elite and strelock pro and tried the Elements ballistics program but nothing has been as accurate as actually taking the shot. yes I get close but I need spot on perfect. I will Check out Mero but I’m an Apple guy.
 
If we study my chart some we can see my initial trajectory apex is probably right around 23 yards; but extends to approximately 32 yards. I could rezero the scope to the middle of the apex say 26/27 yards and reshoot, to minimize holdovers but in my case it’s not that critical since I have hard holdover values I have validated.
Good fun when you are kinda snowed in.
View attachment 531733
What a nice backyard range.
 
I thought we wanted two zeros. One say at 16 on the rise and one at 25 on the dropping arch. Like my PB, if I zero at 200 yards, I also have a zero at 25 or so. I still have to shoot the other ranges to check how high it climbs between the two zeros, etc.
Technically the bullet will have many points of (two zeros) # 1 as it rises and #2 as it descends, with airguns esp in .177 it's great to know those two points as most often you can treat everything in-between those two points as holding at the center of the aim point. everything else (in field target) is going to be a holdover. in a PB or an extremely long distance (lobbed shot) it is much more dramatic. That said it’s ideal to know the exact peak of your trajectory
 
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