Going to shoot my FWB 124D with 12x scope (front objective adjustment) at a FT competition next year. May even shoot Gunslynger at the Pyramid cup. I know my setup puts me at a disadvantage but want to try it before spending more money for a more competitive setup. Just doing for fun so may not upgrade anyway. I think the distances are from 8 yards to 55 yards. My gun is shooting close to 800 fps with JSB 10.3 grain. What distance would you zero at?????
FWB What distance to zero for field target competition.
- Thread starter JDR
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If you have Chairgun or Strelok, play with the zero ranges, and see what that does. Start at 25, then move it forward or back a bit. Im zero'd at 25, and that gets me a 12-ish yard "flat spot" from 22-34 yards where you can just hold on, no correction necesary
Chairguna nd Strelok will get ya started, but you'll need to verify those at the range
Chairguna nd Strelok will get ya started, but you'll need to verify those at the range
I find 25y to be the distance where all reticle compensation or clicking keeps it all holdover. My Hunter PCPs are pretty flat from 20-30. A springer will lose a little bit there.
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I zero at 25 yards. Ballistic trajectory was pretty flat between 20 and 35 yards for my rifle, so I didn't have to mess with holdover.
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The only problem I’ve found with zeroing at an “odd” distance is that field target matches typically put paper targets out at 5 or 10 yard increments.
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For my protecting the orchard shooting I use Chairgun to check near & far zero on a 1 inch Kill Zone.
For Field Target what size Kill Zone do you use for checking zeros?
Thanks
Edward
For Field Target what size Kill Zone do you use for checking zeros?
Thanks
Edward
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Planning on quarter size. Right now just going thru different pellets to pick the best one. I think the 25 yard zero distance is the one I will use.
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I recommend using graph paper, these splatter burst targets give you the idea but graph paper intersections on good card stock provide more precise information. top line in black ink is showing distance from scope to target and target is moved in one yard increments. POI or point of impact will be lower than the POA or point of aim as the pellet will rise from muzzle to it's initial apex and then begin to fall off again.
Shooting yard by yard from 10 yard out to your initial apex will give you the best zero for your rig.
in pic below you can see the Redwolf hit its initial apex sooner than the Steyr HFT... usually this is a scope height thing, center of barrel to center of scope, but yes, speed of pellet and weight of pellet also have an influence but for these close in ranges which help determine initial apex, not so much.
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I thought FT had a 12fpe limit? Your 124 is running a little hot with that pellet, if it is.
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HFT is <20 FPE. WFTF is <12 FPE.
Distances are 10 yards to 55 yards. so its good to know your dope from 9 yards to 60 yards as course setups are not rocket science.
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I read you shoot from standing, kneeling and prone on a course you walk with targets at different elevations in HFT but no bipods, monopods or tripods. Is this correct?
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generally prone (belly floppingg) is not a thing in the U.S. but it can be added at the discretion of a evil match director. AAFTA governs AAFTA events. but some clubs just do their own thing. You can shoot from a seat with no back and you can use bipods or monopods but no tripods.
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You brought up a great point about scope height. The taller the rings and mounts the more angle the gun has at zero and the more arc between the muzzle and zero.
Open sights low against the barrel have a vastly different curve between the muzzle and zero. The pellet does not rise so much and the "top" of your trajectory is much closer than with a scope.
If you raise 1" to get to a 25 yard zero point your pellet will drop immediately past that. If you raise 2" to get to a 25 yard zero your pellet will continue to rise a bit past that distance. So the top of your arc is dictated by the distance between your bore and your line of sight. The higher your line of sight the more you hold under at close range and the more your pellet rises before it starts to fall.
The ideal zero range is at or just before the highest point of your trajectory. This point is dictated by the height of your scope above the bore. Using the same gun and pellet the top of your trajectory will be closer with low rings and farther with tall rings. It will be closer still with open sights.
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