.22LR - What range is your Zero for hunting?

[Kent Detective]

I wanted to ask you all what range do you zero your .22LR rifles at for small animal hunting?

Personally I find 45 yards about right. If I aim high for the rabbit's head this normally caters for any bullet drop up to 100 yards. Most shots (98%) result in an instant death. I do get the occasional wounding at long ranges which I really hate.

I think I may get better results by increasing the zero range to either 50 or 75 yards, what do you think?

My zero range is safe with a solid soil backdrop. If I increase zero I shall have to find a replacement range which is safe.

Most of my targets are 50 yards or less with the occasional 100 yarder. My best shot thus far being 110 yards with an outright kill.

I have no wish to cause suffering and therefore it's important to me that each shot results in an instant kill (humane). I'm not a fan of using mil dots to compensate for bullet drop. I prefer a point of impact (POI) on my set zero.

[copey]

i set my hunting rf to 40 yds and can shoot out to 30 to 60 yds with clean kills.as most of the shooting i do is in small fields i dont shoot beyond 60yds much.although if i use stingers i can hold the cross hair out to 100yds on say a fox and the bullets grouping is within a 1 1/2 group which pretty much im hitting where i aim.but i dont do this any more in respect of the animal being wounded.

[Boris]

My M69 Trainer has flip up rear sights. My round of choice its a tad high at the 25 setting and right on at 50 with the 50 flipped up. I have used the 100 yard flip up on 'chucks a few times too. You can hear them subsonics slam into them critters pretty loud. Enough that I know when I hit solid as the critter vanishes into the field or hole......

[JLA]

I use a burris with ballistic plex reticle, zeroed at 50 yds and the aim points are good at 50, 75, 100, 125, and 150 yds. any hunting past 100 is not recommended though due to bullet drift and insufficient energy to kill anything bigger than a house cat cleanly...

[Boris]

Originally Posted by JLA

I use a burris with ballistic plex reticle, zeroed at 50 yds and the aim points are good at 50, 75, 100, 125, and 150 yds. any hunting past 100 is not recommended though due to bullet drift and insufficient energy to kill anything bigger than a house cat cleanly...

I about fell out of my seat laughing when I read that last sentence!! I have a house cat, doubt he will ever be shot. I can not say the same for any feral cat setting foot on one of the farms though........

Glad I am not your neighbor! I would have to keep the shades closed to keep my house cat safe lol....

[JLA]

I got chickens. I have popped me a couple cats trying to get em, and I find they wiggle longer if I shoot em further than 100 yds away. mostly stray toms, mean suckers thatll take your hide off if ya tried to catch em...

[todd51]

I may be corrupting your thread but just have to relate a cat story. Dad and I are enjoying coffee in the kitchen when the Basset Hounds started raising cane in their pens. We look out the kitchen window and see a cat well past that 100 yards you mention. Well the little Springfield mod. 15 is behind the door so dad takes the long shot at the cat. The cat does a cartwheel in the air and we are both patting our selves on the back for that shot. We finish the coffee and then get the shovel to go dispose of the evidence. On the way dad sees fresh blood on the entrance door of a spare dog house. The house has a hinged roof so we peer inside and there is a rather sad looking cat peering back. We are now a little sad ourselves. Dad says go get that Colt Frontier Scout and some bird shot shells as I don't want to damage the dog house nor did he want to worry about a ricochet. So dad eases up the roof and shoots the cat in the head to put it out of it's suffering. Lots of bumping and banging going on inside that dog house and then things quiet down. We go back to the kitchen to finish the coffee and then return to bury the cat. Well you can guess. We had only taken two of that cat's nine lives and it is gone. Can't find it any place. Well we are now real sad and not very proud of ourselves but what can we do. We both had to work on the fire dept. the next day. On the third day we are enjoying coffee together again when dad says look setting on the neighbor's porch across the road. I look and there is that very sad looking poor cat setting on the porch big as you please. It was not the neighbor's cat.

Later that day the door bell rings and we look out only to see an Animal Control Officer on our porch. Oh s@#t!!! I can see the head lines now, "two fire officers arrested for cruelty to animals". Well nothing to do but answer the door and face our fate. The Officer says "I'm here to pick up an injured cat". Dad says we don't have a cat but there is one sitting on the porch across the street that doesn't look too good. We got out of that one but never got over such poor attempt to kill a cat. So you all believe what JLA says about that 100 yards and I can vouch that bird shot will do nothing but make one mad even at five inch range.

I know, shame on you Todd.

[accident]

I just don't like cats.

[CampingJosh]

40 yards for me. But I rarely take shots longer than 70 or so.

[Boris]

I got plenty of cat stories myself. One of my wifes friends had a hit out on a cat. We called it dead cat walking. I sat in their house all day long waiting. Long story short. Buddy shoots and only nicks its neck. Big poof of fur. It just sat there. I leveled down right behind the shoulders with my 17HM2. CRACK!! WHAPP!! I heard the bullet connect at about 90 yards. It jumped about four feet in the air screeching, ran 70 yards and fell over dead..

I love my cats. I hate feral cats and on the farm you do what you gotta do..........

[Zane71464]

Originally Posted by JLA

I got chickens. I have popped me a couple cats trying to get em, and I find they wiggle longer if I shoot em further than 100 yds away. mostly stray toms, mean suckers thatll take your hide off if ya tried to catch em...

Heck yeah they're mean!!! And trying to "fetch" one will get ya hurt bad!

Originally Posted by todd51

I may be corrupting your thread but just have to relate a cat story. Dad and I are enjoying coffee in the kitchen when the Basset Hounds started raising cane in their pens. We look out the kitchen window and see a cat well past that 100 yards you mention. Well the little Springfield mod. 15 is behind the door so dad takes the long shot at the cat. The cat does a cartwheel in the air and we are both patting our selves on the back for that shot. We finish the coffee and then get the shovel to go dispose of the evidence. On the way dad sees fresh blood on the entrance door of a spare dog house. The house has a hinged roof so we peer inside and there is a rather sad looking cat peering back. We are now a little sad ourselves. Dad says go get that Colt Frontier Scout and some bird shot shells as I don't want to damage the dog house nor did he want to worry about a ricochet. So dad eases up the roof and shoots the cat in the head to put it out of it's suffering. Lots of bumping and banging going on inside that dog house and then things quiet down. We go back to the kitchen to finish the coffee and then return to bury the cat. Well you can guess. We had only taken two of that cat's nine lives and it is gone. Can't find it any place. Well we are now real sad and not very proud of ourselves but what can we do. We both had to work on the fire dept. the next day. On the third day we are enjoying coffee together again when dad says look setting on the neighbor's porch across the road. I look and there is that very sad looking poor cat setting on the porch big as you please. It was not the neighbor's cat.

Later that day the door bell rings and we look out only to see an Animal Control Officer on our porch. Oh s@#t!!! I can see the head lines now, "two fire officers arrested for cruelty to animals". Well nothing to do but answer the door and face our fate. The Officer says "I'm here to pick up an injured cat". Dad says we don't have a cat but there is one sitting on the porch across the street that doesn't look too good. We got out of that one but never got over such poor attempt to kill a cat. So you all believe what JLA says about that 100 yards and I can vouch that bird shot will do nothing but make one mad even at five inch range.

I know, shame on you Todd.

That's a heck of a note Todd! But ya did what ya had to do!
Back to the thread, one .22 scoped rifle I have is zeroed to shoot 3/4" high @ 50yds and it will be right on at 100 and further using cci blazers.

[copey]

had a feral cat attack my lurcher puppy srawped it to pieces.just biding my time until it appears out of a barn its hiding in...

[jack404]

Zane you and me be the same on the Zero but i generally use CCI Mini Mags for hunting

Got cats ? shoot em.. skin em and clean em and pickle em ( they'll tan em their way) , i'm sure you have asians in the US buying cat fur for china like we do here ...

$2.40 - $3.00 a skin here depending on weight, and theres been some big cats when i first moved this way ..

[carver]

I usually zero a .22 at 50yds, and allow for about 4" of drop at 100yds. While I have hit targets at many times that range with a lowley old .22, I don't recomend it.

[Kent Detective]

I feel I must stand up for little "Tiddles" -

Someone shooting a domestic cat needs shooting themselves! Before pulling that trigger think about the family that own the animal. Rather than shoot the thing why not try and get the family to control it (as far as is possible). The cat you kill may in fact belong to a loving child or a lonely old women who lives for her pets. Your action here will cause no end of suffering and do you really want to do this to someone you don't even know?

I'm the first to realise that truly WILD cats sometimes need controlling (humanely) but providing the cat (domestic or not) isn't creating a nuisance, it's entitled to live amongst us all and to be left to get on with it's life.

In England cat isn't often on the menu and as far as I know it isn't in the US either?

I'm the first to accept that accidents do sometimes happen and animals are not shot on purpose. It's happened to me once (a small bird). I felt gutted afterwards and since then prefer to let a bird go if I can't positively identify it. Having said that, I have never killed a cat although I have once or twice stopped others trying to do so....I know there are cruel people out there who will shoot anything that moves - these idiots don't deserve to carry or possess a anything larger than a water pistol.

Less of the cat killing stories if you please chaps. Some of us actually like domestic cats round there here parts.

My own ethic -
IF IT ISN'T FOR THE TABLE OR IS A PEST THEN SHOOT IT, IF IT ISN'T EITHER THEN LEAVE IT ALONE.

[copey]

i hate cats got two in my house her in doors loves them.i wouldnt harm 1 though but that goliath of a cat that resides in my freinds barn is evil.

my lurcher got a right pasting of it.

[JLA]

guess im ok then, I fed the worms and got rid of a few pests

[3/2 STA SS]

50 yards for me and my grandmother(a very long time ago) used to set out "magic cat food" for them whem I was a kid. Needless to say the cats never came around anymore.

[22shot]

Kent Detctive-
Read the post here; lots of cat stories; have a few of my own; but your question was about .22 "zero".
Nice bolt action .22's you have.

As to "zero" you didn't mention your sights; open or scoped?

If scoped; is it columated for a .22 (has to do with efective range; a .22's is a lot shorter then that of a 7.62.). Mounting a big scope may be cool; but is a waste (optically and cost) at the ranges a .22lLR is typicaly effective.

I'll assume it's scoped ; fixed 6X (best all around) and with optics designed for .22's.
I'll also assume that the scope mount is clamped to the groves in the reciever; and not the "see through"type.
One more assumption: The furry little critters are at 'rest' munching or checking you out. If they are bouncing all about; hither and yon; you need a 12 gauge to be effective. ( no zero needed.)

A .22 "0" at 75 yds. is good; depending on your ammo; I see you live in England (jolly 'ol) so a brand called Elley is availible. Good stuff... the rifleing in your .22's will like it. In any case; once you pick out a brand; don't switch without knowing where that new little slug will end up.

Back to zeroing..

The bore is about 2-2 1/2 inches below your line of sight through the scope; a standard velocity .22HP will "drop" about 1/2- 3/4 inch at 75 yds; so if you "zero" at 75 yds. with the afformentioned scope the bullet path will be slightly above the cross hairs at about 50- 60 yds; below them at 30 yds; or less. Obviouslly at the muzzle it is 2-2 1/2 below.
A rabbits head is around 2 1/2 inches in diameter; know his distance as you scope him out; the "limits" of your sight and weapon; and you will become addept at seeing that red fog.

One shot; one kill.

[Boris]

Originally Posted by Kent Detective

I feel I must stand up for little "Tiddles" -

Someone shooting a domestic cat needs shooting themselves! Before pulling that trigger think about the family that own the animal. Rather than shoot the thing why not try and get the family to control it (as far as is possible). The cat you kill may in fact belong to a loving child or a lonely old women who lives for her pets. Your action here will cause no end of suffering and do you really want to do this to someone you don't even know?

I'm the first to realise that truly WILD cats sometimes need controlling (humanely) but providing the cat (domestic or not) isn't creating a nuisance, it's entitled to live amongst us all and to be left to get on with it's life.

In England cat isn't often on the menu and as far as I know it isn't in the US either?

I'm the first to accept that accidents do sometimes happen and animals are not shot on purpose. It's happened to me once (a small bird). I felt gutted afterwards and since then prefer to let a bird go if I can't positively identify it. Having said that, I have never killed a cat although I have once or twice stopped others trying to do so....I know there are cruel people out there who will shoot anything that moves - these idiots don't deserve to carry or possess a anything larger than a water pistol.

Less of the cat killing stories if you please chaps. Some of us actually like domestic cats round there here parts.

My own ethic -
IF IT ISN'T FOR THE TABLE OR IS A PEST THEN SHOOT IT, IF IT ISN'T EITHER THEN LEAVE IT ALONE.

I love my cats. Allready said it. They also do not run about. Here is one little source of shy cats need elimination

http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/.../predation.pdf

[22shot]

Kent Detective-

One more thing,,,

It doesn't have a lot (if anything) to do with "zero"; but a lot to do with accuracy, If you shoot "prone" or from a rest, they won't make much difference; but for those "off hand" shots, it could mean the difference between a clean kill and a wounded rabbit...

It's a thing called a "trigger shoe": a little item that fastens unto your rifles trigger with little "Allen" set screws.
It's "ribbed" and ; being wider than the trigger; distributes the "pull" over a wider area. This lessens the chance of you "twisting" the weapon; ever so slightly, when you pull the trigger. It will also seem to "lighten" the effort needed to pull the trigger. Your felt resistance will be a lot less.

These little thngs work; my .22 bolt actions would seem naked without them.

[Kent Detective]

Trigger shoe eh? I will do a bit of research and come back on that one. Thanks.

[EvanB]

GENTLEMEN! Check out CCI Velocitors and every article you can research. Out of my Ruger 10/22's, target barrels and trigger jobs, I am under a nickle size for 10 shot groups at 70 yards. Between zero and 70, the rise is less than an inch and 3" low at 100 yards. It is a full 40 grain HP and a little hotter than standard .22LR but the case isnt any longer than standard unlike another Hyper Velocity round.

[brookes_husband]

Originally Posted by 22shot

Kent Detctive-
Read the post here; lots of cat stories; have a few of my own; but your question was about .22 "zero".
Nice bolt action .22's you have.

As to "zero" you didn't mention your sights; open or scoped?

If scoped; is it columated for a .22 (has to do with efective range; a .22's is a lot shorter then that of a 7.62.). Mounting a big scope may be cool; but is a waste (optically and cost) at the ranges a .22lLR is typicaly effective.

I'll assume it's scoped ; fixed 6X (best all around) and with optics designed for .22's.
I'll also assume that the scope mount is clamped to the groves in the reciever; and not the "see through"type.
One more assumption: The furry little critters are at 'rest' munching or checking you out. If they are bouncing all about; hither and yon; you need a 12 gauge to be effective. ( no zero needed.)

A .22 "0" at 75 yds. is good; depending on your ammo; I see you live in England (jolly 'ol) so a brand called Elley is availible. Good stuff... the rifleing in your .22's will like it. In any case; once you pick out a brand; don't switch without knowing where that new little slug will end up.

Back to zeroing..

The bore is about 2-2 1/2 inches below your line of sight through the scope; a standard velocity .22HP will "drop" about 1/2- 3/4 inch at 75 yds; so if you "zero" at 75 yds. with the afformentioned scope the bullet path will be slightly above the cross hairs at about 50- 60 yds; below them at 30 yds; or less. Obviouslly at the muzzle it is 2-2 1/2 below.
A rabbits head is around 2 1/2 inches in diameter; know his distance as you scope him out; the "limits" of your sight and weapon; and you will become addept at seeing that red fog.

One shot; one kill.

This is the best explanation of the .22lr zero that I have ever seen... I have a 3-9x on a Remington 522 and keep it at about 5-6x for zeroing at 75 yards... Kudo's to you for knowing what you are talking about and having the vanishing ability to explain it to others... SSG

[Old Grump]

[IMG] Uploaded with ImageShack.us[/IMG]I gather from your comment about mildot sights you are a scope man, with a scope I do a 50 yard zero, due to old eye balls and a cheap 46 year old single shot gun with iron sights I do 25 yards, Works for me. Can't hardly see a squirrel in the tree's much farther than that and the old iron sighted gun is lighter and easier for this old dinosaur to cart around.