Sighting in

[Minnesota Mike]

Had a discussion recently with newbie to blackpowder and went through the bit about sighting in at 25 yds, then work your way out to 50 yds and then 100 yds adding powder as you go.

He asked why not start at 100 yds and then drop down powder loads as you went to 50 yds and then 25 yds.

- blink - blink -

Not often am I caught offguard without a fairly decent answer . . . somehow "cuz dat's how weez alwuz dun et" just doesn't seem to be the more intellignet and articulate answer I hoped I should be able to give.

In short . . . HELP! Need a decent answer to go back with on this . . . or is there a better answer . . .?

r/
MM

[Loyalist Dave]

For windage...., because if you are off of the bullseye at 25 yards the error may multiplied x4 at 100 yards, so depending on the size of the target board, if you are 6" right of the bull at 25 then you may be as much as 24" right, and miss the board, at 100 yards.

For eleveation..., you may be dead-nuts on at 100 yards, but 4" high at 50 yards, and you need to know this, or at 25 you're right on, and at 50 you're about 1" low, but at 100 as the velocity drops off you may drop say 4", so again you'd need to know this to adjust your powder charge, and/or point of aim.  

LD

[jbullard1]

Its a lot easier to hit the target at 25 yards, then at fifty you can start fine tuning the powder,ball,patch combination for consistent groups.
With open sights I work 25,50,75 then 100
fuzzy as me eyes are and shaky as me arms are I will seldom take a shot on game over 75 yards

[Minnesota Mike]

For windage...., because if you are off of the bullseye at 25 yards the error may multiplied x4 at 100 yards, so depending on the size of the target board, if you are 6" right of the bull at 25 then you may be as much as 24" right, and miss the board, at 100 yards.

For eleveation..., you may be dead-nuts on at 100 yards, but 4" high at 50 yards, and you need to know this, or at 25 you're right on, and at 50 you're about 1" low, but at 100 as the velocity drops off you may drop say 4", so again you'd need to know this to adjust your powder charge, and/or point of aim.  

LD

Yeah - but that almost helps prove his case. If you're on at 100 yds, then when you come down to 50 yds and then 25 yds the degree of error off the target will be less and easier to spot.

So sight in at 100 yards first. Then move to 50 yds and adjust. Then to 25 yds.

Issue is not whether to sight in or not, but why start at 25 and go to 100 instead of start at 100 and go to 25 . . .

r/
MM

[Riley/MN]

cuz if you're far enuff off at a hunert you won't know where the ball went.

If you're off at 25, the amount should be small enough that you're still on the board and can make adjustments.

So start where a MOA is only 1/4"

[vermontfreedom]

just repeating what others have said here in a different way:

the errors of the rifle and of the shooter are magnified at greater distances. when combined, the effects are multiplied

would you try to sight in your modern centerfire rifle at 500 yards and then drop it down to 200 then 50 - no, that's bonkers

start at 25, he'll immediately know if his groups are printing left, right, up, down. PRECISION is the key for groups at short yardage, especially when starting out with a new firearm or new load. once the precision is worked out, accuracy can be improved by adjusting sights and practice

a bunch of gusty wind along with variation in charge load, patch thickness, seating, and just plain old shaky hands or bad eyesight or poorly supported rifle (e.g., supporting only the forestock and not butt as well), and his group will be all over the place

for example...imagine a rifle that prints 2 inches left and 2 inches low. throw in a whole bunch of variation as aforementioned and the group might be 8 inches at 100 yards - likely all over the place with no sense that it's low and left

shoot the group at 25 yards and the errors of distance reduce the errors of shake and poor support, etc.

a more extreme example I have comes from when I helped a father and son sight in an old .32-40 at the range a few years ago. they had their target out there at 100 yards (iron sights). couldn't even hit paper. what are you supposed to do then - keep guessing? course not. I told them to move the paper back to 25 yards and figure out just where the heck the bullets were going. sure enough, the rifle was shooting like 18 inches high at 25 yards.

[Minnesota Mike]

cuz if you're far enuff off at a hunert you won't know where the ball went.

If you're off at 25, the amount should be small enough that you're still on the board and can make adjustments.

So start where a MOA is only 1/4"

Ahh . . . simplicity.  

r/
MM

[the Black Spot]

i usually sight in a 15 yards, then you are pretty much dead on at 75 yards, and about 2" low at a 100 yards.

[Loyalist Dave]

If you're on at 100 yds, then when you come down to 50 y

Ah yes, IF you're on at 100 great!  But if you're not on the board let alone near the bull, how do you know where you hit?  Especially if you're shootin' alone?  The kick and the smoke will obscure any impact on the berm.

LD

[Gambia]

i usually sight in a 15 yards, then you are pretty much dead on at 75 yards, and about 2" low at a 100 yards.

I think this is neat that you mentioned this. Not too many folks have ever heard of the 15 or 14 yard shoot in rule. I have tried it and it sure does work. It took a little getting used to shootin at something so close you could spit on it, but it works.

[Big John]

Due to the arc the rb takes, approx. 13yds out is the 1st. time the Rb crosses the actual line of sight, the 2nd time is approx. 75 yds. with this knowledge 100yds will be easy to sight in at. Slight variations will occur according to caliber.

[Minnesota Mike]

Actually, figuring out where you are at 15 yds is not a bad idea at all. So far most of the woodswalks we've been to at rendezvous or other clubs have had more targets at 15 yds than at 25 or further out. Good comment.

r/
MM

[mike rumping]

most cannot group good at a hundred yds, so how they goona know if they got it right or not?  LOL  when i start out with a new rifle, i'll put target at 20 yds, then 40-50- then 75, then 100.  gotta find the charge that'll put 5 balls thru same hole at 20-25 1st.

[PeashooterJoe]

I start at 10 yards and then to 15 if no problems,then move then to 25 to do all my fine tuning then move to 50 to get my final reference. You also may have to adjust the powder load to find the sweet spot. Document all loads at all distances to keep as a reference for problems if they occur later on. PeashooterJoe..