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100 yard measurement

Slab74

Bullets, BBQ, and Bourbon Connoisseur
Full Member
Minuteman
Dec 23, 2019
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So, I’m not trying to be an asshole, but I am ocd. When you sight in a rifle, do you measure the yardage from the end of your barrel or action, or from the back of the bench? I’ve kinda always wondered if I was the only one who asked themselves this question. I’m just getting into longer range shooting and most of my shooting has been done inside 400 yards. Does the extra 26 to 30” make a difference when using ballistic calculators? I understand that as long as you do it the same way every time, then your dope should be gtg, but I’m the guy who weighs every charge and measures every round, even for plinking 45 rounds.
 
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I range from where I am behind the gun....

Don’t forget if you screw a can on to back everything up 7”......
 
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No it doesn’t matter.

It probably matters for a tall target test. In which case you’d measure from the muzzle to the target. Because the muzzle is where the bullet comes out from. Not the back of the bench.

If measuring distance to chronograph like in the days of anger and frustration on the range, you’d measure from muzzle to chrono.

When lasering a target, there will be a point at very far away where your danger space is so tight you will need to be +- a yard. We’ll cross that bridge when you get there.

When you use a kestrel to true muzzle velocity or use the DSF, you want to be plus or minus a yard for the sake of accuracy of the calibration. But you don’t need to go flush with the end of the muzzle. Just laser it from the bench.
 
OP,
Does it make a difference,...Yes,... but you will never see the diff on target. Could you ever see the diff at long range, no. Now if your question was about the difference between the two when setting up a crono, the answer would be yes. You will see that diff in a firing solution, as that distance needs to be corrected to the muzzle, only.
 
Technically, you'd probably want to measure back to your scope turrets. Ultimately, you zero at 100 yards because you have more wiggle room in range than you would at say 200 yards or beyond. Its a flat spot in the trajectory.
 
the devil is in the details if allowing ocd to make you double check everything 4 times and it makes you happy then go with it . our first trip to the range with all the new shooting toys we had just purchased was a blast noticing that the 100 yard board was only 96 feet drove other people off I just love shooting i still just enjoy shooting that target even if its only 96 feet and after all the rain, sleet , snow and hail as long as there isn't a tornado or thunder storm I am going to keep loving it .
 
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For tall target testing, turrets.

For zero, as long as it’s within a few yds, you’re fine. You’d have to be less than 85yds or more than 115yds to change most 6mm dope at 1k just .1.
 
No it doesn’t matter.

It probably matters for a tall target test. In which case you’d measure from the muzzle to the target. Because the muzzle is where the bullet comes out from. Not the back of the bench.

If measuring distance to chronograph like in the days of anger and frustration on the range, you’d measure from muzzle to chrono.

When lasering a target, there will be a point at very far away where your danger space is so tight you will need to be +- a yard. We’ll cross that bridge when you get there.

When you use a kestrel to true muzzle velocity or use the DSF, you want to be plus or minus a yard for the sake of accuracy of the calibration. But you don’t need to go flush with the end of the muzzle. Just laser it from the bench.

Tall target is testing the tracking on the optic. You measure to the turrets.
 
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Tall target is testing the tracking on the optic. You measure to the turrets.

I’m aware. The poi, is what you’re using to test the tracking and the poi comes from the barrel is my opinion. I measure to that. Not where the turret is in relation to the target. Either way, say you have a 26 inch barrel, you’d be about 30 inches off worst case You’d be within a yard. I personally don’t believe that would alone make someone go outside the 1% error margin after crunching the numbers.
 
I’m aware. The poi, is what you’re using to test the tracking and the poi comes from the barrel is my opinion. I measure to that. Not where the turret is in relation to the target. Either way, say you have a 26 inch barrel, you’d be about 30 inches off worst case You’d be within a yard. I personally don’t believe that would alone make someone go outside the 1% error margin after crunching the numbers.

No need to live fire for a tracking test. It only adds more error into a test where you want as little error as possible.
 
No need to live fire for a tracking test. It only adds more error into a test where you want as little error as possible.

Agreed. Which is why I don’t feel partial to it measuring to it exactly in that case but none the less, mentioning it was for live fire, hence why I mentioned from the barrel. Not putting the scope on a mount/vice or whatever and going up and down a sniperhide target.

I’m not sure we are disagreeing on much.
 
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