223 100 yd zero question and scope question

[gunhappy]

I just ordered my Savage Stevens 223 from Wally world, and am getting millet rings, weaver bases, and I (think) I want a Simmons 3-9X32 Blazer scope, or a 4x32 same. I want the 32 mm Obj because I want it to sit as low as possible. Is there any reason to go with a fixed 4 over the variable? If you cannot guess, this project has some budgetary constraints, and I want to keep scope costs to below $70.
Question 2) I have access to a 100 yard range. How high do I zero for a maximum point blank range? I do NOT intend to use this rifle beyond 300 yards. Thank you.

 

[ISC]

how long is the barrel? It probably doesn't make much difference for a 20" vs 14.5" barrel at the ranges you're talking about , but the GI ballistics charts for 20" barrels are pretty helpful.

A cheap fixed magnification will hold it's zero better. A cheap variable magnification often has a wandering zero when you change magnifications. A good fixed magnification will be more rugged than a cheap fixed scope.

maximum point blank range?

I have no idea what you are talking about here.

 

[Andrew S]

If you zero at 50yards you should have a point of impact within 2" of point of aim out to ~225meters and IIRC your point blank ranges are 50 yards and 200 yards.

 

[gunhappy]

oops...bad fingers

 

[gunhappy]

z

what I mean is, the maximum distance I can hold dead onthe target and anticipate a hit +/- 6" frompoint of aim. I believe that it is similar to battlesight zero. In the service, we were battle sight zeroed to 300m with the M16a2. If I am way off base please tell me so. Iwant to be able to shoot out to 300 yards without adjusting the scope. I will NOT be precision paper punching, just crow, coyote, and woodchuck.

 

[Scorch]

MPBR (maximum point blank range) will vary depending on the stated target size, and the bullet size and velocity, but in general, a 223 zeroed 2" high at 100 yds will be good out to 300 yds on a 10" target (assuming 55 gr bullet at 3,200 fps, MPBR is 344 yds). As stated earlier, the smaller the target, the shorter the MPBR. If you drop the target to 6", MPB becomes 287 yds.

 

[Lavid2002]

What is MPBR?

never heard of this before

 

[Scorch]

What is MPBR? never heard of this before

MPBR is

the maximum distance I can hold dead on the target and anticipate a hit +/- 6" frompoint of aim.

In other words, the trajectory of the bullet being an arc, it is the distance from the muzzle at which the trajectory of the bullet is never more than a certain distance above or below the line of sight. Try to visualize it: you fire the rifle with the line of the bore and the line of sight intersecting twice at distances out in front of you. But the bullet does not suddenly stop when it reaches that point, it keeps traveling, dropping as it goes. If you were shooting in a "tube" of a given diameter with the center of the "tube" being your line of sight, MPBR would be where the bullet coincides with the inside of that tube at its highest point (mid-trajectory) and its lowest point (maximum point blank range).

The diameter of the "tube" varies with the size of your intended target. If you are shooting elephants, you could use 5' as the diameter of the "tube", if you are shooting field mice it would be about 1" in diameter.