SCOPE ZERO advice needed: 5.56 MK262

[Rmplstlskn]

Need some advice...

Getting ready to zero an IOR 2.5-10x42 scope fitted to a Larue SPR mount (Thanks Grant!) on an 18" 1/8 Sabre barreled SPR-type rifle using primarily BH MK262-Mod1 seconds and 77g and 75g/77g handloads.

I am unsure what distance to zero to that makes the best use of the 5.56mm 77g. trajectory. I will be using a 100 yard range.

I'm thinking a 200 meter zero and using a trajectory plot to find the 100 yard point of impact.

Any thoughts or recommendations? What zero does the military use in their SPR's?

Rmpl

[RyanB]

I would zero it at 50m then confirm it at 200 when I got the chance. It should be within two inches at 200.

[KevinB]

SPR's I have seen have the turret scribed for the ammo at each 100m's
starting at 100.

I dont know enough about the IOR -- but I am guessing you can sand/paint and scribe its turret too if you wanted too.

[MudBug]

Don't give a Precision Rifle a Battle zero.

If you zero at 50 yards you will be high at 100 yards and need to adjust backwards untill about 200 or so yards, then start adjusting the other way. This is too complicated.

Zero at 100 yards and then you will only have to adjust in one direction and learn your dope. At 200 yards come up ___ Clicks, at 300 yards come up ___ clicks, etc....

As far as the military I'm not positive but I believe Army snipers zero at 100 yards and Marine Snipers zero at 300 yards, but this is just somehting I was told, so I'm not sure it it's correct.

[K.L. Davis]

It really does not matter what range you zero at... you can "pass through" zero and adjust for any range based on your dope. One rule of thumb to keep in mind is 6/7/0 -- for that round, if you are zero at 300, you will be *about* 6 inches high at 100 and 7 inches high at 200.

zero at 100 makes it easier to work things out in your head (for some) while other just live with "over and under" adjustments -- once you work through a couple of hundred firing solutions, you will be comfortable with whatever system you choose.

The one thing you want to do is develope your own dope for the gun... do not rely on published tables or data -- it will almost never be exactly the same as your gun and I have found tables on the internet and in "sniper books" that are wrong, not a *little off*... wrong!

Learn to read mils, know the mechanical limits of the setup, then standard data developement for the AO and then run through numerous firing solutions... "walking the box" is still one of the best drills and poker matches are great for solution development while having some fun.

[Rmplstlskn]

Thanks for all the feedback! I have a plan now and I hope to zero at 100 with my MK262 seconds tomorrow. Then I will experiment with my handloads... but the MK262 will be the primary round until something better comes along.

I will also try to get my MOA adjustments figured out for 50 yards and then move over to the 300 yard range to get data there. Not sure if I will have the time this time out through as I am a precision rifle/turret-adjust scope NOVICE and what may take some of you guys an hour to do may take me all afternoon. ;)

Any good reading material for understanding MOA and range estimation using the IOR MP8 reticle (not rally a mil-dot reticle)?

Thanks again!

Rmpl

[K.L. Davis]

The MP8 is essentially a MilDot scope, without dots... but the concept is the same -- I have a powerpoint show (cause we all know how much the .gov loves Death by PowerPoint instruction) that is really pretty good as a primer for the use of the MilDot... shoot me an email in IM and I will send it to you, it is on my puter at work, so it will not be until Monday -- it seems the security feature of our remote connection protocal is that you must have a Masters in Computer Science to actually use it :(

[Rmplstlskn]

-- I have a powerpoint show (cause we all know how much the .gov loves Death by PowerPoint instruction) that is really pretty good as a primer for the use of the MilDot... shoot me an email in IM and I will send it to you, it is on my puter at work, so it will not be until Monday

K.L., I sent two emails last week through the site here. Did you get any of them? Would like to get that powerpoint file...

Rmpl