50 Yard Increments

[Ian M]

We have decided to shoot in fifty yard increments instead of 100 yard increments for our drop charts. Idea is to simplify our estimates when cranking up for an animal that is between the hundred yard distances we have zeros for. We get a lot of drop with our .308 Win. rounds so I believe the fifty yard increment will be usefull.
We restrict our shots to 600-700 now (that is how far we are confident in our ability to hold a lethal sized group in most wind we hunt in - plus the Leica 1200 is very reliable at that distance). Since our drop cards only go to 700 yards this will not make for too much complication, we start at 300 and will go in 50's to 700.
We recently had shots on bucks at in-between distances and had the correct wind on but missed the elevation estimate and hit just high on two or three occasions - that is why we are going to shoot 50 yard increments.
Since we don't create charts from a computer program we will simply do more shooting to get these come-ups.
Interested to hear if other guys use fifty yard increments in their drop charts.

 

[Dave King]

Ian

Good idea

!

On big game the danger space is sufficient for using 100 yard increments until about 300 (as you have stated), 50 is better from then on until the danger space gets too small again, then you're down to 25 yard increments.

 

[Luke Mason]

Dave,
Can you explain "Danger Space"? I have heard several explanations that are conflicting?

Thanks

 

[Boyd Heaton]

I run mine in 50's until 750 yard's..Then 25's up to 1300 yard's in my light gun....And 2050 yard's in my Heavy gun.........

 

[Dave King]

As I use it, it means the distance (linear distance) that I can hit a critter in the kill zone and still have a "depth" of field or range error/buffer. The further out one shoots the steeper the trajectory and the depth of the danger space decreases accordingly.

As an example, with a 308 and 175's zeroed at 700 yards the round is 8.2 inches high at 675 yards and 8.7 inches low at 725, this 50 yard area produces a total of 17 inches of drop in my round. If I make an error of 25 yards in ranging I'll miss the target/kill zone, I'd need to be albe to range to within about 12 yards of the actual range to get a good kill allowing only 4" up or down, that equates to a 25 yards danger space at the far end of the trajectory (same for the near end, I'd be 4.1 inches high at 25 yards).


Read on this site, they have a good explanation of danger space, it's hidden in the Point Blank Zero section.
http://www.goosepit.com/lg/lg_shooting_6.htm