MAX POINT BLANK RANGE for my Smith Corona 1903a3 for bear hunting

[tgomez]

    Need your help fellow hunters for finding the best MAX POINT BLANK range for bear while maintaining a 4" mid-range. PICK A or B please and tell me why, currently I AM CURRENTLY SIGHTED IN FOR A. Can you please tell me which one you believe/know is better and why? Thank you so much for the help, I'm trying to be as effective as possible. As a side note the farthest I have ever killed a deer is 378 yards so I feel comfortable with a 400 yard shot if need be with perfect conditions.
   
            Here is my Set-up:
   *Smith Corona 1903a3 30-06
   *Remington Core-Lokt .180 PSP
   *Nikon Prostaff 4-12x40 with 4" sunshade

    A:                                                                                                                 B:
  100 yards= +2.09"                                                                                        100 yards= +3.56"
  150 yards= +1.87"                                                                                        150 yards= +3.22"
  200 yards= +0.16"                                                                                        200 yards= +2.41"
  250 yards= -3.16"                                                                                        250 yards= -0.34"
  300 yards= -8.21"                                                                                         300 yards= -4.83"
  350 yards= -15.14"                                                                                       350 yards= - 11.20"
                                                                                                                      400 yards= -15.14"
 

[Okanagan]

A looks like a good set up.  I'd edge it up half an inch at 100, for me.  You know what you are doing and know what you want so my comments may be irrelevant.

B is a little high for my preference.  With a 30-06 set 3" high I shot over the back of a buck near Wenatchee one time when all I cold see was its head and a scant three inches of the top of its back at about 100 yards.  I held at the bottom edge of what I could see of its back and in the moment I forgot to allow for the 3" high.   Fortunately, it did not move.  I changed aiming points and broke its neck with a second shot.  Also shot over a called coyote in the same situation.

I don't like to have to think about holding low, etc. in a shot on game situation.  Out to 300 I want to put it in the middle of what vitals I can see and shoot, but sometimes you have to think about bullet path more precisely.  One time a fir limb covered part of a buck's shoulder and side at about 100 yards at the point I wanted to aim at, but I knew that the bullet would carry just over it when it got there.  It did. 

For those reasons I went to a 100 yard sight in of 2.5 inches high at 100 as the best compromise for me when using a 30-06.  That put my 165's right on at 260 yards if I'm remembering right.   Actual shooting, not tables. 

FWI I hunted for more than 20 years with a semi-sporterized 03-A3 as my only rifle, and regret that I ever sold it. 

[tgomez]

 Thank you Okanagan,  I appreciate the help/advice. I have owned and hunted with this rifle one season. Last year I shot a black bear and a 4x3 mulie buck with it. I just put an original WW2 stock on it a few months ago and sighted it in yesterday for  A set-up. I'm sorry you don't own yours anymore, they are a blast to shoot and hunt with. Thanks again for taking the time to respond and help me out, God bless and best of luck to you.

[Cougartail]

Most people shoot over the top of Animals. (Including me!) I have gone to a 100 yard zero, a BDC scope and rangefinder.

Have gone back to some of the places I've made shots and used the rangefinder. Every place I  overestimated the range.


The speed of putting the horizontal line across the top quarter of the back and knowing your good from 0 to 300 yards has reduced misses greatly.

Remember, Human wobble adds 2-3 inches in any direction per 100 yards.   

[Special T]

I zero my 06 at 200 yards I think it's perfect for w wa

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[Twispriver]

I took my Remington 06 to Wyoming last year for an elk hunt and I shot Federal factory load Sierra Game Kings. I started off practicing based on the Federal ballistics chart and found it to be fairly close - I used the same scope as you have and zeroed at 200 yards on 10 power. I found that with the 165 grain bullet my drops were very close to what you have listed in Table A for the 180 grain load. Because I was able to shoot a lot before my trip I had the range drop and wind drift pretty well memorized but I printed out a little pocket cheat sheet that I laminated and taped one copy to the rifle stock and carried another in my pocket. I was limiting my shots with the 06 to 300 yards so the 200 yard zero worked best for me but my son, who lives and hunts in Montana, shoots a .300 wsm that he is accurate out to 500 yards and he prefers the 250 yard zero point.

[tgomez]

By the look of it most people prefer the 200 yard zero with the 30-06. I also thought this was perfect for my set-up as well,  but just wanted to hear some feedback from others. Thanks for the replies.

[Special T]

I have to say I also have the drop for my 06 out to 600 yards sealed and packing taped to the but of my rifle.  I've never had to use it, but it is nice to have.

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[tgomez]

I have to say I also have the drop for my 06 out to 600 yards sealed and packing taped to the but of my rifle.  I've never had to use it, but it is nice to have.

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Thanks,  I plan on making a ballistics card from Nikon Spot On for my specific scope and ammo set-up.  I personally won't shoot over 400 yards though at a big game animal.  To be honest most of my shots are in the 75-200 yard range.

[Molon5labe]

I zeroed my -06 at 200yds this weekened. I pick A, because I don't want to be 3.5" high at 100yds. Id rather have no hold over/under out to 250yds are so than have to remember 100yds is 3.5" high

[Angry Perch]

With a 180 grain bullet I would sight in 2.5 high at 100 yards and work from there.  If you choose to drop down to a lighter bullet the Oryx 161 grain and the 155 grain both give great performance on Elk and Stags.  The most popular combination for Red Deer Stags in Germany was a 160 grain bullet sighted in 2 inches high at 100 yards, gave a PB range of 175 to 375 yards.

Can you explain? I'd think at 375 yards you'd be in the dirt.

[CP]

Max point blank for a 2750fps 180g bullet is going to be about 300 yards (4" high at 150y - 4" low at 300y).

run it through a calculator -

http://www.jbmballistics.com/cgi-bin/jbmtraj-5.1.cgi

[Angry Perch]

An 8" swing is a fair amount more than I'd be comfortable with, but I guess it depends on what and where you're hunting.

[tgomez]

Refinished the stock on the 03a3, bought a new military sling and got her sighted in at 200 yards. I shot a 2.59" group of 3 shots. Thanks everyone for your help and opinions, I really appreciate it. I also bought a Blackhawk leather holster for my Glock 36. I think it's a sexy combo and I'm ready for bear season.