There are a few common methods for sighting in an AR-15 rifle.
There are a few common methods for sighting in an AR-15 rifle. Each will provide a slightly different trajectory and therefore hold-overs at various distances. All trajectories are ± the sight line (+ is over, - is under). Tables are only taken out to 400 yards as this is typically viewed to beyond the distance of reliable target acquisition without magnification - if you can’t positively identify it, you shouldn’t shoot at it… Additionally, the energy being carried by a 5.56 projectile drops off quickly after about 250 yards, so it may not have sufficient energy depending on the target. As a result, it’s recommended that 250 yards be considered the practical limit of the cartridge for hunting or tactical purposes.
36/275 yd Zero: In this method, the rifle is zeroed at 36 yards as the bullet is coming “up” in the trajectory. It peaks around the 160 yard point, and crosses zero again around 275 yards.
| 25 yds | 50 yds | 100 yds | 150 yds | 200 yds | 250 yds | 300 yds | 400 yds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bullet Trajectory | -0.7” | +0.8” | +3.1” | +4” | +3.3” | +0.9” | -3.7” | -20.4” |
50/225 yd Zero - Recommended: In this method, the rifle is zeroed at 50 yards as the bullet is coming “up” in the trajectory. It peaks around the 125 yard point, and crosses zero again at 225 yards. This makes for the smallest holdovers out to 250 yards.
| 25 yds | 50 yds | 100 yds | 150 yds | 200 yds | 250 yds | 300 yds | 400 yds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bullet Trajectory | -1.2” | 0” | +1.4” | +1.4” | +0.1” | -3.4” | -8.7” | -27.1” |
100 yd Zero: In this method, the rifle is zeroed at 100 yards as the bullet is “peaking” in it’s trajectory. This zero distance is commonly used with many other rifles/calibers.
| 25 yds | 50 yds | 100 yds | 150 yds | 200 yds | 250 yds | 300 yds | 400 yds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bullet Trajectory | -1.5” | -0.7” | 0” | -0.6” | -2.8” | -6.8” | -12.9” | -32.7” |
300 yd Zero: In this method, the bullet peaks around 175 yards. This is typically used when needing to shoot past 400 yards.
| 25 yds | 50 yds | 100 yds | 150 yds | 200 yds | 250 yds | 300 yds | 400 yds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bullet Trajectory | -0.4 | +1.5” | +4.3” | +5.8” | +5.8” | +3.9” | 0” | -15.5” |
Note:
Trajectories were taken from Hornaday’s ballistic calculator using these values:
Bullet Performance:
Environmental:
Range:
https://www.hornady.com/team-hornady/ballistic-calculators/#!/standard
