Why the 25-300 yard zero is not a zero!

An Ar15 red dot 25- 300 yard 5.56 nato zero is the zero that isn't a zero. In this video, I will explain the 25-300 yard zero and then do a shooting demonstration to validate the ballistic solvers predictions. During the shooting demonstration, I will be using a 10 power scope instead of a red dot to get a more precise zero and more precision at 300 yards.
I am not promoting, nor do I have any affiliation with, any of the manufacturers of products shown in this video.
All shooting is performed on a private, closed range on private property under controlled situations.
*No firearms or ammunition are offered for sale and I am not promoting for sale any firearms or ammunition shown in this video or video description.
*There are no links provided to sites where firearms, firearm parts or ammunition are available for sale.

[@PARR53]

I’ve used the 25/300m zero since I was an Infantryman. All my M16/M4 clone rifles as well as my 11.5 Commando clone I still use this battle sight zero on and have confirmed them all out to 300m on a full size IPSC and 8” plates. If you zero using the correct 25/300m target and have a nice tight shot group in the bottom half of that circle you will absolutely be well inside a torso at 300m on a man sized target. The tricky part as we all learned in Basic Combat Training was with irons you had to change you front sight hold a bit to compensate for the trajectory at certain distances. At 300m you held your sight alignment, sight picture with that post on the neck/head to get your hit. At the 150-175m pop ups you held more towards the stomach. When we moved on to Optics (CCO/M68 and later the TA31 ACOG M150CP you didn’t have to do this anymore as far as hold goes you just held the red dot right on center mass or with the ACOG lined up your vertical stadia line at the top with the target holding center mass and fired. So there is a difference with using a battle zero with iron sights vs optics and realistically it’s not meant to be a perfect zero it’s meant to kill the enemy from where you are out to 300m which is the max point blank of the 5.56 cartridge before external ballistic factors start coming into play. I work for the Government now and the 25/300m as well as the 50/200m zero are still what is commonly used unless we are using precision weapons then it’s all 100m or 100yrd zero with actual DOPE charts. Good video. Like your channel. Just subscribed.

[@uncreativename9936]

Great comment. Also what do you know about the "z" mark on the rear sight? I've heard you were only suppose to use that with 20" barrels and for 16" or 14.5" you just zero at 25 yards at the "3/6" mark.

[@PARR53]

@@uncreativename9936 I’m not sure about using a detachable carry handle sight on an M4 or M4A1 carbine. Those things had all long been phased out for the MaTec rear MBUIS when I was on the line. With those you just set it on the 300m mark and zeroed at 25m in the manner I described above putting all shots in the bottom half of a 4cm circle that was on an actual 25m/300m zero target. If you did what you were told and had a nice tight group in that location of the target out to 300m you were going to hit as long as you slightly adjusted your front sight hold to compensate for the trajectory at different distances.

[@kylepatterson4256]

This is bc you zeroed at 25M NOT 25 yards. Two different zeroing points. 25 yards is 75 feet, 25 meters is 82 feet. That’s why I’m my understanding at least. 25M IS the standard for the 25/300.

[@letaz77]

Same here. We adjust our rear sight to 300 elevation and began zeroing at 25 yards.

[@JohnDentonOutdoors]

The 25/300 yard zero is for standard M4 iron sight height or low mount red dot. It’s different for rifles with raised scope mounts and rails. The premise for the 25/300 zero is to have a combat zero that will hit body sized targets from close range out to 300 yards with no adjustments, and little thought. The span of impact difference is less with the 25/300 than the 100 yard zero but only by a few inches. It’s definitely not a marksman zero.

[@PracticalAccuracy]

My scope mount height is the same height as M4 iron sights, which is 2.7 inches above the bore. If you use a 25 meter zero, your 300 meter point of impact will only be 2.7 inches above point of aim, which is the distance the USArmy uses. However, the point of the video is that at 25/300 yards, this point of impact is drastically different than point of aim. Also, a second point is to always confirm your zero and not rely on what is said. Thanks for watching.

[@section8usmc53]

@@PracticalAccuracy I shot expert every time in the Marines. Always with the A2 iron sight set up, to include Improved Battle Zero as they came directly from the armory set up as such. Using decent ammo and the A2 or better sights, you can go 200, 300, 400, 500 in the 10 all day long without even thinking about it. To me that iron system is a marvel of engineering, and has NEVER failed me. Bullet weight and conditions and all that come into play, but I've shot in hot, cold, sunny, cloudy, rainy, foggy, calm, windy, and combinations of all that and the system never once failed me. 25/300 was designed for those irons and ease of use to get on a man size target at minimum, as the other guy stated, not optics. We had no detachable carry handle or rail system. I've never even come close to those minimums of "impact on man size target" as it's always held a far tighter group as I stated above. So, while it may not be pin point precise at distance like an optic would be, it's not a myth if you're using the irons it was meant to work with, my fellow cheesehead. 🧀

[@PracticalAccuracy]

@@section8usmc53 The myth is that it is pinpoint. It's not pinpoint so shooting at small targets is challenging at distance with a 25 yard zero

[@jjjr.1186]

@@PracticalAccuracy I always heard 50-200 zero. It will hit the same spot.

[@Archimedes616]

According to my research, an M4 with a carry handle sight is meant to be initially sighted at 25 meters and then confirmed and fine-tuned at 300 meters. If you've got the carry handle sight on a weapon with a longer 20" barrel, you adjust the drum to the "z" setting, sight in at 25 meters, click the drum back to the 6/3 setting, and then confirm and fine-tune at 300 meters.

[@chrisduncan3449]

Love the channel. It’s not a 25/300 yard zero. It is a 25/300meter zero. That is what US Army basic rifle marksmanship teaches yard birds

[@PracticalAccuracy]

Thanks for watching. more zero videos to come

[@letaz77]

May be that is way the army can’t hit the targets. 🤣 Just kidding, brother. Thank you for your service.

[@iank6897]

This channel is a gem

[@PracticalAccuracy]

Thank you Ian. I hope the video was helpful.

[@charlesludwig9173]

One thing that’s most important is the trajectory calculation must set 300 meters as zero, not 25 meters and then shooting M855 from a 20 inch barrel to 25 meter sight-in distance the proper bullet placement will be .39 inches low of point of aim. Note if shooter adjusts elevation wheel to the Z marking then the shooter would shoot to center mass adjusting the front sight for center mass hits and thereafter adjust the rear sight 2 clicks down to the 6/3 position which will move grouping about.5 inches down. Of course, since adjustment for elevation is made from the front sight, which has a 1.25 minute click value the precise adjustment need as trajectory calculation states is not likely possible and then considering that the trajectory calculation is based on standard atmospheric conditions there’s no doubt that the 25/300 meter battle sight zero will not realize a zero condition whereby bullet path and point of aim intersect and the resulting value in any form of measurement is zero; but, it will be close if the shooter has developed some marksmanship skill.

[@theimmortal4718]

For the last 15-20 years, we've been teaching people to shoot 1.5 cm low at 25 meters , which will be dead on a 300 meters with a max ordinate of 15 cm at 175 meters.

[@davestrohmeyer-saddleupsho8009]

Thanks Andy and good shooting. Yes those shots would be high at 300. Your scope is 1- 1-1/2" above your bores line of sight, so a 25 yard zero would drastically point your scope reticle center down, therefore your barrel upward and produce a higher trajectory immediately past 25 yards. Most of us hunters use a traditional 100 yard zero, which would place your point of impact 1- 1/2 to 2 inches low at 25 yards. It is easier to use the 100 yard zero to measure Maximum Point Blank Range for varied cartridges, bullet grain weights and Muzzle velocities.

[@PracticalAccuracy]

Very true Dave. Thanks for watching. I"ll have some other videos discussing Ar15 zero range. Not sure if I will do a video on mpbz range. It only seems the hunting community uses it. Probably, leave that one up to you, if you haven't already done a video on it yet.

[@terrencecox3748]

Big props too you for open to what your viewers have to say. Says a lot about your character! That said, I use a 25 yard zero on backup irons and red dots. I think of it as a good combat zero. On top of that, if I hand my red dot equipped rifle to a buddy (particularly one that's not very good with this kind of stuff) I tell him to aim for the belly button if he thinks he's more than 25 yards out and less than 350 yards away. In other words, it's not a precision zero but it makes a good conscript zero.

[@PracticalAccuracy]

If it works for you, that's what counts. Thanks for watching

[@lchris2703]

Meters, not yards. I've been shooting ARs since 1981 in basic training. I went from an old worn out A1 up to the early M4s. Never had a problem with a 25 "meter" zero. Depending on the range of the target (again I always use meters) you have to adjust your sight picture low or high accordingly. You can find PDFs of the old Army marksmanship manuals on line, they should explain everything.

[@PracticalAccuracy]

Thanks for the comment

[@reddevilparatrooper]

For me as for combat optics I use the ACOG 4X32 which I had from Iraq. First is I like to zero my BUIS adjustable battle sights first on the M4 at the 25 meter or somewhat less 25 yard target and range. Once my battlesights are zeroed then I do the 25 meter 10 target qualification using only the prone. Then I do the same zeroing my ACOG for 25 meters or yards then the 25 meter qualification target to make sure all my rounds hit with that particular lot of ammunition being issued to me to keep the same ballistic pattern. I suggested this to my platoon sergeant and PL in Iraq back in 2006-08. It takes a whole day to do this with a platoon. Reason is when seasons change and temperatures change ballistics change. I do this only for the combat optics because they are sensitive to seasonal temperature changes and need to be good for 300 meters for infantry in my opinion. Battle sights are zeroed once because for emergencies when the optic is out, it still can hit to effective combat ranges from close to 200 meters no matter when you zeroed your battle sights minimal. I got my own ACOG 4x32 for positive identification of targets so I don't shoot any innocent civilians and only identify hostile threats and be confident that I will not be accused or charged with shooting at anyone assuming and not positively identifying and enemy threat and not causing collateral damage. Urban combat in Iraq was very challenging and difficult when being shot at. Good proper marksmanship, and identifying threats, and good infantry tactics can and will save your own life. Bottom line is identifying and discriminating targets with magnified combat optics will help you from getting into trouble with the US Military back then. The ACOG was a great help for me the infantryman.

[@PracticalAccuracy]

Thanks for watching and the insight.

[@7.62flavorsoffreedom2]

Also the M4 rear sight aperture also has an added setting between 300-400 meters. 14.5 inch barrels to be zeroed at 300 meters and the 20 inch m16 still being used in some areas are zeroed to the extra setting to still accommodate the 25 to 300 meter zero

[@PracticalAccuracy]

Thanks for the reply. Good to hear from what you experienced in the military. Was that with the matech back up sight?

[@7.62flavorsoffreedom2]

@@PracticalAccuracy yep

[@mbenjamin292]

I am a new sub was the land level you were shooting at to throw your shots high just a thought.I don't understand why people like yourself, doesn't have 2 million followers. makes no sense I am glad you popped up on my KZbin view thanks for all your hard work with gas and bullets and your time...

[@PracticalAccuracy]

Thank you for the sub. The land is as flat as a pancake there. I'll be bringing more content soon.

[@jacobbowling6247]

Well…. It’s meters not yards and while a meter is close to a yard, 300 meters is a different distance than 300 yards. Sight height for optics on M4’s is 1.5” above bore line, as are most optic mounts This has been the same since I used an M16A2 with iron sights as it is with my current issued M4A1….. this zero is intended for quick center mass shooting of a man sized targets. The original design of the M16 and I believe it’s still continued had a slight angle to the barrel relative to the receiver (you can’t even see it). This was done to make 25/300 an easier number to work with for the military. Every target in between 25-300 will be high so the old trick when qualifying was to aim at the bottom of the target for everything out to 200 and then center mass beyond that.

[@willkaufmann2162]

The army standard is 25M/300M this probably accounts for the 8.25 inch gap. You are using yards vs meters.

[@mikeborrelli193]

Its a 25/300 METER zero.. And its specifically for the A2 type rear aperture sight which had a Z mark on the elevation turret. You zero at 25 meters set on Z. Once zeroed you click it up one detent to 300 and confirm your 300 meter zero .. Once this is done your A2 or detatchable carry handles A2 sight will work at the 3,4,5,and 600 meter settings ... If you do not zero A2 Iron sights this way it will not correspond at the 3,4,5,and 600 meter settings

[@Lucas12v]

For red dot, i like to zero at 50 which will generally equal a 200ish zero depending on ammo and scope height. I then chrono and shoot at longer distance and compare to ballistic calculator data.

[@PracticalAccuracy]

I use a 50 yard also. Thanks for the comment

[@nigelduncan-adam5988]

7.62mm Nato ball using a 21 inch barrel Iron sights weapon SLR (FN FAL). Zeroed at 25 yards. Confirmation Zero at 100 yards POI 4 inches above POA. Conformation at 300 yards POI is POA. that zero worked for decades with thousands of squaddies 300 yards being the effective battle range of an infantryman. That same zero with that same weapon and iron sights were used for the Roberts Cup shoot at Bisley. On the Century Range at 600 yards using a figure 12 target on a 4 foot witness screen. very few shots ever landed off of the scoring surface which was 18 inches wide the height escapes me but it was possibly 18 inches as well.

[@devinmeyer449]

The 25/300 zero is for iron sights. You zero at 8/3 plus one at 25 the click it back to the 8/3 or the 3 mark for 300. Not for a scope.

[@juhanivalimaki5418]

Zeros are of course individual and affected at least by: Sight centerline height from barrel centerline, muzzle velocity of the bullet, bullet ballistic characteristics (modeled e.g. with G1:s and G7:s at various speeds).

[@mrkwnklr]

My varmint and hog hunting targets with 68gr 556 16" scope mounted 2.5 " above bore were from 50yds to 175. I found a 70yd zero kept the impact within 1" from 50 to 175. Of course that's not military minded but worked under my circumstances.

[@PracticalAccuracy]

Thanks for the comment and info

[@Ferrari_M5]

Really enjoy your videos. Thank you for your time putting these together.

[@PracticalAccuracy]

Glad you like them! More to come.

[@daverotroff6873]

Spring of 1973 at Ft. Jackson, SC I was in basic training. The 25 meter/300 meter zero method was taught. It worked just fine for the iron sighted carry handle M-16's we were shooting. Qualified expert with the black rifle. I have several AR's in my safe today, all with carry handles.

[@PracticalAccuracy]

Thanks for the comment

[@sebastiandiaz5473]

I run a 13.7 on an lpvo and even with that short barrel I’m hitting about 4” high at 300 using 62gr. height over bore obviously increasing the angle of trajectory despite the shorter barrel vs irons.

[@davefranks6562]

another great video. keep up the good work man

[@PracticalAccuracy]

Thanks, will do!

[@JDJD-hg9hu]

Great video! Fantastic grouping my friend.

[@tims708]

A very nice brief of the 25 yd " zero. "

[@irafowlerjr.7492]

helpful, thanks for braving the cold.

[@PracticalAccuracy]

Glad it was helpful!

[@MSSynsyterGates]

Welcome Back Andy. Its been awhile. Good video as usual

[@PracticalAccuracy]

Thank you. Glad you enjoyed.

[@terrellstandefer6646]

It's tricky to use these close distance zeros. I've tried 25 33 50 and standard 100. Just depends on the size you're shooting at on what you want to do. I liked the 33 for a whatever and the good old 100 for varmints. The 33 is just a little high 100 to 200 but it works for coyotes any smaller not so much.

[@PracticalAccuracy]

Very good points. I have videos coming out in the near future discussing the very points you raise in your comment. Size of target is a major factor in picking a zero distance.

[@DomoArigatoRobot0]

Thank you sir, your content, editing, and length of the presentation sure are fine to me. I laughed when you drove to your 300 yd target, but that's 'cause we don't get y'all's kind of weather here in south TX. Subscribed, and got 3 more of your presentations to view, God bless you and yours[namaste] #AllTheRightsAllTheTime

[@junkemails5050]

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THIS INFO. ALL THIS TIME AT THE RANGE(army) they are telling us wrong. This is why i always missed the one at 300meters. I was aiming at center mass. Being sure my shots could be hitting to the sides i am missing probably passing on the sides and up at the silhouette

[@PracticalAccuracy]

It's a little less high with meters, but you were probably still zipping it high.

[@theodoros1126]

My humble opinion as tested on the field . There is one true zero for 556 . The 100 yard . Shooting at 50-40-30-20 yards my bullet was only 1.5-2'' low and for 200-300-400-500 etc all I had to do is use my 1-6x scope reticle for corrections . Basically from 40-150 yards the bullet travels almost in a straight line . I was hitting a 10*10'' steel at 200 yards and still aiming dead center . That's a head shot at 200 yards without burning your head with hold over or POA/POI ...that's my 2 cents

[@charlesludwig9173]

It’s a 25/300 meter zero and it’s only as good as is a shooter’s sight alignment behind an M4 or M16A4 beginning with the M4 set at 6/3 or the A4 set at Z and then returned to 6/3 upon sighting in at 25 meters. I am a Military Rifle Instructor assisting the USAMU deliver SDM, TTT, and SAFS Training and I can thus tell you whether shooting M193, M855, or Mk262 the E target can be hit no more than 10 inches high at 170 meters or 10 inches low at 350 meters from an M4 or A4. In fact a head hold on the E will yield a center mass hit at 400 meters. Plus, when properly set, the 25/300 meter zero will sync to the detachable carry handle sight’s bullet drop compensation function for good hits to 600 meters. The big picture here is this, a novice shooter does not have the knowledge or skill to get a good zero at any distance so rather than fretting about it just practice sight alignment and trigger control from a solid position and at some point your groupings will be so good at 25 meters you will see exacting center mass results at 300 meters.

[@adamc2378]

Are we talking about yards or meters? The military zeroing target calls for meters.

[@mschuer100]

Very informative video, thank you for sharing

[@sailneked]

Good info. Sort of explains why I'm -14 at 300 yds. Might be spot on at 300 meters.

[@dimibri02]

Good video. Wasn’t the 25 / 300 zero-ish meant for meters. I know we still had to fine tune at the known distance range.

[@PracticalAccuracy]

Yes it was in meters. My understanding is that it was developed for the A2 rear drum, which also required you to adjust the rear drum up 1 click at 25 meters. Then at 300 meters adjust down 1 click. This was done so that the impacts wouldn't be quite as high at 300 meters. You then fine tune at 300 meters. Effectively giving you a 300 meter zero and not a 25 meter zero. You will then be hitting about 3/4 inch low at 25 meters. I think this was just misinterpreted over the years and converted to yards, which is more exaggerated in impact error. As you can see from my video, I had a good 25 yard zero and the center point of my impacts at 300 yards was 8.25 inches high. Thank you for watching and the comment.

[@jimjab3631]

Never heard anyone say it's a poi/poa zero. It's merely an easy way to recall quickly approximate bullet impact. It's not precision It's a defensive zero to smoke something charging at you and you ain't got time to ipen strelok for ballistics

[@chandlerwilliams9509]

You also have to remember that the military uses a 25/300 meter zero not a 25/300 yard zero

[@PracticalAccuracy]

Yes they do. It will still put you 6 inches high at 300 yards. That's a rough combat zero. If you are shooting at small targets that will matter.

[@tonnyromero]

Go out and test it yourself. Wow. I love that. Thank you for another amazing video.

[@PracticalAccuracy]

Thanks for watching.

[@brrrt7623]

For my rifle with the sight height, barrel length and cartridge it's 15y zero poa/poi at 300y which puts me 25" high at 150 yards. That's a combat zero and it's necessary to know what your bullet is doing and not just zero and forget.

[@grayman7208]

good video. thanks

[@PracticalAccuracy]

You're welcome

[@Nperez1986]

If you actually read the military 25 meter zero paper, it'll literally say what sight adjustment ti okace your M4 in for 25 meters. After completion, it'll state what to set it to...then you are at 300 yard/meter zero. Never has failed in my almost 2 decades

[@abstractapproach634]

I'd love to see this with irons

[@zeck8541]

Why are you doing a 25yd zero with a total different bore height sight than a standard M4 iron sight out of a 14” bbl as the 25/300 is intended for? It’s like saying the 25/300 method doesn’t work for a .22-250. Totally different external ballistics. Also, sight mounting height also matters.

[@eloiseharbeson2483]

I always start at 25 yds. 30 MOA error will still be on paper. I use a 200m zero for 5.56x45, 5.45x39 and 7.62x51. Point of impact is one mil (4") high at 100m and one mil (12") low at 300m. I don't have a range to dope them out for farther.

[@PracticalAccuracy]

Thanks for watching

[@boosted2809]

Great info buddy!

[@PracticalAccuracy]

Thanks. Working on more content about different zeros.

[@boosted2809]

@@PracticalAccuracy that would be a good little mini series 36yd, 50, etc.. Can't wait to see results with m855. Are you also gonna check m193?

[@PracticalAccuracy]

Yes, I'm trying to put together a mini-series. I have shot a lot of xm193 at 300 meters and it is quite accurate for me. I did test federal .223, the cousin of xm193, in one of my videos out to 567 yards and it performed well. The video didn't do so well I think because I didn't advertise it as xm193. I should do a video on xm193, but I don't have a lot of it right now and I don't want to pay the excessive price for it.

[@boosted2809]

@@PracticalAccuracy I hear you, hopefully we continue to see some relief on pricing before it says rockets again. Keep up the great content

[@PracticalAccuracy]

Thanks. Will do

[@arthurnunez5948]

Great video and information...just subscribed

[@PracticalAccuracy]

Awesome, thank you! More to come.

[@jaredspitzer3382]

25 250 ish?

[@daequanshambley1621]

I noticed,at 25yrd zero,at 125 yard's using my mutant 7.62 ×39, i was aiming center mass shooting high and to the left,i had to aim right towards the Torso area to get points of impact. I'm gonna try my grendel next and then I'll move to my wyldes thanks for the video

[@PracticalAccuracy]

You are welcome. A 50 yard zero will flatten out your trajectory quite a bit. Thanks for watching.

[@robertgorman8977]

If the rifle is constant, this all dependent on your ammo your using, height of your sights, and temp/atmo pressure. The point of this sighting style is you able to have to have one aiming point for 2 different distance. Moral of the story do what you want with your sights as long as you can hit the target before it hit you! This is the same issue people have with built in ballistic compensator. Im sure you could find some ammo that would work with this rule.

[@tedhodge4830]

The true 300 yard zero is achieved at 36 yards. I did some playing around with a ballistic calculator and mostly agreed with your findings, but with 25 meters (approx 27.34 yards), and found that this was not a true 300 meter zero. The origins of this are the design of the M16A2 rifle and 25 meters zeroing procedure developed by the Army (see M16A2/M4 zero target or FM-3-22.9). The procedure calls for a 25 meter zero with an M16A2 with the rear elevation drum moved up one click. Once zeroed, you move back down one click to approximate the 300 meter BZO. In actual fact, a true 300 meter zero mirrors a near zero distance of approximately 33 yards. If you run both through a ballistic calculator using 3100 fps (typically the average from a chronograph out of a 20"), this is dead-on. But anyway, if what you want is a 300 YARD zero, you want to zero your weapon at 36 yards, not 25 yards. The apex of the trajectory will be about 5 inches, not 8.

[@PracticalAccuracy]

Good analysis. I was going to do a video on the 36 yard zero as well showing a 300 yard far zero. Something else that comes into play is height over bore. With today's optics being as high as 3.5 inches over bore instead of 2.7 with A2 sights, this can also change your zero. I was also going to do a video about this in the future. Thanks for the comment.

[@johnbravo1005]

The green tip ammo doesn't stabilize well. Try that again with 62 grain non armor piercing ammo

[@Allenmar73]

Those holes looked clean and tight to me at 300 from that 16" bbl.

[@ReclaimYourMind]

I thought 25yd zero equated to 200yds and 36yd zero equated to 300 yds, no?

[@PracticalAccuracy]

50yd roughly equates to 200 and 36 roughly equates to 300. Thanks for watching.

[@W1ckedRcL]

It's not 25 yards to 300 yards. It's 36 yards for 300 meters. it's meant for the ACOG and it works beautifully. I shot a 300 on the known distance course for the MC and went on to hit everything I shot at in 29 Palms and Afghanistan.

[@PracticalAccuracy]

Thanks for watching and the comment.

[@dr.froghopper6711]

36 yard zero isn’t exact at 300 but it’s close enough for me. Up or down, it’s fine for anything my truck gun will face.

[@PracticalAccuracy]

36 is pretty close at 300. Thanks for watching

[@LKaramazov]

25 - 375? That’s even better as far as I’m concerned! So does that mean you hold low at 300?

[@PracticalAccuracy]

Yes, if you don't want to hit high.

[@andreball9644]

Great shooting and nice brief video to speak to a few elements of zero logistics. What rifle/barrel were you using? Thanks

[@PracticalAccuracy]

Thank you. I'll have more videos on zeroing in the future discussing a few more points in the zero process. I don't like any one video to get too long. I was using a Rock River Arms rifle with a 1:9 twist and 5.56 chamber.

[@firehawk766]

Great video... It looked cold out there do you think possibly the temperature and/or the wind may have changed anything in regards to point of impact.

[@PracticalAccuracy]

No. Temp was 24. I zeroed rifle in 7 degree weather and it still hit where the ballistic calculator predicted. Good comment and thanks for watching.

[@SierraKilo6]

It’s supposed to be in meters. 25 meters/ 300 meters

[@PracticalAccuracy]

You are still about 6 inches high in meters at 300m though.

[@bobjones5624]

Good morning Andy!! Can you please advise your experiences with the Night Force scope (I spy one on your shelf ☺️) - thank you.

[@PracticalAccuracy]

I've had nothing but a good experience with Nightforce. I own a number of their scopes and have never had a tracking issue with any of them. Good glass quality as well. Nightforce is my preferred optic. Most of the videos I film are shot with a Nightforce scope. One time I lost a screw on a set of nightforce rings, dropping it on my shop floor, I could not find it. I called nightforce to order a replacement and to my surprise, they sent me 4 screws at no charge. They even paid for the postage. Had the screws in 3 days.

[@212caboose]

It's supposed to be in Meters, and a lot of vets didn't just hear it, we used it. It's for combat accuracy. Nothing more.

[@PracticalAccuracy]

Thanks for your input.

[@Dan-di9jd]

Trying to zero 25 yards then thinking it's going to be zero for 300 with an optic shows you have 0 understanding of ballistics. The A2 sight has a drum where you put it on the Z notch to zero at 25 yards. 2 clicks down on the drum and now you're zero for 300 but you'll be about 1 inches off at 25 yards at that point. With an optic you could zero it the same way but you need to make sure you understand where it'll hit in relation to the reticle you're using and what zero and ammo the reticle is meant for. Most of them zero at 100 yards so to zero it at 25 yards, you'll need to hit about 1.5 inches low from where the center point is. This is assuming you're shooting .223/5.56 as most of them will have similar ballistics but still best to use consistent ammo.

[@frankopanklaric]

I tried this today. Same results. Who started the myth of 25m = 100m?

[@PracticalAccuracy]

👍

[@jonturner8309]

Have you done a 50/200 zero from a 20" barrel?

[@PracticalAccuracy]

Yes. I prefer the 50/200. I will probably do a video on this too.

[@rj8709]

Good info. I Guess you should always check the information you hear for yourself.

[@PracticalAccuracy]

Thanks for watching. Hope it was helpful.

[@ulflyng]

Subbed 👍

[@PracticalAccuracy]

Thanks for the sub!

[@NorvalHenderson]

. . Why am I not finding any mention of how high the sighting system should be above the barrel? . . I suspect it would be impossible to sight the same rifle, with the same cartridges, at the same (25 yard) distance, and expect it to strike the 300 yd target in the same place with sites at different elevations over the barrel. . . For some reason, I am thinking a slightly shorter riser for the site would give you a more accurate comparison for 25 to 300 yards with conditions used in this video. . . Perhaps someone could tell me.

[@PracticalAccuracy]

You are correct. Height above bore is a substantial factor in zeroes closer than 100 yards. I saved this info for the next video about the 25 yard zero where I go into greater detail about the zero. I'll be discussing height above bore, point of impact in 25 yard increments, errors in the zeroing process, etc... I just felt that discuss this all in one video makes the video too long. The 2 points I wanted to get out of this video are the 25/300 yard zero is not a point of aim, point of impact zero. Also, don't believe everything you here and test the zero for yourself. Thanks for watching and having an insightful comment.

[@kmarshall131]

maybe the 25/300 was for 55 grain?

[@PracticalAccuracy]

Won't work for 55 grain either., but Thanks for the comment.

[@AtlantiXYL]

Alot of the 25 - 300 yard zero is just too simplified. Yes the bullet will fall back down, but the wind, bullet weight, and other errors will influence the bullet.

[@black_rifle_veteran]

Stop sweating a ar zero 36 yard and call it a day

[@7.62flavorsoffreedom2]

From my understanding the 25 300 meter zero works with the 62gr M855A1 out of the 14.5 inch carbines. That's what I've been using in the military. Using my 16 inch in the civilian side it is definitely a different point of impact as you've been saying. In the civilian world the best trajectory I've seen was a 25 yard yero out of my 10.5 using 77gr SMK which was only about 6 inches high at 100. As my truck gun I don't see myself shooting much further than that.

[@PracticalAccuracy]

I think your zero with the 10.5 inch was flatter do to a combination of the heavier bullet weight (minor influence), but more importantly the reduced velocity of the 10.5 inch barrel. I will have some additional videos addressing the barrel length, bullet weight and loss of velocity. Just got to get my testing on paper. Thanks for the insightful comment.

[@gregrburnett3400]

My understanding of the 25/300 zero. First, it is actually a 25/300 METER zero. Second, shot from 20" barrels. Third, it came into existence in the age of iron sights. It was to get within Minute of Bad Guy at 300 meters. Not point of aim/point of impact. It is a "Good Enough for Government Work" approach. If you run the numbers using 25 and 300 meters, it is only like 4.7" high at 300. Again, close enough for shootin' bad guys.

[@PracticalAccuracy]

Correct. It didn't translate as well from meters to yards and I think people expect the 300 to be spot on. Thanks for the comment

[@gregrburnett3400]

@@PracticalAccuracy Yeah, I don't think they understand that it is NOT a precision thing. Just good enough for basically trained soldiers to engage the enemy at a reasonable distance. Enjoying your videos. Where abouts in WI are you? I'm in north central Iowa.

[@PracticalAccuracy]

@@gregrburnett3400 Southeast WI

[@TjHeuer-ct7eo]

36 yards and 300

[@PracticalAccuracy]

probably do in depth video on this too. Thanks for watching

[@TjHeuer-ct7eo]

@@PracticalAccuracy that would be awesome!

[@Ram0n20]

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@PracticalAccuracy]

Thanks. Glad you enjoyed the video.

[@bobjones5624]

💯💥💒😊🇺🇸

[@PracticalAccuracy]

Thank you. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@jrocks6969]

get a real gun and zero 7.62 at 300m

[@hgcamelsmoker]

You did not account for optic height over bore...

[@PracticalAccuracy]

Correct. I did not account for this. I used, if i remember correctly, 2.7 inches for HOB. If you are using really high mounts like 3 to 3.25, the impacts will even be higher at 300 yards.