Why is it when your rifle is sighted in at 2 inches high at 100 yards it shoots low at 20 or 25 yards.?? :confused:

Ever notice the height difference between the center of the muzzle and the center of your scope? The muzzle centerline is still below your line of sight at 20 to 25 yds from the muzzle.

It depend on the trajectory of the loading and how high the sights are above the bore. Thats why its best to try your loading at different distances to see where it will actually hit. The trajectory info in the loading manuals are really just a guide and you will probably find a different result. What load are you using? What scope and mount?

What Kdub said is right. Normally a scoped rifle has the centerline of the bore 1.5 inches above the bore. With some of the scopes on the market now with 40 and 50 mm objectives that can go up to two inches easily.

When you sight a rifle in the bullet usually crosses the line of sight twice. In effect it makes an arc when leaving the barrel starting out under the line of sight and crossing it at 25 to 50 yards then as velocity drops crossing it again.

My rifles are sighted in at 3 inches high at a hundred and depending upon the bullet type and the velocity crossing again anywhere to 250 to 350 yards.

Two inches high at a hundred give you a good trejectory with most guns out to 250 yards or so. I suggest you shoot groups with at 25, 50, 100, 150 and so on til drop becomes to much.

I've found that I like to have a rifle sighted in for what is called a point blank range which means a range I can hold on a target or animal and not have to worry about holding over or under and still be assured of a hit in the vital zone. Out here in the west most folks use two to three inches high at a hundred. Most rifles in the 30-06 class have a point blank range of around 275 yards sighted in at 3 inches high at a hundred.

Like Kdub said if you don't shoot your rifle at different distances your just guessing where your gun shoots. I usually shoot my deer and elk rifles out to 500 yards in 50 to 100 yard increments.

Over the last few years I've kept all my shots under 300 yards and in fact I can only think of one time in my hunting career I've shot game over 500 yards, though I've spent a lifetime of target shooting out to 1000 yards.

Maybe a picture would help. It is necessarily exagerated.

Darrel