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Posted: **Sat Dec 28, 2013 6:50 pm**

Those that own/shot them. At what yard mark do/did you zero yours?

I think we did 25 yards in the army. But not sure.

Posted: **Sat Dec 28, 2013 9:22 pm**

I think 25 yards is standard.

This is interesting:
http://www.travel-golf.org/ar15_bullet_range_trajectory_sighting.htm

Posted: **Sat Dec 28, 2013 11:24 pm**

Posted: **Sat Dec 28, 2013 11:25 pm**

I had found this article as well.

http://www.ar15.com/content/page.html?id=659

It seems to me that for practical purposes, a 50yd zero would make the most sense. I can't imagine wanting to shoot things more than 200 yards away. A 5 inch spread is more appealing than the 10+ a 25yd zero would create. I also like the 55 yd line. Dead on at 55 and 100 rd.

But still curious what we were doing in the military back in the day.

Posted: **Sat Dec 28, 2013 11:32 pm**

I forgot about the 'mechanical zero' so you can remember where your zero is.

So that video said 36/300yrd. Is that what you guys did in the Marines?

25yd comes to mind for me, but, it was so long ago. And I'm sure army/marines did things differently. We only qualified out to 100 yards. And remembering how tiny a 100 rd target was, that's why I'm thinking 200 yards is the max practical. Unless you have a scope.

Posted: **Sat Dec 28, 2013 11:34 pm**

I didn't watch the vid, I just googled "What range do you BZO an M-16." I seem to recall 25 feet, or so. You fired til you get 3 shots within the width of a nickel. After that you just knew how many clicks up or down in elevation for whatever distance you were firing on a KD (known distance) course.

NOW... in a combat situation, if you have prep time, you pace off distances to landmarks. That wat you know "this big rock is exactly 125 yards away," so if the tangos are there, you click for 125 yards. THIS DEAD TREE TRUNK is 325 yards away.... so you click for 325 yards. Etc etc.

So.... I know exactly how many paces the different trees are in my back yard, from my upstairs windows. If I were REALLY hard core about it, there would be a list of distances written on the wall next to the window, in case I have multiple people defending my house.

Not that I think about that kind of thing.

Posted: **Sat Dec 28, 2013 11:37 pm**

Cakedaddy wrote:25yd comes to mind for me, but, it was so long ago. And I'm sure army/marines did things differently. We only qualified out to 100 yards. And remembering how tiny a 100 rd target was, that's why I'm thinking 200 yards is the max practical. Unless you have a scope.

Every year we had to qual with the M-16. It was 20 rounds at 200 yards, 20 rounds at 300 yards, and 10 rounds at 500 yards. Different positions, and 2 rounds of rapid fire (10 rounds each). That means 10 rounds in 60 seconds. Twice. Once at 200 yards, once at 300 yards. My last year qualifying, I fired perfectly. I only missed the bull 6 times out of 50, and 4 of them were the standing (no support) "offhand" position at 200 yards. I hate that fucking position.

Posted: **Sat Dec 28, 2013 11:40 pm**

I've read amry at 25 and marines at 37.5. That video said 36, which would put the down ward path of the round at zero at 300yd. And since I THOUGHT you have said you qualify out to 300, it would sort of match the 37.5 yd I've read.

And I also remember being trained to aim high or low of center mass at a certain distance because of bullet travel. But I don't remember if it was up or down or at what distance.

I need to retake basic.

Posted: **Sat Dec 28, 2013 11:41 pm**

Cakedaddy wrote:And I also remember being trained to aim high or low of center mass at a certain distance because of bullet travel. But I don't remember if it was up or down or at what distance.

We called that "Kentucky Windage." We absolutely did not do that. At that time, every Marine knew exactly how many clicks to move the round up and down, left and right. We always aimed center mass.

Posted: **Sat Dec 28, 2013 11:47 pm**

I call BS on 500 yds with iron sites.

Posted: **Sat Dec 28, 2013 11:48 pm**

We were shooting with M16A1 with the rear site only adjustable left and right. To adjust up/down we would have had to adjust the front site, which as you know, is impractical in a combat situation.

Posted: **Sat Dec 28, 2013 11:54 pm**

Cakedaddy wrote:I call BS on 500 yds with iron sites.

???

Man sized target, 500 yards, I missed the 5 ring once.

Not sure how to prove this, but you are so wrong that I am actually disgusted by you right now.

Posted: **Sat Dec 28, 2013 11:54 pm**

Cakedaddy wrote:We were shooting with M16A1 with the rear site only adjustable left and right. To adjust up/down we would have had to adjust the front site, which as you know, is impractical in a combat situation.

A2 had rear sight elevation.

Posted: **Sat Dec 28, 2013 11:56 pm**

GORDON wrote:
Cakedaddy wrote:I call BS on 500 yds with iron sites.
???

Man sized target, 500 yards, I missed the 5 ring once.

Not sure how to prove this, but you are so wrong that I am actually disgusted by you right now.

Here is a conversation where peeps are talking about it.

500 yards was not really much harder than 300, if you didn't suck.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100114135104AAWHPO3

Posted: **Sun Dec 29, 2013 12:17 am**

I know the A2 had rear sight elevation. That was my point. We did not. We had to aim high/low. Too cumbersome/dangerous to adjust front for distance.

Was the target literally 500 yards away, or did you shoot a much smaller target 100 yards away to simulate 500 yards?

Posted: **Sun Dec 29, 2013 12:37 am**

Literally. The way you just said sounds stupid.

Posted: **Sun Dec 29, 2013 8:36 am**

My dad was in the Air Force in the very early 60s. I asked him what weapons they trained on. He said they had the AR-15, which would have been brand new then, but then he said,

"Mostly they just taught us to run."

Posted: **Sun Dec 29, 2013 2:57 pm**

They taught us to run, too... toward the sound of violence.

OOH RAH.

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