How to Battlesight Zero an AR15: 50 Yard Vs. 25 Yard BZO Explained!!!! Part Three 

You can tell this man is an authority, because he's holding coffee and wearing glasses

Great tutorial! That is why I use a 50-yard zero as well.

To make a long story short, the rationale for a 50yd zero is that if your POA is on center mass, the POI will remain within center mass for all ranges from muzzle out to 300+/- yards. It's only beyond 300 yards you need to concern yourself with holdover. People need to remember this method is a *battle* zero--something that allows you to engage hostile threats within practical ranges by aiming and shooting quickly without worrying about ballistics.

Kotaboy32. Been a subscriber for a while now, im a former marine leo and weapons instructor, with that said. I enjoy and learn a lot from your vids, keep posting and semper fi

The most helpful video I've seen so far. Thank you.

Always so much knowledge .. I keep coming back to your videos and watch them again (short term memory 😂)

Thank you for putting a visual to this cocept; Now this is very helpful to me. Thank you Professor!

thanks for keeping this basic. Helpful video

just did a ten yard zero with my Ruger 556 and worked great, turns in to a 50/200 zero. used a laser bore sight in my house. zeroed with out firing a shot. it was hitting about a 1MOA at 50 yards. great to get on paper with very little adjustment. 1 moa at the range of course. lol

Thank you, best video that explains this!

The cup of coffee made this vid totally legit. Nicely done

Great video!!! Thanks for the education, Sir...

Very informative and helpful. Thank you 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Perfectly explained. It's nice to see a visual representation. Great ranger joke. 😁

If you set up your rifle with the Santose improved battlesight zero and always use the small aperture you can simply aim straight at everything from 50 to 250 yards and then use the elevation knob for 300 to 800 yards and continue to aim straight on, no holdover.

Over many long years of hunting antelope and mule deer we always sighted in at 100 Yards 1" high with 4X scopes cheat sheets made out for the drop out to 600. 180 gr 30 caliber Hornady spire points in 30-06. 175 gr in 7mm Rem Mag both Hornady or Sierra. With a check at altitude at 100 yards again with final adjustment for the elevation change from 750 ASL Chicago area to central Wyoming altitude. Some rounds were 6 inches off just due to the thinner air less drag better velocity retention. Some folks did not bother to check at altitude and shot over possible meat on the table. My dad dropped a moose up outside of Yellowstone at 600 yards 2 hits 4 inches apart with a Ruger #1 in 375 H&H Magnum with Sierra 270 gr. Moose was dead with first hit but had not dropped so second shot to be sure. All over in 5 seconds. Weaver 4X scope with 6 inch per 100 yards ranging wire.

This video reinforced the reason why a 25 meter zero is best. Good breakdown

I have just built a shooting range in my backyard and fifty yards was all I wanted. This video was awesome for me as I have a Ruger Mini 14 tactical 16" with a 2-7 scope that I mounted on it. So you really made it clear as to what to expect zeroing at fifty yards. Perfect! Thank you very much. 👍👍

I have zeroed a modified Mosin Nagant at 25yds. Same rifle at the range was dead on at 300m. I did the same with a 223 W 24" barrel. And received the same results at 300m. I zero at 25yd targets and everything is on at 300m.

EXACTLY!!! I agree 1000% with ya bro... the 50yd battle sight is without the best battle sight...... aim for the chest and anything from 25-250yrs you'll hit the chest.. 25 is what they teach in the military, but people have proven the 50 is better!

Good video. I also like the 50 yard zero

I'm a fan of the 36 yard zero, that way you get the best of both worlds by splitting the difference. You have one point of aim out to 300 yards, with only a few inches high or low. But to each there own. Great video and good explanation. Thanks.

Somebody actually gave this a thumbs down, c'mon man! Great video brother, I thought you "dialed" it down just right. That was very good instruction and explanation. I will be zeroing in at 50 yards from here on out. Thank you brother, enjoy the last week of 2016!!

I agree with you 100 percent. You make a very rational and logical argument. I had previously set my rifle to achieve a 50/200 yards zero using a calculated 1.9 inch difference between POA and POI at at 10 yards. Please take into consideration that most shooters don’t have access to an outside rifle range, but have easy access to an indoor range with a max distance of 25 yards. I got tired of telling those that were shooting with me to aim higher using a red dot in order to hit the bulls eye. Zeroing at 25 yds, I move the target all the way to the end of indoor range (25 yds), and tell them to aim for the center. 😀

Great video, Thanks!

Like is said before well expanded. People have a hard time understanding zero's on deer rifles to defensive firearms. I am fortunate my Dad taught me a lot about trajectory's and reloading.

Good video KB

Yes agreed, definitely an authority on the topic. Coffee, check. Distinctive glasses, check. Knife hand, check!

Will definitely be coming in handy. Remember my name kotaboy, I have a feeling we will be seeing each other out there. Love and respect from Cali!!!

Just started to learn about zeroing at the range, can only do it at 25 yards in this range, but cant wait to go to others that would let me shoot longer distances.

Great job.

Great job brother! 👍👍

Beautiful explanation

Great video 50 yard zero here Awesome job

very helpful. i'm in the process of zeroing my iron sight and don't have a clue what range is best. IT SHALL BE DONE AT 50 YARDS. MANY THANKS AGAIN!!!

that was an awesome video.

great vids. love the ranger joke lol

I love how people think using your middle rather than index finger makes pointing less "rude"

Hahaha that intro was hilarious!

Thanks! I will try that

EXCELLENT GRAPH !!! I bet there is a simple equation to figure out the angle of barrel and the zeroing points 🤔

Hey I was just sighting in a new palmetto with a cheap red dot. Thanks for the info.

50/200 is what I use on my DPMS 300 blackout! 300 yard for my 308, and 800 for my 7mm rem mag!

I know this is a video from 2016. No matter. You mentioned anomalies at 300 yards. There are several possibilities. 1. the weight of the bullet. Heavier bullets are affected less by air density. Lighter rounds are affected by wind more than heavier rounds. 2. Bullets with different ballistic coefficients but with the same bullet weights. Better ballistic coefficients are more aerodynamic, so they will not be slowed by air friction as much as bullets with the poorer ballistic coefficients. And 3, the most important factor, bullet velocity. Bullets of the same weight, and same ballistic coefficients but with different velocities will have different ballistic trajectories. The higher velocity will travel further and have a flatter trajectory this side of 300 yards. There are benefits from using a lighter bullet, mainly a higher velocity. There are benefits of using a heavier bullet, namely penetration and stopping power. The basic positive attributes of a bullet are its weight, aerodynamics, and velocity. If you change any one of these aspects, the flight of the bullet through the air will change. An aspect not particular to the bullet is the barrel through which the bullet travels. The major aspects of the barrel are length, stiffness, and support. Less important aspects are changes to barrels because of heating and fouling. If your powder fouls the barrel after 100 shots, then the first ten shots will be more accurate than the last ten shots. Fouling changes velocity and ballistics. Heating will cause the metal of the barrel to warp and increases the wear rate of the rifling.

I couldn't agree more!

On your 3rd diagram down, (zeroed at 50 yrds), where would the POI be at 10 yrds? How about the POI at 25 yards? I want to utilize my Red Dot equipped weapons accurately for close quarters home defense, but also sometimes out 50 - 150 yards. Awesome video!! THANK YOU!!

are you zeroing through the small peep? if so, how does using the large peep affect point of aim?

Would it not do the same with 50yd zero on your scope as your iron sight still be real close at the 200yd mark ?

Huh, I chose 50 yards for a completely different reason. We shoot clays as targets, which are 4". I dug around on some maximum point blank range calculators for the 55 grain bullets. A 50 yard zero puts the bullet within a 4 inch circle out past 250 yards. I'm using Magpul flip up MBUS sights, but I use a 2.5" sight height. So far they are pretty good out to 150 yards. I haven't tried at 200 yet. Well, I did, but I was all messed up and missed with about 20 shots, so I had to back up and recalculate.

That's correct and for people that are using red dots for close range without a magnifier it's the range your eyes can see.

the best method is first identify the size of the kill zone, then the max distance you want to hit the kill zone, the pick the flattest trajectory that hits the most kill zone targets out to your chosen distance, i myself perfer a no hold over trajectory for the simple reason that front sight can block view of where you need to hold, especially at long ranges but what really matters is what ever zero you choose its if you hit your kill zone wether you hold under or over knowing where to hold to hit your kill zone, shooting air rifles also for most of my life having a dozen different velocities, over 100 different pellets with different ogives and profiles and over 25 different grain weights, we air gunners know trajectory well because we have to, we have much more drop, lots of wind drift, we make more ballistic calculations for targets of many sizes, and other variables to deal with far more then center fire rifles wich gives us vast experience because we shoot alot being the cost is cheaper to do more tests, at the end of the day its all about hitting your kill zone out to your prefered distance despite your zero, if kill zone target gets hit every time with using more then one sight in then it doesnt matter, its all about making hits on kill zone never missing any out to your disired distance you choose, combat, plinking, competition and even extreme long range are all different from each other. in a imperfect world you can have flat shooting with out hold over nor long range shooting with out hold under, some where in a trajectory path you will have hold under and hold over depending on distance

Thanks for the help I’m going to be zeroing mine at the 50 yard line also

What gun (eg what barel length and twist rate) and ammo is this zeroing done with. And would this method also work with a Ruger Mini 14 ranch rifle (18.5 inch barrel)?

Right on the side of the box on quality ammo

I know this is an older video but was wondering if you still think this zero distance is best. I recently watched a video by Vigilance Elite that explained, I think it was a 36 yard zero, that made a lot more sense to me. I’m asking you because I have watched many of your videos and know when it comes to ballistics you are very knowledgeable. Also an old Paratrooper.

is it true that if i shoot from 25 yards and desire a 50 yard zero,i can dial in at 25 and impact is 1'' low? would this still be a 50 yard zero?i ask because i feel i can be much more precise at that distance but desire the 50 yard zero

Are these the numbers for the 20” rifle and what ammo, M193, M855, etc? How much are these numbers changed with the 16” barrel? Thanks.

Question. With respect to a veritable optic, i.e. 1x4 or 1x6, would you use a 50 yard zero? It would seem to hold most of the advantages.

Question: So im new to rifles and red dots. I've been working armed security for years but I've always carried a pistol. I want to have my Ar15 with a red dot available for emergency tactical respons. Im in a school setting, long narrow hallways, I'll probably be engaging anywhere as low as 5 yards to maybe 150 yards. Can't really see myself going beyond that for my environment. Should I still zero at 50 yards or consider zeroing at 25 yards to ensure im more accurate at shorter distances because im not concerned about shooting 200 or 300 yards?

Katoboy, I love your videos, but one thing here AR iron sights are about 2.6 inches above center of bore, This means the bullet rise is more pronounced at 100 ( 5") at 200 (9") at 300 (-2) at 400 (-11) depending on the ammo. Your right in that a setup 50 yd zero is still a flatter trajectory. Airmen can shoot too..lol..

Great info. How would this apply to a 30-06 Hornady 165 grain. Thanks man!!!

Do you click the 8/3 and 6/3 one foward?

So say I’m sighting at a 50 yard range and leave my point of impact 1.5” lower than the bullseye when I’m aiming at the bullseye, will that mean my rifle is very close to being zeroed at 200 yards?

I agree with the 50 yard zero👍

Folks might want to produce a battle sight zero (BSZ) when using as issued BDC detachable carry handle sight, since the “Battle Sight Zero,” when synced to the BDC function, supports engagement of unknown distance targets, allowing the shooter to aim center mass on an “E” type target and achieve a hit from muzzle to 300 meters with bullet impacting no more than 10 inches above point of aim, and hit to 350 meters with bullet impacting no more than 10 inches below point of aim. In fact, utilizing the whole 20 inches of target below center of mass hold allows the shooter to hit a target out to 400 meters. Once zeroed for a 300-meter battle sight zero, the elevation wheel can then be hastily re-adjusted for engagement of known distance targets beyond 300 meters. This adjustment is known as Bullet Drop Compensation. The numbers on the elevation wheel represent distances in meters. Bottoming out the wheel to 6/3 the BDC is set for 300 meters. Clicking up to 4, or 5 adjusts the trajectory of the round to engage targets at the corresponding distance (i.e. 4=400m, 5=500m). One full revolution up from 300 correlates to the number 6 on the left side of the 3. Thus set, elevation is now adjusted for 600 meters. Begin zeroing by clicking front sight post to where its base is flush with the deck of the front sight base. Next, set the small rear sight aperture, also known as the “daylight” aperture, in the up position (the larger aperture is only used when visibility is limited, shooting inside 200 meters); and, turn rear sight windage knob to align index line located on the top of the large aperture’s outside rim with center index line located on the back of the rear sight’s base. Next, turn the rear sight elevation wheel counter clock-wise to bottom it out and then click it clock-wise to index the wheel’s 6/3 marking to the index line located on the left side of the carry handle above the elevation wheel. Now, because the path of the bullet will intersect line of sight twice when zeroing to any finite distance, this is how it is possible to sight-in the M16-A4 for a 300 meter zero at 32 meters, or the M4 at 25 meters. If precluded to a 25-meter range when sighting-in the M16-A4, you can compensate for the 32-meter to 25-meter offset by setting the M16-A4’s BDC 2 clicks clock-wise beyond the 6/3 setting, which will place the BDC wheel at the “Z” marking. So, using a big enough target to consistently understand the sight/target relationship, set the target out to available sight-in distance; and, using a center of mass hold, shoot 5 rounds from a stable position to produce a group on the target. Triangulate the group, excluding bad shots, to define the group’s center point; and, adjust sights to move next grouping to target’s center. Adjust elevation from front sight by turning sight post in counter clock-wise direction to move bullet point of impact down. Turn post in clock-wise direction to move bullet point of impact up. One click of post will move M16-A4 bullet point of impact 1.25 MOA, or M4 bullet point of impact 1.75 MOA. Adjust windage by turning windage knob clock-wise to move bullet point of impact right. Turn knob counter clock-wise to move bullet point of impact left. One click of knob will move M16-A4 bullet point of impact .50 MOA, or M4 bullet point of impact .75 MOA.. And, remember, if you sighted-in the M16-A4 at 25 meters, rather than 32 meters, you now need to turn the elevation wheel counter clock-wise 2 clicks, which will index the 6/3 marking to the index line on the carry handle above the elevation wheel. Thus set, the rifle is now zeroed for 300 meters and synchronized for a bullet drop compensation function. Creds: US Distinguished Rifleman, SAFS and SDM Instructor.

What do you recommend for house clearing or should I ask, anything less than 25 yards? Or for an indoor rifle that will NEVER shoot past 25 yards.

Does this hold true for 55gr, 62gr, and 77gr bullets??? I am assuming this is a AR-15 with 20" barrel and 55gr bullet. My NIKON Spot-On ballistic calculator does not match-up to the drops! Your opinion is appreciated.

Big like

Looking for a Battlesight Zero for 6.5 grendel and 7.62x39. I currently use the 50yd zero for my 5.56.

If the iron sight is zero at 25 yard, would it be possible to hit a target at 500 yards at the same settings from 25 yards?

Almost smart enough to have been Air Force, almost! Thanks for the simplified demo, bet even a marine may have followed it - if he had help! 😆

When you zero at 25 if you aim at the belt buckle or center mass you are going to make contact out to 300. AB ATW!!

-makes a comment about being army paratrooper or w/e...... - "I'm not going to be engaging anything past 150yds with BUIS". -Army Confirmed lol Great video!

but the elevation differential between the barrel and target makes all of this more like guess work, no? i.e, your barrel is a foot higher that the target; if you are zeroed at 25 yards, that bullet will be in the dirt before it gets to 300 yards, right? All this goes out the window, it seems. Please address this element, thanks.

So to get a 50 meter zero using a 25 meter target? Where should the shoot group should be?

I feel like i have to hold a few inches high at 200 yards with a 50 yd zero. Then again i didnt zero with a bipod. That hold over normal?

Wish my local range was a little bit bigger to go for either the 36 or 50 yard zero but all I have is 25 yards... I need to know my hold unders every time but once you get used to it. Is all right.

For those assumptions yes - but it is quite sensitive to scope height above boresight - my scope height is 2.9 inches which is almost twice his assumed 1.5 inches and this has a significant effect on the trajectory heights at various distances. Muzzle velocity and ballistic coefficient are also important. You're best bet is to use a ballistic calculator eg Hornady and input the specific ammo characteristics and los height for your optics and mount and look at what your preferred zero is for your particular situation and then verify on the range if possible.

Good job

Is the 50 yard zero good at 10,15 and 25 yards

Thank you that helped. I was about to zero at 100 yards but your video made a lot of sense.

So I live in a state that is very gun unfriendly and I only have access to 25 yard indoor ranges. Could you please make a video explaining how to use a 25 yard target to sight in a 50 yard sight? Thank you. BTW, you are awesome.

BLESS

Airborne... 508 ABN ‘93-95; 2/505 PIR ‘96-00

Hell yeah Airborne

That makes a lot of sence to me

Are you saying to zero the irons at 50 yards and optics at 100 yards? Not arguing just trying to understand.

Not trying to throw a curve ball but whats the best zeroing yards for a 22lr

Hi bro thanks for info I try my 25 06 at 60 yards

The range I got to only has 25 and 100 yds which do I use? I used the 25 for all off my sights red dots and magnified optics included. I don't hunt but plan to.

Recommended 300BLK zeroing?

Hmmm, I too am a paratrooper and I have no problem using iron sights out to 300 with 25m zero...just my 2 cents. What unit in the 82nd...and year if u don't mind?

a good video to a point but: A. A 20 inch barrel with GI 556 is 3200 fps. A 16 inch barrel with 223 in about 2750 fps. A big big difference. This should have been discussed here. it wacks out all the numbers. Also the AR15 has high sights way above the receiver while other 223 rifles have sights low and that makes a big difference too.

I have a question. How exactly are you supposed to use the a2 apertures? I have heard so many conflicting uses. Zero with the small, zero with the large, The large is only for short range, only use the large, etc. Also I know that the two apertures have different elevations, but they are made for the 25 yard zero. How does switching the apertures effect the 50 yard zero?

What ammo are you using and what grain bullet? Also, what barrel length?

Great video man. Ranger cant read though, ouch

Ranger can't read.. Hmm ok AA Achoiclies American..82rd unit to show up after the fact..LMMFAO 1 love.. love the video do more

At 1:25 you say if you zero at 25 yards you'll be hitting 1.5 inches low at 25 yards, or that's how I understood it at least. If you zero at 25 yards, Point of Aim should be the same as Point of Impact at 25 yards, otherwise you're not zeroed for that..?

I respect you opinion for the 50 yard zero, but my personal preference is the 25 yard zero. And this is just in case I am relying on the iron sights completely, without any other sighting aids. Although bullet trajectory might be slightly higher, this might help aid you if your being fired upon at a distance, happen to aim low at the enemy, and for enemy follow up troops if you happen to shoot over your target. Most AK's can rain fire on someone at the 300 yard mark.

Barrel length come into to play say on 10.5 with the drop in velocity 300 it about max ….. just questions… I might have heard barrel length…