What caliber?
What load?
What scope?
What is your zero range or sightin?

Just trying to get a feel for what everyone does here for their hunting handguns.

Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter.
Bill

Bill
7 TCU
Sierra 130 SSP, don't remeber load off the top of my head
B&L Elite
My zero or sight in range is 100 Meters, yes meters, because that is what I shoot in IHMSA. I also keep a small chart taped on the forearm for 50M
100M
150M
200M
Just for quick reference.
Jeff

Billy Bob:

Brenchrest only, You know that I don't hunt any more.

.223 Remington
55 GR Hornady VMAX
25.3 GR Hodgen H-4895
R-P 9 1/2BR Primers
R-P cases
2925fps/mv
Tasco/Bushnell 6-24X Mil Dot AO Scope
100 yard zero

284 Win. XP-100, 140 NBT or Partition, MV-2750 fps, Sight-in distance is usually between 250-280 yards depending on a number of factors.
In fact, most of my hunting set-ups with my XP's or MOA will feature a 3-12 Burris LER, PA with Ballistic Plex reticle and will have a sight-in somewhere between 250 and 300 yards. I will have taped to my scope the yardages of the different stadias below my crosshair and will have one or two wind speeds also listed from 300-600 yards.
All primary hunting loads are chronoed and use a laser rangefinder when time and or distance demands it.

Ernie

.30 Bellm Contender, Bushnell 3200 Elite 2-6x, 130gr soft point from CNC cartridge doing 2250fps.
For Illinois deer season, Zero at 50 yards it's 3" low at 150 and 8" low at 200 (Zeroing at 100 yards yeilds 2.4" low at 150 and 7.5" low at 200, not much point in trying to find a 100 yard range. If I had one I'd do it for the practice though.) For coyotes, I use the 125 gr ballistic tips and zero at 200 yards (go to the field where we hunt two weekends prior and sight in), almost all our coyote shots are 150 to 225 and this round will be within 2" when zero'd at 200. Thinking of using the Ballistic tips for deer this year, let you know how it works out.

.44 Mag SRH, Weaver 2x, Remington Core-lokt 275gr at 1235fps (same muzzle energy as the .30 B at 175 yds!). Zero at 50 yards, makes it 3" low at 100 and I'm not taking a shot longer than that anyway.
Helicopter Bill

6mm-223

Zero at 200 yards, which puts me 2.5 high at 100yds.

Keeps my 80gr bullet doing 2800fps at a good range for whitetail.

I have 2 zero distances for a plex reticle-- x-hair, and post of plex. A ballistic-type reticle has as many zero's as reference points in the scope, but the most important point here (for the field shooter)is that the highest zero reference point will change for whatever maximum point blank range (MPBR) is for your particular target/load, and this should be established if you want to increase the # of 1st shot connections at the longest range possible for whatever target size you're shooting. The last Steel Safari held in New Mexico was won this year by an individual using the MPBR approach (along with a plex reticle in a variable-powered scope set up to use as a rangefinder), instead of the more popular comeup calculations used by many snipers. This approach was being advocated by guys like Bob Hagel many years ago, and is presented in his book "...Practical Ballistics for the American Hunter", and also Bob Bell in his book "All About Scopes and Mounts".

[ 07-02-2003, 06:42: Message edited by: sscoyote ]

I don't worry much about what caliber I usually just zero where I have about a 3 inch midrange trajectory unless there are special circumstances. I consider my max range to be about 300 on deer with a flat shooting bottle neck cartridge and about 150 with most revolvers.

7mm tcu 2-6 scope 120gr horn ssp @100yds
250 savage 87gr sierra 2.5-8 scope @200yds
45-70 300gr sierra 2-6 scope @75yds
357 herret 180gr horn ssp 4x scope @1ooyds
44 rem mag 240gr hp iron sights @30yds
all are on tc frames and various make barrels at times loads and zeros are changed dependign on what is being hunted, but for the most part this is what they are set at.