I thought it was worth pulling this together into one post, maybe even making it a sticky.

This has been unashamedly pinched from the Gunsmoke website (link further down).


One of the better methods for sighting in a .22lr is the point blank method.

I'll give a summary if you just want to get out and shoot, and a link to the web page with all the details if you are stuck at a desk at work, or want to do some tricky stuff.

Point blank range is the distances between which a bullet will hit inside a defined vital zone when aimed smack in the middle of that zone. This method of sighting in aims to maximise that range.

For small game, a 25mm (1 inch) radius zone (that's a circle 50mm or 2 inches across) makes most sense as it caters for head and chest shots on most common small beasties we shoot her in NZ.

So, for subsonic .22lr ammo (40 gr), if you sight in at 47.5m (52 yards) you will hit inside the vital zone between ranges of 16.5m (18 yards) and 54m (59 yards).

For supersonic .22lr ammo (40 gr) if you sight in at 54m (59 yards) you will hit inside the vital zone between ranges of 18m (20 yards) and 60m (66 yards).

For hyper velocity .22lt ammo (CCI Stingers in this case) if you sight in at 78.5m (86 yards) you will hit inside the vital zone between ranges of 6.5m (7 yards) and 89m (98 yards).

Beyond those ranges, you need drop charts, or a bunch of practice (guess which one is most fun?)  

If you put 40 gr supers in a rifle that is sighted in point blank for 40 gr subs as above, then the supers will be point blank between 5.5m (6 yards) and 62 m (68 yards)

That means you don't get much extra distance with the required accuracy, just a round going faster and making more noise!  

For all the details, and the drop charts, have a look here.

If you want to have a play yourself, try these links:

This is a simple, metric, web based ballistics program

And this is the imperial version

These don't have drop charts but give you the basic results in a table.

You can lift the basic starting data from the page on point blank sighting in, or you can use this info on basic ballistic coefficients for .22lr rounds.

Hope that is some help to people and have fun out there.  



[Edit: corrected range error -- blackbunny]

Hmmm, yeah I messed that one up. That'll teach me for trying to work with 3 websites at once! 

I would fix it, but for some reason I can't edit that post any more.

Perhaps a friendly Duck Gunner will make the followings edits for me? 

Point blank range is the distances between which a bullet will hit inside a defined vital zone when aimed smack in the middle of that zone. This method of sighting in aims to maximise that range.

So, for subsonic .22lr ammo (40 gr), if you sight in at 47.5m (52 yards) you will hit inside the vital zone between ranges of 16.5m (18 yards) and 54m (59 yards).

Thanks Vanman, that is very helpful indeed.

Nice post, very very helpful

Cheers, Just bought a Norinco jw15a will try this out over the weekend. Also hello to everyone, I have been a guest on this site for awhile and just recently registered. Some very interesting topics out there.

thanks for the info. I have my 22lr sighted in so its smack on at 75m with high velocity ammo and haveing it sighted in at that range works well for me

exactly the way i do it also with the anschutz but i use the top or bottom thick part of the cross hairs for near or far

Thanks for that info. Thats how i did it in the past but forgot how, maybe age has something to do with it.

cheers