Zeroing and bullet drop

[whythecynic]

I read a thread on Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/r/theHunter/comments/7udnqx/any_recommended_skills_and_perks_to_get/dtjjg6i/ - that claims bullet drop isn't implemented until you actually get the Zeroing perk, at which point it starts being calculated. The post claims they started missing shots after getting zeroing, which they never missed before. It also claims without Zeroing you can shoot without compensation (more or less) up until 200m, past which you need to start compensating for bullet drop.

Note that the default zero, without the perk, is at 150m. This detail explains all their findings (and I agree with them).

My findings at the shooting range below. I have Zeroing level 1 unlocked, and it is my only active perk so I cannot test shots without zeroing. I also have all the steadying perks (including the hold breath ones) and the 8-16x scope. All tested with soft-point bullets because those should have the worst ballistics- not verified.

Aim point was dead center, like you would when zeroing an actual rifle. All shot standing. I tried prone as well and prone shot much better- I suspect it's due to shooting upwards at the center of the target when you're prone. But for the purposes of evaluating zeroing I'm giving only the standing results.

.223 was interesting. At both 50 and 150m it did not matter whether the rifle is zeroed to 75m or 150m, it shot center pretty well. 150m zeroing was very slightly high at 50m, but the bullet holes did not touch the edge of the bullseye. At 300m, it shot the worst, being off by about 4.5 rings when zeroed to 150m.

.243 shot ok. At 50m, both zeroes hit center. Again 150m zeroing shot very slightly high, the bullet hole barely grazing the edge of the bullseye. At 150m, 75m zeroing shot low about half a ring. At 300m, 150m zeroing shot low about 3.5 rings.

7mm shot pretty bad. At 50m, both zeroes hit center. Again, 150m zeroing was slightly high- about the same as .243. At 150m, 75m zeroing shot low about one full ring. At 300m, 150m zeroing shot low about 4 rings. Very noticeable sway.

My thoughts: because the default zeroing (without the perk) is at 150m, and these 3 rifles still shoot very well within 50m when zeroed to 150m, the simplest explanation is that bullet drop is always in effect- it just isn't noticeable until past 150m with the default zeroing.

A very interesting finding is that bullet drop at 150m when zeroed to 75m is very noticeable for the heavier rifles. I think this is the likely cause of the Reddit poster missing their shots- they misjudged their distances and shot zeroed to 75m when the target was in fact further away.

Final verdict: the Reddit post is right, because the default zero is 150m and you will never use short-range zero for rifles, especially since it will mess up your shots at 150m if you accidentally leave it set. For extreme long range, the second level of zero would be useful.

Bow / crossbow or shotgun slug hunters might have different results and find the short-range zero useful.

I might switch to the estimate distance skill as my active skill instead.

[❄️The Last Frontier 😊]

yeah I had it for zeroing at first but recently reset my points for estimated distance as I was fining most my shots are 250M's or less so even then the zeroing perk does not really factor in all that greatly where as especially when I am bow hunting know about how far out an animal is helps me pick my pin on my sight easier so I find that perk much more useful!