Just picked up a RWS46 in .177 and looking to sight it in. What is the best distance to sight in at. It's shooting a Crosman Primier 7.9 at 837 FPS. I will be using it for ranges up to 40 yards or even longer. I am looking for a sight in distance that will give me the flatest trajectory.
If there is a good sight in distance that will work out to 50 yards that would be good also.

You may want to consider the Crossman Premier Heavy 10.5gr. They seem to have a flater trajectory than the lighter 7.9 as often heavier pellets do. The velocity lost at 50yds by the 10.5 is only about 150fps less than muzzle and it carries a little bit more punch/energy (FPE) than the lighter 7.9gr CP. The 7.9 seems to lose about 200fps at 50yds and is slower by more than 160fps between 10 and 50yds. I 'm comparing it to the velocity tests of an RWS34 which seems to have similar muzzle velocity for the 7.9gr that you are talking about. See here: http://www.straightshooters.com/ourtake/ottest34.html

Every gun is different so I could be off here.
I found out with my RWS350 .22 when sighting the scope, that there 's not much difference in how much the pellet drops between 10 and 25yds. At 30yds there is a considerable difference from 10 or 15yds, so I chose to sight mine in at 20yds because most of what I shoot is usually between 15 and 25yds out. I would go in the middle. If you'll be doing most of your shooting between 30 and 50yds, then sight the scope in at 40. Then see how much lower your pellets land on the target at 50 and how much higher at 30yds, so you will now how to adjust the crosshair up & down depending where your target is. The farthest I can shoot something safely on my property is ~35yds and that's always towards the woods behind my house. Even though my neighbor to the left is 50yds away and the other to the right 40yds, I don't like aiming my airgun towards someone's house even if it's high up at a tree or towards the lawn (from upstairs window) for obvious reasons. Frankly the 2" and 3" targets that I used to sight mine in, were not greatly visibile at 35yds through the RWS450 scope that my gun came with so I 'm in the market for a more powerful scope so I can feel comfortable shooting at a target 35+yds away or if I decide to take the 350 out to the field with me this upcoming hunting season in October.

Hi Bob
Try going to this site . They have great info -test reports - coments - mods and a section on how to and why to sight in etc .
They are very informative ..

http://www.pyramydair.com/site/contact/

JerryL

http://www.arld1.com/holdoverunderdonesteve.html

I usually sight my springers in around 20 to 25 yards, but that demo will show you what different zeros do to your trajectory.
Regarding the previous poster's comments on shooting very heavy pellets from a 12 ft-lb gun- my experience is just the opposite. Even though heavies tend to hold their velocity better, they start off so slow, and therefore take so long to get to target, with gravity pulling on them for a longer time, that the trajectory is actually loopier. However, we are all free to experiment and see what shoots best from our guns and for our shooting styles. CPLs shoot acccurately in the mid 800fps range from most of my guns, so they are what I use.
Have fun,
--
Dan (in NY)

Thanks for the replys on sighting in. This is my first springer so I am leaning all kinds of new things. For over 33 years I have just had my Sheridan .20 cal. Plus a few other pumpers and a Crosman Mark II in .177.

The RWS46 I just got is a beaut, with the checkered stock and check piece. Tuned with a JM spring and guides plus JM seals, deburred and honed plus trigger work with a one piece scope mount with 2 1/2X10 Tasco Varmint Scope. All the work was done by Rich from Michigan who I bought the rifle from.

This is my first springer and I have a lot to learn. But i'm getting better each day shooting. And with all the help I am getting here i'm sure I will get better.

Bob,

As you know, your trajectory is directly related to the weight of the pellet and the resulting velocity produced by your air gun. I recommend that you download the Chairgun2 program and play with it. There is a free download and it will tell you all you ever wanted to know about air gun trajectories.

Of course, if you have access to a chronograph you can get very precise, but by using the Chairgun2 program and a little common sense and experimenting with shooting at targets you can get your gun shooting at its optimum.

http://www.chairgun.com/chairgun2.htm

Good luck with your RWS 46. I love mine. It is "very" accurate. I prefer it over my R9 and R7.

I totally agree with Dan D's advise to you. I've used that site's computations
to determine the zero for two airguns I use in FT, and the click corrections
per distance for FT shooting. They will get you very close. in essence, you
set the zero to your calculated apogee(about 22-23yds for your mod 46), then
click or hold over for your corrections. The site will explain why.

Tony G