I recently purchased a Howa M1500 in .204 Ruger. I put a Vortex Diamondback 4-12x40 scope on it with Leopold rings and base. I am new to this caliber and am looking for advice in sighting it in. I have noticed from the bakl\llixtics I have looked at that the .32 gr. bullet is pretty flat at 200 yds. Should that be the zero point for sighting it in? Thanks for the help.

Hi Mike,
This is where PointBlank software comes in handy. There is a feature where you put all the load info in then go to the ballistics page and click the button for "Calculate PBR" which means Point blank range. You enter the kill zone in inches (I use 4 or 6 inches for varmints) and the program will calculate what distance you should sight in for or at least give you a better idea of the ideal range.

Welcome to the board Mike. Popgun is correct that you can do a lot of "what ifs" in Pointblank software. You need to decide what you are going to ask the rifle to do and choose a trajectory that best meets that requirement. You will need to know the muzzle velocity and the ballistic coefficient of your 32 grain bullet and some other atmospheric variables and then you will be off to the races!

If you are going to poke holes in paper at a fixed distance or shoot p-dogs at 3-500 yards you will want a different zero point. If you are wanting to kill coyotes beyond 150 yards .... get a bigger gun....

Sorry Popgun I could not resist.

Let us know what you plan to do with the rifle and we can help you through the software.

Mikev
I use a 32gr Hornady V-Max with 28 gr of Hodgdens becnhmark powder and a small rifle magnum primer.
I zeroed my rifle (CZ 527) at 250 yards and have killed dogs out to 400 yards.
I really like this combination and it works for me.