Generating Precision Rifle Zeroing Data
I like to have short range zeros extremely precise, but as holdovers, as the worst case tactical application is generally more along the lines of a SWAT response where there is a need for an instant stop, only a small margin for error, cover, and things you don't want to shoot in the foreground and background. Not using holdovers can get the click count into the 24+ range fast within 50 yards. It's just not worth it to visually index the gun at that point and throw off any ability to hit with precision if the distance changes rapidly. From 50-100 it's still generally within 5 clicks for an indexed zero.
At long range, I like to have data every 50 yards, as drop goes from 10" per 50 yards to 30"+ quickly. I like to do increments of 25 yards past 1200 yards. Anything short of a 6.5-284 or a 300 Win Mag will have dropped over 600" by that distance. Most optics will start maxing out travel at ~1000-1200 yards / 40-50MOA without a canted base on most setups. Some of the Nightforces have a ton of travel, with a claimed 100 MOA, but most optics do not. For some extra distance, it is possible to zero off of a top stadia or dot apex and then do the extreme long range zeros from that reference point.
A convenience practice, when applicable (especially for competitions), is to zero a target in the middle of a group and then just hold head (farther) or groin (closer) from there. Even at 600, theres ~25" to work with between 500-700 yards. As long as you remember to hold in the right direction depending on closer vs. farther away, you can cut your string time down. Surprisingly few people do this, but it is extremely practical as long as you know your flight path from that zero. Another thing this helps with is building shooter confidence; I see a lot of new shooters and competitors think that bullets fall quickly in short intervals and try giant holdovers when they absolutely aren't needed. There's only ~100" of total drop to 600 yards from a 100 yard zero with standard, non magnum rounds. A 300 yard zero, you can hold just under center of mass to 300 and hold head almost out to 500, making it quite versatile.
Using such a convenience practice means you also have to have your windage down, and know how your groups are at those distances. I like to get full, ten shot string groups at 300, 600, and 1000 yards to know what my margin of error can be and how that may or may not indicate bad data in context. Getting those groupings done under field conditions, as opposed to using a rest, but at the best of your skill level is essential in obtaining anything meaningful from the practice. You may have to reshoot strings if there are uncalled anomalies, and be prepared not to call a group-wrecking shot (or more indicative, two or three) a flyer because that conveniently places the error on you and not the gun; flyers are part of that setup's grouping in your hands. Getting hits and doing so quickly is more important than a pat on the back over a measurement number to claim.
After a 50 round break in, I run the following and enter the data into my logbook. Value is maximized if ambient conditions are constant or similar. It is important to be conscious of barrel temperature, especially while hurrying to get everything done in a meteorological window. Bring a friend to spot, with a high quality spotting scope or large objective lens shooting optic, and get some friends to help you move targets around and setup as your resources dictate.
100 Yards: Zero on Paper Target, Confirm with 3x 10 Shot Groups
75 Yards: Zero on Paper Target, Confirm with 5 Shot Group
50 Yards: Zero on Paper Target, Confirm with 5 Shot Group
25 Yards: Zero on Paper Target, Confirm with 5 Shot Group
200 Yards: Zero on Paper Target, Confirm with 5 Shot Group
300 Yards: Hit Steel Target, Confirm with 5 Shot Group on Paper
400 Yards: Hit Steel Target, Confirm with 5 Shot Group on Paper
500 Yards: Hit Steel Target, Confirm with 5 Shot Group on Paper
600 Yards: Hit Steel Target, Confirm with 3x 10 Shot Groups on Paper
650 Yards: Hit Steel Target 5x
700 Yards: Hit Steel Target 5x
750 Yards: Hit Steel Target 5x
800 Yards: Hit Steel Target 5x
850 Yards: Hit Steel Target 5x
900 Yards: Hit Steel Target 5x
950 Yards: Hit Steel Target 5x
1000 Yards: Hit Steel Target 5x, Confirm with 3x 10 Shot Groups on Paper
1050 Yards: Hit Steel Target 5x
1100 Yards: Hit Steel Target 5x
1150 Yards: Hit Steel Target 5x
1200 Yards: Hit Steel Target 5x
This puts the minimum "hit" round count at 185, and you must add whatever it takes to get the original zero, find the center of the steel in the first place, and account for any misses. It's definitely not a cheap endeavor, and I recommend bringing 300+ rounds to the range, but it's worth it if you have a life-relevant need or if you're going to blow a few hundred or even thousands of dollars on a competition. Once you have the data, you have it for the life of the barrel and that ammunition's lot number. You can save a little on misses by using a free or purchased ballistics calculator and having a rough idea of where the bullets may go, then applying the pattern of how far the gun is from the data to your adjustments when you're finding the steel.
When changing lots of ammunition, types of ammunition, environments, or add a suppressor you can extrapolate and largely correct the data to your usage context by hitting steel and shooting some groups at 300, 600, and 1000 yards after getting a solid 100 yard zero again.