The classic short-range zero every indoor range can shoot — and the midrange surprise it hides.
The 25 yard zero survives for one reason: everyone has 25 yards. Indoor lanes, square ranges, backyards — if that is your reality, this zero gets an AR on paper and usable in a single session, which beats a theoretical zero you can never confirm.
It is also the U.S. Army's old 25 meter battlesight heritage, so a mountain of qualification courses and unit SOPs are built around it. If your training program says 25, this target is the fastest way there.
Now the part the range-day charts skip: crossing the sight line this close means the bullet is still climbing steeply, and it keeps climbing — this load peaks around seven inches high in the middle of its arc. On a torso at 150 yards that is fine; on a coyote or a head-size plate it is a clean miss over the top. The table below is the part of the 25 yard zero nobody prints. Know it, or move your zero out.
Bullet path relative to line of sight, 5.56 NATO / .223 Rem, 55gr at 2900 fps, 25 yard zero, standard atmosphere. Plus is above your aim point.
| DISTANCE | BULLET PATH | HOLD (MOA) |
|---|---|---|
| 25 yds | 0″ | — zero |
| 50 yds | +2.3″ | 4.4 DOWN |
| 100 yds | +5.8″ | 5.5 DOWN |
| 150 yds | +7.4″ | 4.7 DOWN |
| 200 yds | +6.3″ | 3.0 DOWN |
| 250 yds | +1.6″ | 0.6 DOWN |
| 300 yds | −8.1″ | 2.6 UP |
The midrange rise is the whole story here — roughly seven inches high at the arc's peak with this load. If you keep this zero, memorize your midrange holds. If you have any access to a longer lane, consider the 36 or 50 yard zero instead; both exist precisely to shrink this hump.
Close but not identical — 25 meters is about 27.3 yards, and military zeroing offsets are specified for specific service loads and sight heights. This target is computed for the exact numbers printed on it. If you need true 25 meter spec, generate a custom target at 27.3 yards.
Because that is what the geometry does: a bullet that crosses your line of sight at only 25 yards is still rising fast, so at 100 it is several inches high. It is not a scope problem. See the trajectory table — then decide whether to hold under at midrange or re-zero at 36 or 50 yards.
That is arguably its best use. Zero at 25 to get on paper, then confirm and refine at your real distance. Better still, use the custom generator to print a target with an offset aim point for your true zero distance — it turns the 25 yard lane into a one-stop zero for any range.