The 25-Yard Zero Lie

Abstract

For decades, many shooters (especially those with military backgrounds) have leaned heavily on the so-called 25/300 zero for the AR-15 platform. It’s often treated as gospel: zero at 25 meters and you’re supposedly good to go at 300. But there’s a major problem with this belief: it’s not true. The math, the ballistics, and even the original doctrine don’t support the way people are still applying this zero today. And if you’re relying on it for practical shooting, you're probably holding wrong at every range between zero and 400 yards.

Where it started

Let’s start with the military roots of this zero. Back when the U.S. Army standardized the 25-meter zero, soldiers were instructed to use a special “Z” setting on their rear sight drum; and this setting was specifically designed to account for the extremely close zero distance. That Z setting wasn't just a convenience; it was essential for syncing up the trajectory at longer ranges. Fast forward to civilian application: most shooters don't use or even know about that Z setting. And when we plug a modern 25-meter zero into a ballistic calculator without those sight adjustments, we find the bullet doesn't cross back over the line of sight at 300 yards... it actually recrosses closer to 375–390 yards.

Practical Effects

The misconceptions don’t stop there. With a 25-meter zero, your point of impact can be wildly high downrange. At 100 yards, you're more than 5 inches high. At 200 yards, expect about a 9-inch rise. Even at 300, you're still over 6 inches high. That kind of vertical displacement introduces major problems for practical shooters, especially those trying to hit smaller targets or maintain a combat-effective trajectory without compensating manually. Yet people still call it a “25/300” zero, as if that somehow makes all those inches disappear. It doesn’t. And for a platform built on speed, repeatability, and precision, that’s unacceptable.

Where you should go

The better solution? The 36-yard zero. This is what I teach for irons on the AR-15 platform. It gives you a much flatter, more realistic trajectory that re-crosses the line of sight right around 300 yards—not 400. Of course, always confirm at known distance. It also keeps your mid-range rise much more manageable, often peaking at only 4.5 to 5 inches high. That means you’re better aligned with the real-world use case of the rifle. If you’re running a 14.5" to 20" barrel and using 55- or 62-grain military-clone ammo, the 36-yard zero gives you more practical accuracy, less guessing, and far more consistency across real engagement distances.

Summary

Bottom line: the 25-meter zero is a relic. Misunderstood, misapplied, and mostly useless without the exact gear and settings the military once used—and even then, it was situational. If you’re still clinging to it because “that’s what we did in the Army,” it’s time to update your data. The 36-yard zero is not only more accurate, it’s more honest. And it reflects what shooters actually need today.