Proper Way To Sight A Rifle?

[ajohunter]

I think we should form a commitee and discuss the issue further.....

 

As for the best coues caliber= 300 Ultra Mag

[jeepers creepers]

"We're" not getting bored because there is no more Coues in season, are we???

[az4life]

so the answer is 1... but to do it right, it would be 327

[Outdoor Writer]

Well...somewhat coincidentally, I wrote an article on this very topic about 25 years ago for Aqua Field Pubs. -- the company that does many of the 'niche' magazines for outdoor equipment makers. Here it is. -TONY

 

SIGHTING A RIFLE THE EASY WAY

A well-known shooting editor for one of the top outdoor publications in the country once outlined how it's possible to accurately sight a scoped rifle by taking only one shot. In theory, if the shooter makes a perfect shot --- no shaking, trigger jerking or anything else that affects bullet placement --- the technique works. In reality, though, the capabilities of the average hunter who normally fires just a few rounds per year precludes using this method.

 

In contrast, others sometimes go through an entire box of ammo before the bullet holes touch the black. When a person shoots a big-bore magnum, the shoulder-busting recoil nearly always produces physical, and sometimes even mental anguish.

 

Fortunately, a compromise exists. With a little preparation and care most folks can learn to zero a scoped rifle with less than a half-dozen rounds by utilizing the simple three-shot, 25-yard method.

GETTING READY

The key is making sure your first shot will hit the target at 25 yards by aligning the barrel and scope reticle at the same point of aim for that distance. The procedure is called bore-sighting. For brand new rifle and scope combos, it is almost mandatory, and any rifle that has been taken apart or has had mechanical problems such as loose mounts definitely deserves checking. Conversely, most previously sighted guns usually retain their zero quite close from year to year, at least to the point where they will pattern somewhere on the paper. Still, a quick confirmation before firing that first shot is a good idea.

 

One way to bore-sight a bolt action rifle is by placing it perfectly vertical on a firm rest. Remove the bolt, look through the bore and center the hole in the barrel with the bullseye or other mark that is as close as possible to 25 yards away. Then, without moving the gun, adjust the scope's reticle to the identical spot.

 

To be accurate this requires holding the rifle completely motionless. Sand bags work fairly well, or a large cardboard box with square notches cut in the top of the ends on the long axis serves as a good alternative. Once the rifle goes into the cut-outs, tape will hold it completely rigid. To align the bore, just move the box.

 

For those who hunt with semi-auto, lever and pump actions, peering down the bore from the receiver end presents a problem.

The only quick and easy solution involves a collimator or bore-sighter --- a funnel-shaped, tubular gadget set on an arbor that fits into the muzzle end of the barrel. Most gun shops or other firearm outlets have one, and they usually will adjust your rifle for a minimal charge, or maybe even free. If you wish, you can buy one for your very own. A collimator with arbors for all calibers costs about $80. Naturally, the bore-sighter works effectively with bolt actions, too.

 

Collimator use is a snap. Insert the proper rod in the holder, place the other end in the bore and rotate the tool until the horizontal crosshair is as level as possible. Turning the scope's elevation and windage adjustment knobs will bring the scope's reticle into perfect alignment with the collimator's back-lighted crosshairs. Since the rifle and bore-sighter become virtually one unit, moving the rifle never alters the result. Therefore, you can even use the device while holding the gun off-hand. Carefully done, bore-sighting often puts the first shot in the black, and at the very least the bullet nearly always strikes the target.

 

THE THREE-SHOT GROUP

Pinpoint zeroing requires shooting from a solid rest. Make-shift set-ups like rolled sleeping bags, a pad on a truck hood or shooting from a fairly steady prone position suffice in an emergency situation, but nothing compares to a sturdy benchrest and a handful of sandbags for top accuracy.

 

Another thing to consider is ear protection. Many bad shooting habits come about from the anticipation of the muzzle blast, so a good pair of muffs or plugs might eliminate the problem. If nothing else, they surely will prevent unnecessary eardrum damage.

 

After placing your target 25 yards away in front of a proper backstop, you're now ready to actually pull the trigger with a live round in the chamber, specifically the same cartridge you plan to hunt with. Load, lock and fire one shot with the crosshairs set on the center of the bullseye. Then put the rifle down for a few minutes to allow the barrel to cool. This does two things: it prevents a shift in impact that occasionally takes place with a hot barrel and also duplicates a typical hunting situation where the first shot always comes from a cold barrel. Repeat the identical procedure twice more, then walk downrange and examine the target.

 

Although it really doesn't matter where, the three holes ideally should form a fairly tight group somewhere on the paper. If two bullets hit close together but the third went awry, it's a good indication you probably flinched, jerked the trigger or just plain wiggled. In this case, either fire another round or merely ignore the errant shot.

 

Next, determine the center of the three-shot group as closely as possible. Where only two holes are close, and you elected to forgo a third shot, guess at a likely center. From here on, you can zero the rifle in either of two ways.

 

With the minute of angle method (MOA), you must determine how far the center of the group came from the actual aiming point. If your target has 1-inch squares marked off, you easily can figure the horizontal and verticle deviation from the bullseye. Otherwise, you will have to measure or guess.

 

A MOA consists of one inch at 100 yards. Thus, you must know the distance that one "click" of your scope's elevation or windage knob will alter the bullet impact at that distance.

 

Unfortunately, MOA graduations differ from one scope maker to the next at times. Some use a 1/4 MOA or four clicks for a 1-inch change at 100 yards, while others prefer a 1/2 MOA, which translates into two clicks for 1-inch of change at the same yardage.

At 25 yards the number of clicks necessary to move the impact point the same amount as at a 100 yards will quadruple. In other words, 8 clicks on a 1/4 MOA scope would move the impact point 2 inches at 100 yards, but at 25 yards it would take 32.

 

If all of these numbers sound too involved, find solace in the fact that a much faster and uncomplicated way exists. Instead of calculating the distances from the bulleye to the group's center, just mark the impact point with a heavy felt-tipped pen or a stick-on dot and go back to the firing line. In fact, leaving the bench is really unnecessary; simply adjust the scope to a reference point that you think is the center of the group.

 

Here's how.

 

Remove the caps from the scope's adjustment turrets, take a solid rest --- preferably on sandbags --- and aim at the exact spot you used for the initial three-shot group. Without moving the rifle, turn the scope's windage and elevation controls until the crosshairs center over the mark or black dot or on the spot you estimate while remaining at the bench.

 

That's all there is to it. The whole process takes just a minute or two, and if you fire another round to check that the bullets are going where they should, you will have used only four or five shells. Furthermore, a degree in mathematics is unnecessary.

 

Now, here's the really neat aspect; the 25-yard sight-in distance takes full advantage of the ballistic capabilities of most rifle cartridges. Somewhere downrange another exact zero comes into play. For example, a factory-loaded .243, 100-grain bullet in the black at 25 yards will hit 2 inches high at 100, 1 ¾ inches high at 200 and be at zero again at 240 yards. A 175-grain, 7 mm. magnum bullet will be 1 ¼ inches high at 100 yards and be on again at 200 yards. After the second zero all bullets will strike progressively lower.

 

What does this all mean? Well, if you use a flat-shooting caliber such as .270 and push a 130 grain bullet at a muzzle velocity of 3100 feet per second, you can hold dead on from zero to 300 yards and realistically hit a 6-inch circle with the point of aim as its center. While other calibers vary somewhat, the end result comes out nearly the same.

 

Shooting your own rifle and loads at 100, 200 and 300 yards will provide the basic trajectory information needed to show how far you actually can shoot without making corrective adjustments in your sight picture.

 

Without question, a properly sighted rifle instills a certain degree of confidence. It also can mean the difference between an unsuccessful or a fruitful hunting trip. Hopefully, sighting your rifle the easy way will lead to the latter.

 

[Red Rabbit]

Collimator use is a snap. Insert the proper rod in the holder, place the other end in the bore and rotate the tool until the horizontal crosshair is as level as possible. Turning the scope's elevation and windage adjustment knobs will bring the scope's reticle into perfect alignment with the collimator's back-lighted crosshairs. Since the rifle and bore-sighter become virtually one unit, moving the rifle never alters the result. Therefore, you can even use the device while holding the gun off-hand. Carefully done, bore-sighting often puts the first shot in the black, and at the very least the bullet nearly always strikes the target.

 

Like this????

 

 

[Outdoor Writer]

Doug,

 

Are you saying I should have mentioned removing the collimator before actually shooting the rifle??? Doesn't that take all of the fun out of it?

 

 

-TONY

[GameHauler]

Doug,

 

Are you saying I should have mentioned removing the collimator before actually shooting the rifle??? Doesn't that take all of the fun out of it?

 

 

-TONY

 

 

TJHUNT2

Tony has the video from your Birthday too

I think you need to make that your Avatar

[devinv]

yeah i got it sighted in, i ended up switching to the winchester super x 150 gr bullet. it shot the best groups and for a stock rifle, can't expect to much out of it so it does the job. it worked fine in november when i shot my buck at about 200 yards.

[GameHauler]

I guess TJ didn't like his new avatar

[Lance]

Well...somewhat coincidentally, I wrote an article on this very topic about 25 years ago for Aqua Field Pubs. -- the company that does many of the 'niche' magazines for outdoor equipment makers. Here it is. -TONY

 

SIGHTING A RIFLE THE EASY WAY

A well-known shooting editor for one of the top outdoor publications in the country once outlined how it's possible to accurately sight a scoped rifle by taking only one shot. In theory, if the shooter makes a perfect shot --- no shaking, trigger jerking or anything else that affects bullet placement --- the technique works. In reality, though, the capabilities of the average hunter who normally fires just a few rounds per year precludes using this method.

 

In contrast, others sometimes go through an entire box of ammo before the bullet holes touch the black. When a person shoots a big-bore magnum, the shoulder-busting recoil nearly always produces physical, and sometimes even mental anguish.

 

Fortunately, a compromise exists. With a little preparation and care most folks can learn to zero a scoped rifle with less than a half-dozen rounds by utilizing the simple three-shot, 25-yard method.

GETTING READY

The key is making sure your first shot will hit the target at 25 yards by aligning the barrel and scope reticle at the same point of aim for that distance. The procedure is called bore-sighting. For brand new rifle and scope combos, it is almost mandatory, and any rifle that has been taken apart or has had mechanical problems such as loose mounts definitely deserves checking. Conversely, most previously sighted guns usually retain their zero quite close from year to year, at least to the point where they will pattern somewhere on the paper. Still, a quick confirmation before firing that first shot is a good idea.

 

One way to bore-sight a bolt action rifle is by placing it perfectly vertical on a firm rest. Remove the bolt, look through the bore and center the hole in the barrel with the bullseye or other mark that is as close as possible to 25 yards away. Then, without moving the gun, adjust the scope's reticle to the identical spot.

 

To be accurate this requires holding the rifle completely motionless. Sand bags work fairly well, or a large cardboard box with square notches cut in the top of the ends on the long axis serves as a good alternative. Once the rifle goes into the cut-outs, tape will hold it completely rigid. To align the bore, just move the box.

 

For those who hunt with semi-auto, lever and pump actions, peering down the bore from the receiver end presents a problem.

The only quick and easy solution involves a collimator or bore-sighter --- a funnel-shaped, tubular gadget set on an arbor that fits into the muzzle end of the barrel. Most gun shops or other firearm outlets have one, and they usually will adjust your rifle for a minimal charge, or maybe even free. If you wish, you can buy one for your very own. A collimator with arbors for all calibers costs about $80. Naturally, the bore-sighter works effectively with bolt actions, too.

 

Collimator use is a snap. Insert the proper rod in the holder, place the other end in the bore and rotate the tool until the horizontal crosshair is as level as possible. Turning the scope's elevation and windage adjustment knobs will bring the scope's reticle into perfect alignment with the collimator's back-lighted crosshairs. Since the rifle and bore-sighter become virtually one unit, moving the rifle never alters the result. Therefore, you can even use the device while holding the gun off-hand. Carefully done, bore-sighting often puts the first shot in the black, and at the very least the bullet nearly always strikes the target.

 

THE THREE-SHOT GROUP

Pinpoint zeroing requires shooting from a solid rest. Make-shift set-ups like rolled sleeping bags, a pad on a truck hood or shooting from a fairly steady prone position suffice in an emergency situation, but nothing compares to a sturdy benchrest and a handful of sandbags for top accuracy.

 

Another thing to consider is ear protection. Many bad shooting habits come about from the anticipation of the muzzle blast, so a good pair of muffs or plugs might eliminate the problem. If nothing else, they surely will prevent unnecessary eardrum damage.

 

After placing your target 25 yards away in front of a proper backstop, you're now ready to actually pull the trigger with a live round in the chamber, specifically the same cartridge you plan to hunt with. Load, lock and fire one shot with the crosshairs set on the center of the bullseye. Then put the rifle down for a few minutes to allow the barrel to cool. This does two things: it prevents a shift in impact that occasionally takes place with a hot barrel and also duplicates a typical hunting situation where the first shot always comes from a cold barrel. Repeat the identical procedure twice more, then walk downrange and examine the target.

 

Although it really doesn't matter where, the three holes ideally should form a fairly tight group somewhere on the paper. If two bullets hit close together but the third went awry, it's a good indication you probably flinched, jerked the trigger or just plain wiggled. In this case, either fire another round or merely ignore the errant shot.

 

Next, determine the center of the three-shot group as closely as possible. Where only two holes are close, and you elected to forgo a third shot, guess at a likely center. From here on, you can zero the rifle in either of two ways.

 

With the minute of angle method (MOA), you must determine how far the center of the group came from the actual aiming point. If your target has 1-inch squares marked off, you easily can figure the horizontal and verticle deviation from the bullseye. Otherwise, you will have to measure or guess.

 

A MOA consists of one inch at 100 yards. Thus, you must know the distance that one "click" of your scope's elevation or windage knob will alter the bullet impact at that distance.

 

Unfortunately, MOA graduations differ from one scope maker to the next at times. Some use a 1/4 MOA or four clicks for a 1-inch change at 100 yards, while others prefer a 1/2 MOA, which translates into two clicks for 1-inch of change at the same yardage.

At 25 yards the number of clicks necessary to move the impact point the same amount as at a 100 yards will quadruple. In other words, 8 clicks on a 1/4 MOA scope would move the impact point 2 inches at 100 yards, but at 25 yards it would take 32.

 

If all of these numbers sound too involved, find solace in the fact that a much faster and uncomplicated way exists. Instead of calculating the distances from the bulleye to the group's center, just mark the impact point with a heavy felt-tipped pen or a stick-on dot and go back to the firing line. In fact, leaving the bench is really unnecessary; simply adjust the scope to a reference point that you think is the center of the group.

 

Here's how.

 

Remove the caps from the scope's adjustment turrets, take a solid rest --- preferably on sandbags --- and aim at the exact spot you used for the initial three-shot group. Without moving the rifle, turn the scope's windage and elevation controls until the crosshairs center over the mark or black dot or on the spot you estimate while remaining at the bench.

 

That's all there is to it. The whole process takes just a minute or two, and if you fire another round to check that the bullets are going where they should, you will have used only four or five shells. Furthermore, a degree in mathematics is unnecessary.

 

Now, here's the really neat aspect; the 25-yard sight-in distance takes full advantage of the ballistic capabilities of most rifle cartridges. Somewhere downrange another exact zero comes into play. For example, a factory-loaded .243, 100-grain bullet in the black at 25 yards will hit 2 inches high at 100, 1 ¾ inches high at 200 and be at zero again at 240 yards. A 175-grain, 7 mm. magnum bullet will be 1 ¼ inches high at 100 yards and be on again at 200 yards. After the second zero all bullets will strike progressively lower.

 

What does this all mean? Well, if you use a flat-shooting caliber such as .270 and push a 130 grain bullet at a muzzle velocity of 3100 feet per second, you can hold dead on from zero to 300 yards and realistically hit a 6-inch circle with the point of aim as its center. While other calibers vary somewhat, the end result comes out nearly the same.

 

Shooting your own rifle and loads at 100, 200 and 300 yards will provide the basic trajectory information needed to show how far you actually can shoot without making corrective adjustments in your sight picture.

 

Without question, a properly sighted rifle instills a certain degree of confidence. It also can mean the difference between an unsuccessful or a fruitful hunting trip. Hopefully, sighting your rifle the easy way will lead to the latter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I agree!