How Are You REALLY Supposed To Zero?

I tend to leans towards what Taylorce1 says,,,, but I'm also a fan of leaving my deer rifles fouled all the way through the season like Frankenmauser said. Any rifle that I will hunt with , and depend on a first shot,(and most seasons it only takes one shot) I'll leave them fouled from the range weeks before the hunt. The triangle method is about the best and easiest with a new scope our checking a new load...;) Anyway Singlesixman, I only swab after each shot IF and I say IF I'm breaking in a new firearm and the Manufacturer recommends it, but ususally the first five or ten shots only..:)
 
The way I was told was to shoot three shots, then dry brush the barrel. Takes about a minute. Then three more shots, the dry brush the barrel, etc. etc. It keeps your groups tight.

When starting out, if you bullseye a 25-yard target, it gets you VERY close on a 300-yard target. At 300 yards, zero the scope and from there, you can use a ballistics calculator or table to compute the adjustment for all other ranges.

It works well enough so that I qualified on the 600 yard range!

There is more to it than that, but that's the basic gist of what the sniper taught me.

--Wag--
 
Depends on the use of the rifle...

As noted already, depends on the use of the rifle.
We don't hunt, but are into precision shooting up to 250 yards (longer, if we could only find a place!).

When doing load development for a new rifle, trying a different powder or bullet, we don't bother to zero. It's all about groups, and maintaining the same point of aim every shot.

Once the best load is achieved, we will generally zero the scope for that load at 200 meters, since that is the most used range for our shooting.

Many shooters will do the same, and keep the dope in the book for the adjustments in windage and elevation for changes in POI when using a different ammo (say- changing to a hunting round from a target round). Then it's a simple matter of making the adjustments beforehand to "zero" the scope for whatever load is being shot that day.
 
Back in my USMC days after you cleaned your rifle you fired three or four shots to foul it and hunting you would go. When the outing was over and you had some slack time you repeated this process. There were times that your bore wasn’t cleaned for weeks. These shots were cold bore also. In garrison not being used your rifle was kept spotless.
Click to expand...

Just like Hog, I never hunt with a clean bore since clean, oiled bores always have a differnet POI than following shots. Before season I'll clean my rifle and then proceed to check the sights or sight it in if it needs it. I won't clean the bore again till after season and if it needs some oil down the bore due to water I'll oil it and then fire off a couple of fouling shots.

Never heard of the fire, clean, fire, clean, etc crap and IMO it's just that, crap. MAy be fine for teh first shot but every following shot will be off.

LK
 
Clean and/or oiled bores always have a different POI on following shots than a barrel with a couple shots down the bore. No one would go into the field with a clean or oiled barrel as their first shot might be on but all the following shots if needed would be off.

Before season I clean my rifle and then check the sights or sight it in if needed. The barrel won't see another cleaning until after season and if I oil the bore due to water (rain, condensation, etc) I'll fire off a couple fouling shots afterwards before taking it back out.

Never heard of the clean, fire, clean, fire, etc crap and IMO it's just that, crap.

LK
 
How to Zero A rifle

Simple, just do it. Not all rifles are the same, some shoot dirty and wont shoot clean, some shoot clean and wont shoot dirty, some don't care, shoot the same place cold as hot, dirty or clean.

As to how to zero, shoot the rifle until you get it hitting at your intended range. Then put it up.

The next day, set up a new target, shoot one shot at it without any sight adjustments, mark the shot. Put your rifle away. The next day take the rifle again, shoot one shot on the same target, mark it. Do this for 10 days. You'll have ten shots on the target, putting the rifle away after each days shot.

Be sure for every shot, you right down the conditions, temp, light, wind, etc, WRITE DOWN EVERYTHING.

Now clean your rifle, do the same thing you did the last 10 days, only this time clean your rifle after each shot. Now compare the two targets. Which has the bes group?? Determine whether your rifle shoots clean or fouled.

Once you've picked the target that looks the best, lay it out and draw two intersecting lines, one from 12 to 6 o'clock, one from 9 to 3 o'clock. Your target is now divided into 4 quarters. Count the number of shots in each quarter. Using those numbers you now adjust your sights and shoot again, ten shots, re-count, re-adjust the sights, keep doing this until you have a equal number of shots in each quarter. Your rifle is now sighted in. You can feel comfortable taking it hunting, or to a match, and know your first shot will hit where it's suppose to.

Remember, if the best target is with a fouled barrel, don't clean after shooting, if its with a clean barrel the clean the gun after each shooting session.

Remember, its necessary you only count the first shot out of each day's shooting because you are trying to determine the zero for your fist shot.

This works on hunting rifles as well as sniper rifles.
 
I guess I am just lucky. All my hunting rifles will shoot .75 MOA or better to the same point of impact whether 1st shot or 10th, fouled or not fouled. However, I do not shoot a hot barrel, do not over oil the barrel and I do run several patches down the bore before shooting. I seldom shoot beyond 250 yards so I sight my rifles at about 1.5 inches high a 100 Yards. This gives me the ability to hold "dead on" out to around 300 yards. Depending on your type of hunting and the caliber you ar shooting you would need to adjust accordingly.
 
After getting a rifle zeroed in, I clean it and then let it set for a couple of hours and check with a "cold bore" shot. If it is off by very much, I will readjust, clean, let cool and recheck. I do this because: 1. When hunting, the first shot is always cold bore. 2. The first shot is always on a clean bore because I clean my rifle at the end of a days hunt. 3. When checked at the range, shots 1 through 5 do not seem to vary much. Usually a ragged hole or very close to it.

If you have an old Mosin Nagant, or something similar, It dosnt really matter much whether it is hot, cold, or clean because 2-4 MOA is too broad to worry about.
 
My first attempt at zero is always from a cold, clean barrel. That is of course after I bore sight. I'm usually where I need to be in 3-5 shots. From there its fun time : ) I never take cleaning supplies to the range with me. Never! A few days after a trip to the range I clean my barrel(s) in my garage. After a convesation with an employee at Hyatts Gun Shop in Charlotte, Nc, I learned that I wasn't cleaning my rifle barrel properly. I'm still learning : )
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top