Sighting in rifle

There's no "best", but what I have done for years is:

1. Boresight with Leupold optical boresighter
2. Put large-ish target at 25 yards - sight to center (using the "2-shot" method preferably - if you have a stable enough rest -but basically just shoot enough, making adjustments, until you get centered). If your target is at least 2 feet by 2 feet, it is exceedingly rare that you would fail to be "on paper" at 25 yards after optically boresighting.
3. Go immediately to 100 yards, then re-center (no need for any 50 or 75 yards incremental step). You can go back to a smaller target by this step usually (e.g. 8.5x11")

Oh, and use cheap ammo until you're just about centered at 100, before switching to expensive ammo for final sight in - it will be close enough (i.e. "on paper" for your expensive ammo).

PS. It is rather imperative that after step one, you remove the optical boresighter from the barrel's end (magnetic attachment), before proceeding to step 2, or else you will ruin the boresighter and likely your barrel also (and possibly get hurt and/or thrown off the range).

I try to boresight at home before going to the range, to help make sure the boresighter is off before shooting, so just go slowly and take care, as always.

On a turnbolt, you can sub out "eyeballing" boresight method for an optical boresighter if you have a solid front and rear sandbag. On most any kind of rifle, you can sub out a laser bore sighter for optical. I just find the optical to work fine and never need batteries. Seems like it cost $30 or $40 many years ago.
 
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Asking the question presupposes a lack of experience with rifles.
If so, the first order of business is to learn how to shoot rifles.
Otherwise trying to sight in your new rifle will be very frustrating, leading to inconsistent results, whether it's with iron sights or a scope.
Taking a rifle shooting training course will be most beneficial.
Just a thought.
 
Assuming a scoped hunting rifle that has been cleaned and bore sighted.
You need to know what ammo the rifle shoots best before you do anything else. If you're not reloading, you'll have to try a box of as many brands as you can to find that ammo. Price of the ammo means nothing, but you must shoot off a solid bench rest for group only.
Then you adjust the scope's reticle to put the group the optimum number of inches high at 100 according to the brand of ammo, cartridge and bullet weight. For example, a 165 grain bullet out of a .308 or .30-06 should be sighted in about 3.5 to 4 inches high at 100 with most brands to put you 'on target' out to about 300.
 
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Basic method...put up a target (bigger the better) at 25 yards, with a quarter sized bullseye. Shoot off sandbags if possible. Shoot at the bullseye and adjust scope as needed and repeat till you are on target. Move target to 100 yards and put masking tape over the holes or replace the paper target. Shoot and adjust scope as needed. Barrel may be hot by now, so wait till it cools and recheck with a cold bore shot. Pat self on back.
 
Set up your target 25 yards, with the rifle in a steady position ( front rest & rear bag) You can use a blank sheet, aim at the center, take your first shot, see where it hit the paper, keeping your rifle aimed at the center of the sheet, move your cross hairs to the bullet hole. That will get you in the ball park in two shots, then fine tune. In some cases if the target is to close, you may run out of adjustment or problem with focus, then start at 50 or 100 yards. If you mounted your scope properly 100 yards is the standard for a center fire round.
 
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Asking the question presupposes a lack of experience with rifles.
If so, the first order of business is to learn how to shoot rifles.
Otherwise trying to sight in your new rifle will be very frustrating
Click to expand...

And just how is one suppose to learn to shoot a rifle if it isn't sighted in?????

To the OP.

If you're just buying the rifle/scope, the dealer would probably bore sight it for you.

If not, and you don't have a bore-sighter, do as mentioned. Start with a target at 25 yards. Make sure the target is big enough encase the scope/sights are way off, you will be on paper. Then start cranking the knobs until you can hit the smaller aiming point.

Then move to 100 yards. You'll find you are only a couple inches off. Tweak the sights until you get the group where you want it.

REMEBER THIS: Don't be afraid to ask any question you have. Sure it would be nice to attend a shooting school, but not all can afford it, nor there may not be one available in your area.

No one was born knowing how to shoot, or sight in a rifle. We had to learn, asking questions is the best methods to start the learning process.

To others, asking this or any other questions. Some body taught each and every one of us. We were all born not knowing about anything. Life from birth to death is a learning experience.

People ask questions to learn. Instead of belittling them we should give our opinions if we can, but most of all, ENCHORAGE PEOPLE TO ASK.

To respond otherwise turns people off. They take on the task alone. Who knows what they would come up with. Wouldn't it be better to help them, to make sure they get the knowledge they seek, and become educated, safe members of our shooting fraternity. We need more shooters involved in shooting sports, we don't need to turn them away.

After all, isn't that what this the purpose of this and other shooting forms, to exchange ideas, to learn and help others learn.

I have been shooting a long time, coaching and instructing for nearly 40 years and I'm still learning. You can bet your ______ if I want to know something I'm going to ask.
 
Just to add:

You don't have to shoot little bitty groups to sight in a rifle. You can successful sight in a rifle if you shoot wash tub size groups.

Once you get close (regardless how well you shoot). Shoot multi round groups, 10-20 rounds. The more the better.

Start by drawing a line from the top (12 o'clock) to the bottom (6 o'clock) through the aiming point. Then draw a line from left to right (3 to 9 o'clock) through the center of the aiming point. Effectively dividing the target into 4 equal quarters.

Now shoot the 10-20 rounds. Count the shots in each quarter. You will have more in one quarter then the others, crank your sight moving away from the quarter with the most shots. Shoot another group, adjust. Keep doing this until you get an equal number shots in each quarter.

When this occurs, your rifle is sighted in, regardless of how big the group is. Now you can work on fundamentals to get your group as small as you desire.

Don't think, because you cant shoot as well as you like, you cant zero your rifle.
 
Never saw the point of a bore sighter with a bolt action rifle, I just take out the bolt and look down the barrel. Pretty easy to get on paper that way. I normally start at 50 yards, then move to 100 or 200 depending on the rifle.
 
And just how is one suppose to learn to shoot a rifle if it isn't sighted in?????
Click to expand...
Or,
How is one supposed to be able to sight in a rifle if they don't know how to actually shoot a rifle at least well enough to do that?
I've seen enough folks at the range trying to do just that and getting nowhere only because they have little to no idea of how to shoot their new, first rifle.
Let alone being able to get a tight enough group for a sight adjustment.
Not everyone grew up with their trusty Red Ryder.
Aren't you forgetting all the things you had to learn before you could hit anything with your first rifle?
And how long it took if trying to learn on your own.
One decent training session makes life so much easier.
And helps prevent all the cockeyed weird sight or scope adjustments folks can do to compensate for poor shooting techniques.
 
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How is one supposed to be able to sight in a rifle if they don't know how to actually shoot a rifle at least well enough to do that?
Click to expand...

Well, they could always go to one of the internet shooting forums and ask, I'm sure they could probably ask about fundamentals too.

I'm not adverse to learning on your won. We make mistakes, and we learn from those mistakes. Just learn the 4 basic gun safety rules. That's simple, you can find them everywhere.

Of course, I would suggest everyone, new or old, and take notes of everything you do. Note what works and what doesn't. We all make mistakes, regardless how long we've been shooting. But I was told a long time ago:

THE SHORTEST PENCIL IS LONGER THEN THE LONGEST MEMORAY.

Note you mistakes so you don't remake them, note your success so you can repeat them.

Schools and courses are nice, if you can afford them. Or if they are close to you.

Not every one can pay hundreds to thousands of dollars to attend course, nor can we afford the fuel, housing, etc. to attend one.

Lets not make shooting sports a rich man's sport. Lets help everyone who ask, lets not belittle those for asking the simple question. Lets guide them as best we can.

I've attended a lot of shooting schools, coaching & instructor schools, I've been around a long time. I'm still learning, I'm still asking questions, the day we stop learning is the day we give up and die. I'm old, but I'm not giving up.

Just a quick example. Next month I'm attending a long range competition. Unknown ranges, unknown size of targets. Mil dots wont give me the range. But I have a good G7 range finder. My scope I'm using is Mil/Mil, my G7 is the pre-mil version. I input my data and it will give me my "come-ups" in MOA, I have to quickly convert them to Mil so I can adjust.

Brain lock up: Do I use MOA/3.6 (inches) or MOA/3.43 (moa). I've taught Machine gun and sniper schools using MOA and Mils (and other methods) but old guys get brain lock up.

I asked I got the answer. Stupid question, maybe, (I should have known) no one laughed at me, or belittled me (though I'm sure some snickered). But I got my answer.

There may be those out there that know everything about shooting, I haven't met them. I'm certainly not one of them. I'm still learning, I learn from experts and I learn from armatures. Three years ago in my Lady's Firearm Safety and SD class I had an 82 year old lady who had never fired a handgun before on one subject say "why don't we do it like "this"? Why not? I learned from her and have incorporated it in my classes.
 
It's certainly possible to learn most things on one's own.
But that can be doing it the hard way.
And education, what ever the subject, should never end.
My first cousin recently survived two brain surgeries.
I'm very glad the surgeon wasn't self taught. :eek:
No doubt my cousin is, too.
 
Before boresighters got cheap enough, we took out the bolt and looked through the barrel at something(used a light fixture on a wall across the street in the shop) with the rifle on something secure and solid, then adjusted the reticle to the light fixture. Just like emcon5 says.
Mind you, a scope that is damaged is quickly diagnosed with the tool that can't be without the tool. Had a Tasco that I could see the cross hairs bounce back and forth when I opened and closed the bolt. Wasn't visible without the bore sight as reference.
 
It isn't rocket science.

*Select a piece of paper large enough that you cannot miss at 25 to 50 yards. A sheet of poster board is under $1 at Walmart and will last a lifetime for zeroing rifles.

*Mark an aiming point in the center and fire 1 shot. At 25 yards 16 clicks on the scope moves the point of impact 1", at 50 yards 8 clicks equals 1", at 100 yards 4 clicks equals 1" and at 200 yards 2 clicks equals 1". At least with most scopes. In rare cases it will be different.

*You can actually measure the distance from the aiming point, but an estimation is close enough. If your bullet hole is 3" left and 1" low at 50 yards move the scope 24 clicks right and 8 clicks up. If shooting at 25 yards double that.

*Fire 1 more shot, you'll probably be pretty darn close, if not re-adjust the scope and repeat.

*With 2 no more than 3 shots you should be on a standard size target at 100 yards. Simply repeat the same process at 100 yards. You should be pretty darn close at 100 yards with 3-4 shots without resorting to any tools. At best they save you 1 shot per zeroing session, probably not even that. With a bolt rifle you can actually look through the bore and align the scope before firing the 1st shot. It will save you about 1 shot zeroing compared to other rifle types.

* I don't start shooting 3-5 shot groups until after I'm zeroed. It is a waste of time and ammo. In rare cases you may find you need to tweak the scope 1-2 clicks to fine tune things, especially after you start shooting at 200 yards or farther. A tiny error may not show up at 100 yards, but you might be 1-2" left or right at 300-400 yards
 
1. Either boresight the rifle or get yourself a huge piece of paper.
2. Put the paper at 100 yards.
3. Fire a shot.
4. Put rifle in gun vise with cross hairs on the point of aim.
5. Move the cross hairs to the bullet hole.
 
Put a sight in target at 25yds.
Pull the bolt from the rifle (assuming it is a bolt action gun)
Secure the rifle in the rest/sandbags
Look down the bore of the rifle and align the gun on the center of the target.
Without moving or touching the rifle, look through the scope of the gun.
Adjust the reticle so that it is as close to the center of the target as possible.
Fire a round at the target.
Adjust scope to center (being careful to realize that a 1/4 MOA scope is 1/8" at 50 and 1/16" or so at 25, meaning the adjustments are doubled or quadrupled.)
Fire a second round, you should be close enough to move it to 100yds to adjust. For the third round.
Adjust to zero and fire for groups.

That's the basic way I do it. Or get the gun shop to put a boresight on it.
 
Kraig, what you trying to zero, a musket shooting buck and ball?
Click to expand...

Two ways, one for the ball, one for the buck (shotgun).

The ball, just like any other single shot rifle. The exception being, Black Powder need moisture, so I'd swab the barrel before each shot with a swab dampened with a mixture of water and dish soap.

The buck, like any other shot gun. Figure out what you are going to shoot (target size). Then pattern the shot like you would any other shotgun, back up between shots unit the target size would find holes in the target.

Like the BP rifle, I'd swab the barrel between shots.

After I got the zero/pattern I wanted. I'd shoot the gun w/out swabbing to determine how many shots it takes for the barrel to become cruded up to the point the accuracy goes south. That way you find out how many shots you can get between swabbing.

In BP Cartridge rifles, I used a blow tube (to blow my breath (moisture) into the breach. This will extend the period between swabbing.
 
The buck and ball is shot together. You are shooting smooth bore and wadding. The loading is so in-accurate by nature that I doubt you could see it degrade any with fouling.
 
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