What distance to start with a scope

A two shot method that works pretty well, when done right, is simple and works at any range. Put the crosshairs on your point of aim (target center), and fire one round. As long as you can see where that round hit, it's simple. Have the rifle held securely so it won't move, aimed exactly as it was when you fired that one round.

Then adjust your crosshairs onto the bullet hole.

Then aim and fire again. The bullet strike should be at or very near the point of aim. Fine tuning after that will be up to you.
 
The key or the main difficulty is to see where it hits. All the gadgets or techniques are all about that.

One- two- ... shot zeroing sounds cool. But does it make practical sense? Don't you need to shot groups to tell the group center? I need 7-10 shots, give and take. One shot close distance to get on paper. At least 2 3-shot groups at 100yd. But I don't need any of those wingy dings, laser or whatnot.

-TL

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tangolima said:
The key or the main difficulty is to see where it hits. All the gadgets or techniques are all about that.

One- two- ... shot zeroing sounds cool. But does it make practical sense? Don't you need to shot groups to tell the group center? I need 7-10 shots, give and take. One shot close distance to get on paper. At least 2 3-shot groups at 100yd. But I don't need any of those wingy dings, laser or whatnot.
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When I can use a laser to quickly boresight any rifle (I probably zero 15 rifles a year on average) and then zero it with 2 or 3 shots like 44 Amp described, I am saving what, 100 shots a year doing mundane things? That $20 laser boresighter I bought 30 years ago is probably the best money and time saving "gun" tool I have.:D
 
Fair enough. I did the same when I was a paid part-time gun smith. After mounting a scope, I would bore sight to guarantee hitting a printer paper at 10yd. No shot and no extra charge. But I don't call it zeroing.

If the customer wanted me to zero a rifle. I would charge one hour labor plus ammo. I will make sure the customer understand my zero would be different from his. He would need to reshoot and readjust.

I did that without a laser though.

-TL

PS. My first paid job was actually to zero an air rifle. The owner played with the scope's turrets and got totally lost. He gave me $20 and a tin of pellets. I used about 20 shots. It was a cheap scope with questionable tracking.

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One- two- ... shot zeroing sounds cool. But does it make practical sense? Don't you need to shot groups to tell the group center?
Click to expand...

Yes, you do need to shoot groups to tell the group center. The one-two shot method is not to completely zero the rifle, its it get you one the paper (first) and then get the point of impact on, or near the point of aim.

Once you do that, THEN you can shoot groups, find the center and make final adjustments to get the degree of precision you require.

And then, after that adjust your POI to the desired point to allow for a "point blank" hold at desired distances. Such as the 3" high at 100yds for many deer class rounds.

IT all depends on how far you think you need to go. 3shot? 5 shot? 10shot groups?? Statistics tell many things, but not all of them are as usefui as they might seem on paper.

For example, I've got a single shot rifle. If I shoot 3 shots, two go in the same hole and the last about one bullet diameter away from the first two. A 5 shot group tells me nothing useful, and a 10 shot is just a waste of ammo, for ME.

A different rifle, set up for a different purpose is a different matter. Target shooting and field shooting are different things. Some principles carry over well between the two, some simply don't.
 
^ Well said.

I am a fan of 5 and 10 round groups, when appropriate. But it's a waste for some rifles. My UL .338-06 stacks three rounds, cold bore, into 3/8". The 4th opens it up to 3/4" and a 5th to an inch. Who cares...as only 2 Elk have ever gotten more than one round, and actually, I've only ever missed one round shot at Elk with it.
 
Most hunting rifles don't shoot 1-hole groups. 2-3 moa is considered mighty good. Perhaps you want to shoot 3-shot groups to show the group center close enough to bullseye?

-TL

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I moved into the laser camp a year or 2 ago. Aging eyes and rising ammo $ made it seem practical. I've been using a 'cartridge type' laser for 10-22's at 25 yards and getting excellent results. Easy peasy 1 shot zero. Picked up one in .223 and happy with it as well.
 
There used to be a rifle range in Huntington, LI, NY. When a shooter showed up and told the range officer that he needed to zero his firearm. The RO would grab an empty foam cartridge case and give it to the shooter…..”go hang your target on the last point. Then put this on the berm about halfway up.” The shooter would set up, the RO stood behind him, and shot at the foam case. The RO/spotter would see the impact on the berm. They would adjust. Try a second shot. If close enough, the shooter went to the target. He picked up the foam at target change.
 
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