{"id":2252,"date":"2020-05-05T08:24:26","date_gmt":"2020-05-05T08:24:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/?p=2252"},"modified":"2020-06-29T18:59:38","modified_gmt":"2020-06-29T18:59:38","slug":"how-to-sight-in-a-rifle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/how-to-sight-in-a-rifle\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Sight In A Rifle"},"content":{"rendered":"

ESSENTIAL RIFLE SKILLS: How to Sight In A Rifle<\/span><\/h1>\n

Earlier this year, I was on the firing line at a public shooting range shooting a rifle for an upcoming article. The gentleman in the next lane started chatting with me about the AR-15 he was shooting. He couldn\u2019t stop talking about how he liked the scope on top of his gun and how 6.5 Grendel was the perfect cartridge for an AR. The only problem was, he couldn\u2019t place rounds on-target with it, even at 50 yards. The AR-15 is a very accurate platform and the 6.5 Grendel is a heck of a cartridge. However, unless you\u2019ve taken the time to make sure your optic, rifle, and ammunition are all working together, you\u2019re not going to hit your target on a consistent basis. We\u2019ll walk you through how to sight in your rifle so you are confident it’s ready to make the shot when it matters \u00a0most.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

START SECURELY<\/span><\/h3>\n

Securely mounting your optic is the starting point to sighting in your rifle. If your optic waves around in the breeze, it\u2019s not going to deliver consistent results. There are a number of different ways to securely attach your optic to your gun. The best way I\u2019ve found is to follow the instructions that come with the optic. If you don\u2019t have the time or correct tools to mount your scope, your local gunsmith can do it for you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

GIVE ME A LITTLE (EYE) RELIEF<\/span><\/h3>\n

We\u2019ll go over the types of optics available for your rifle in more detail in an upcoming article. In general, there are two different kinds on the market:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Red Dot\/Holographic sights with no magnification<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Telescopic sights that magnify the target<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    You can generally mount red dot sights just about anywhere on top of your gun. Red dot sights do not magnify the light that passes through them.\u00a0 Therefore, they do not focus that light at a specific point. Telescopic sights, however, magnify the light that they gather. Therefore, it\u2019s important that they are focusing that light onto your eye and not somewhere else. This means mounting the scope so that the eye relief (the area where the light is focusing) matches up with where your eyes are when you look through it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Set Up Your Scope For Success<\/span><\/h3>\n

    Eye relief is just one of the areas where there are a lot of different ways to get to the same destination. The goal for all of them, though, is to set up your optic so you can easily see your target no matter how you hold your rifle. To position your scope for maximum eye relief, place the optic in the mounts, but don\u2019t fully lock it into place. Make sure you unloaded your rifle, then check it again. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Get behind your rifle in a prone shooting position. Adjust the movement of the scope back and forth until you can clearly see the full reticle at maximum magnification. Make sure the reticle is not angled in the mount. The last thing you want to do as you sight in your rifle is think you\u2019re moving your shots left on the paper, when in reality, you\u2019re moving them down and to the left. Lock down the scope by tightening the scope mount. Now it\u2019s time to get the scope and the barrel in some sort of alignment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    WHAT IS BORESIGHTING?<\/span><\/h3>\n
    \"A<\/a>

    When used safely at home, a laser boresighter helps save time on the range<\/p><\/div>\n

    Boresighting is making sure the bore of your rifle and your optic are pointed at the same point at the same time. The easiest way to do this is to set up your rifle in a stable position. Make sure the barrel is in a safe direction. Point it at something at least 10 yards away and positioned so that you can adjust your scope without disturbing the rifle. You then look down the bore of your rifle and adjust your scope so that the crosshairs match where the rifle is pointed. Now, you\u2019re good to go.<\/span><\/p>\n

    That\u2019s the theory. The reality can be a bit messier. If you\u2019re boresighting a bolt-action rifle, it\u2019s easy to pull out the bolt and look down the barrel from the back of your gun. If you\u2019re setting up a scope on an AR-15, you can pop the upper off the gun, pull out the bolt carrier group and then look down the barrel. However, some guns just don\u2019t allow you to safely look down the barrel from the back of a rifle. That\u2019s where a laser boresighter comes in handy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Laser Rifles? Well, not quite…<\/span><\/h3>\n

    A laser boresighter attaches to the front of your rifle and sends out a laser beam that mimics the path of a bullet over short distances. The beam turns into a dot when it hits a surface. You can use that dot as an aiming point for your optic. Adjust your optic so it\u2019s lined up with the dot, and you\u2019re ready to go.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Whichever method you choose, when you finish, you should have a securely mounted optic on your rifle that’s roughly aligned with your barrel. Now it\u2019s time to go to the range and finish this process.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    DID YOU EVER KNOW THAT YOU’RE MY ZERO?<\/span><\/h3>\n

    Boresighting the rifle establishes a baseline aiming point. As your optic is mounted on top of your gun, it and the barrel of the gun are not in the same vertical plane. Getting the optic and the barrel to point at the same point in space is called zeroing your rifle. It\u2019s an important thing to know if you want to learn how to sight in your rifle.<\/span><\/p>\n

    There are hundreds, if not thousands, of pages of information out there on what distance you should use as a zero for your rifle. In general, though, 100 yards is a good zero distance for guns designed for long-range shooting. A 25 or 50 yard zero is good for guns set up for shorter-range shooting.<\/span><\/p>\n

    There are also a lot of different opinions about how to establish a good zero. Some prefer to lock down the rifle in a purpose-built shooting sled in order to achieve maximum accuracy. Others prefer a more common shooting position such as shooting off a rest or from prone. Some people shoot just one shot and then evaluate the results. Others shoot three round groups and then judge their shots.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    I prefer to shoot three round groups and then evaluate how I need to adjust my optic after each group. All my rifles, though, shoot relatively inexpensive ammunition. If I were zeroing a rifle that shot, say, <\/span>.338 Lapua<\/span><\/a>, I\u2019d probably change my process so I use fewer rounds to get my rifle sighted in.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    ZEROING YOUR RIFLE<\/span><\/h3>\n

    The process I use to zero a rifle is quite simple.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Shoot a three round group<\/span><\/li>\n
    2. Adjust my optic to move the rounds towards the aiming point<\/span><\/li>\n
    3. Shoot another three round group<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Seems simple, and it is. The one difficult part about the process is knowing how much I need to adjust my optic between each group. This is where knowing how your scope works comes in handy, as well as knowing a little bit of geometry.\u00a0<\/span>
      \n