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RIFLE SIGHT IN TIPS

Sight in your rifle with only 3 shots!!  Here’s how…

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  • Remove the bolt and place the rifle on a stable base.  The base can be sand bags, rolled up towels, or a nice commercially sold rifle rest.  The goal is to support both the forearm and butt so that the rifle naturally points at the center of your sight in target without any help from you.  

  • Set up a bold target (one you can easily see, like a bright orange or black circle).  Place it at about the same height as your rifle. 
     

  • Adjust your rifle so that when you look through the bore from the rear of the barrel, you see the target in the center of the bore.  If you have the rifle supported the rifle right, it should now point at the center of the target without any input from you, hands off. 

  • Now look through your scope.  It will probably be pointing at a spot near your target but not at the center of the target. 
     

  • Take the caps off the scope and play with the knobs…  The one on top will move the cross hairs up and down on your target and the adjuster on the side moves the cross-hairs left and right on your target.  Most scopes have an arrow with a letter indicating that if you turned the adjuster in the direction the arrow indicates, the point of aim will move in that direction.  Take your time and move the adjusters four or five clicks at a time until the cross-hairs are pointing at the same spot as the center of the bore.
     

  • When both are pointing at the same spot, reinstall the bolt, put your eye and ear protection on, load and fire one round at the center of the target.  Relax and be sure to gently squeeze the shot off.  If you did your part on the above steps, you will now have a hole in your target within an inch or two of where the scope was pointing when the shot was fired.
     

  • Get the rifle settled back into the rest so that, hands off, the scope points at the same spot you held it on to fire your first shot, the center of the target. 
     

  • Gently turn the adjuster knobs to move the scope’s point of aim to the point of the bullet’s impact.  You are making the scope point to where the barrel is launching lead.  When you have it pointing at the hole, you are ready for shot number two. 
     

  • Move your target out to 50 yards.  Another shot at 25 yards is a waste of ammo.  Load and fire one round at the 50 yard target.  This hole will be a little high and maybe a little left or right.  Settle the rifle back into the rest so that, hands off, the scope points at the point of aim you took for your second shot, the center of the target.  Move the adjuster knobs to move the cross-hairs from the center of the target to the new bullet hole. 
     

  • Time for your third shot.  Move the target out to 100 yards. Go ahead and take your third shot.  It also will be a little high on your target.  Most hunting caliber rifles work really well if you sight them in with 1 1/2 inches high at 100 yards.  This will make the gun shoot about dead on at 200 yards and be an inch or so low out to 300 yards.  All within 3 inches of your point of aim out to 300 yards.  Move the adjuster knobs to place the cross-hairs on a spot 1½ inches under the bullet hole from your third shot.  Go ahead and take a few more shots if you need to get the gun dialed in a little further.
     

  • One thing to avoid is shooting until your rifle gets hot to the touch.  Each barrel is different in how it handles getting heated.  The molecules that comprise your barrel expand as they heat up at different rates.  This makes your barrel warp slightly and will make the shots on your target string out in one direction or another.  Avoid more than 3 shots at a time without a good cooling off period; like at least 20 minutes.  What every hunter wants is a cold bore zero of his rifle.  
     

  • If you find the shots on your target are not doing what you want, do a scope square test...  The scope square test is easy.  Make one shot on a clean target.  Move the scope turret (knob) on top 10 clicks out (up) and make a second shot.  Move the side turret 10 clicks in (left) and make a third shot.  Move the scope top turret 10 clicks in (down) and make your fourth shot.  Now move the scope side turret 10 clicks out (right) and make your fifth shot.  You should have a square pattern on your target.  This test will show you if your scope is working as it should.  

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