|
Forum Rules | Firearms Safety | Firearms Photos | Links | Library | Lost Password | Email Changes |
Register | FAQ | Calendar | Search | Today's Posts | Mark Forums Read |
View Poll Results: What did you think of the 8 steps to zero your rifle? | |||
I learned something new | 3 | 20.00% | |
Too much info for me | 6 | 40.00% | |
I've got a better method and I posted it as a reply | 6 | 40.00% | |
I prefer to use Kentucky Windage instead | 0 | 0% | |
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 15. You may not vote on this poll |
|
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
February 25, 2015, 01:12 AM | #1 |
Junior Member
Join Date: February 20, 2015
Location: NC
Posts: 5
|
Zero your Rifle in 8 easy steps:
Zero your Rifle in 8 easy steps:
A zero is the alignment of the sights with the bore of the rifle so the bullet will impact on the target at the desired point of aim. When the aim, the sights, and the bore coincide on the same point, it is called the zero. There are two zero ranges, near and actual. These are the two locations that the bullet crosses the line of sight. ________________________________________ Step 1: Note your Zero Distance: 50 Meters Firing ranges should have known distances marked by stakes, signs or lines on the ground. Be sure to note whether it is yards or meters. While the difference between yards and meters is relatively small, knowing it may save you some ammunition. If you are using a range that is not marked, you'll have to pace, measure or laser range find the distance yourself. ________________________________________ Step 2: Fire 3 Round Group. We are looking for a good tight shot group. Adjustments are made from an estimated center of the shot group. With groups 1 & 2 we can easily determine the center of the group and make adjustments Group 3 is a problem. You can adjust from this group, but unless the shooter tightens up, you could be zeroing for a while. Some people like to fire a four or five round group in order to get a better approximation of where the center of the group is. That is a good technique but the target may become confusing very quickly if you don't mark your rounds well. ________________________________________ Step 3: Measure for Vertical Correction Find the center of your shot group and measure the vertical distance to the horizontal center line: For example 5 1/8 inches ________________________________________ Step 4: Measure for Horizontal Correction Find the center of your shot group and measure the horizontal distance to the vertical center line: For example 3 1/4 inches ________________________________________ MOA Defined: A minute of angle (MOA) is an angular measurement equal to 1/60 of 1 degree of arc. Its size increases uniformly over the range, but its value stays the same. At 100 meters the true value of an MOA equals 1.14 inches this can be rounded down to just one inch; one MOA at 200 meters equals 2.29 inches but can be rounded down to 2 inches; and at 300 yards, three inches; and so on. Thus a sight adjustment error of 2 inches at 100 yards becomes a 10 inch error at 500 yards and a 20 inch error at 1000 yards. Step 5: Look up your inch or centimeter value for your MOA/CLICK at your zero distance MOA/Click 25 Meters 50 Meters 100 Meters 200 Meters Inches CM Inches CM Inches CM Inches CM 1 Click .29 .73 .57 1.45 1.14 2.91 2.29 5.82 ________________________________________ Step 6: Adjust elevation settings Number of clicks of elevation = Measure of Vertical Correction Needed ÷ Inch or CM for your MOA/Click at your zero distance Example: 5.125 ÷ .57 = 8.99 round to 9 clicks up. ________________________________________ Step 7: Adjust windage settings Number of clicks of windage = Measure of Horizontal Correction Needed ÷ Inch or CM for your MOA/Click at your zero distance Example: 3.25 ÷ .57 = 5.70 round up to 6 clicks to the left. ________________________________________ Step 8: Repeat steps 3-7 until your shot group coincides with your point of aim Depending on your consistency you should be able to zero in 9 rounds. 3 shots to establish a reference point for adjustments. 3 shots to check the adjustment. 3 shots to confirm your zero. Last edited by MCARBO; February 25, 2015 at 05:00 PM. Reason: text |
February 25, 2015, 12:36 PM | #2 |
Senior Member
Join Date: July 18, 2008
Posts: 7,249
|
It is assumed the rifle is accurate.
I built a rifle, I sent 6 boxes of ammo with 12 different loads of 10 rounds each. All I wanted to know was 'what did the rifle like?'. The answer was "Everything". The new owner shot one round then adjusted the point of impact to the point of aim. He thought there was room for improvement, he thought the trigger was a little tight. F. Guffey |
February 25, 2015, 12:43 PM | #3 |
Senior Member
Join Date: June 20, 2007
Location: Rainbow City, Alabama
Posts: 7,167
|
WAAAAAY to many shots zero a scope. You should be able to do it in 4 shots. Try this method. It works.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDNQ1P5M90k |
February 25, 2015, 03:35 PM | #4 |
Senior Member
Join Date: June 15, 2008
Location: Georgia
Posts: 10,786
|
Way too complex and time consuming for me. About 3 shots with a bolt rifle, 4 with anything else and I'm good at 100 yards.
I first bore sight at 50 yards. If I can't bore sight such as with a lever action etc., I just use a huge target backer so I can't miss. Fire 1 shot at 50 yards. No need for groups, any rifle worth owning will put 3 in in one ragged hole at 50 yards anyway. Adjust scope, this should put you on paper at 100. No need to perfectly zero at 50, all you want is to be is close enough to be on paper at 100 for the next shot. Fire shot #2 at 100 yards, adjust scope again. Once again groups are a waste of ammo. Any decent gun will be close to 1" groups at 100 yards and any other shots will be within 1/2" of the 1st shot. The 3rd or maybe 4th shot is to fine tune the scope, I've never needed more than 3-4 shots and 5-10 minutes to have a scope dialed in at 100 yards. At this point I'll start shooting groups, or move on to longer range and adjust zero as needed. |
February 25, 2015, 03:58 PM | #5 |
Junior member
Join Date: October 4, 2007
Location: All the way to NEBRASKA
Posts: 8,722
|
Step 1 should always ensure that all screws (scope mount, action, etc.) are tight. You would not believe how many times I've seen people try to zero guns with loose scopes or sights that move every shot.....
|
February 25, 2015, 04:54 PM | #6 |
Senior Member
Join Date: July 1, 2001
Posts: 6,264
|
Zero should be done in 4 shots.
Shot 1 at 25 yds. Adjust to hit 0.5" below center. Shot 2 at 100 yds. Adjust to hit your 0 point. Shot 3 confirm. That is zero'd. I usually shoot 5 more and adjust to center that group center to the ideal POI. If you find math is not working, your optic, rifle or technique are no good. Often times we get a great deal on an optic. If you shoot 20 rounds to 0 a gun, the optic is usually bad. With a rifle, you can track shot movement at 1 zero to see if it is wandering. It is a good idea to shoot 5 x 5 shot groups on paper and see where they go over 25 rounds. |
February 25, 2015, 05:02 PM | #7 |
Junior Member
Join Date: February 20, 2015
Location: NC
Posts: 5
|
Thanks for the input everyone.
I appreciate the feedback..all good points, and I can agree its a bit too much. Effective but a long process.
|
February 25, 2015, 06:25 PM | #8 |
Senior Member
Join Date: March 11, 2010
Location: South East Pa.
Posts: 3,364
|
Apparently you or Potterfield never put a scope on a lever action. Good luck with 4 shots on them.
|
February 25, 2015, 07:19 PM | #9 |
Senior Member
Join Date: July 18, 2010
Location: Independence Missouri
Posts: 4,582
|
I can usually get a three round group near center at 100 yds, in one shot at 50 yds, (with decent repeatable glass and decent ammo. Done it more than once.
__________________
Keep your Axe sharp and your powder dry. |
February 26, 2015, 06:19 AM | #10 |
Senior Member
Join Date: July 1, 2001
Posts: 6,264
|
Gunplumber: can't I get the first shot on a 14 x 14 sheet at 25 yards?
|
February 28, 2015, 07:03 AM | #11 |
Senior Member
Join Date: March 11, 2010
Location: South East Pa.
Posts: 3,364
|
You have no idea where the scope is at when putting a new one on. You really can not rough bore sight a rifle to a new scope on a rifle that you can not pull the bolt out of. If I was worried about expending a few extra rounds, I would look for a new hobby. I mean, what the heck are you at the range for?
|
February 28, 2015, 07:56 AM | #12 |
Senior Member
Join Date: August 23, 2010
Location: US South
Posts: 857
|
New (or new to me) scoped rifle:
Bore sight at 25yds Shoot 2 shot group Adjust toward 1/2" low Shoot 2 shot group at 100 yds Adjust toward 2" high Shoot 2 shot group at 200 yds Adjust to POA Shoot 3 shot group to confirm: Done in 9 shots - Mark scope turrets! PS: Do not clean barrel till hunting season is over Last edited by RaySendero; February 28, 2015 at 08:06 AM. |
February 28, 2015, 10:11 AM | #13 |
Senior Member
Join Date: July 1, 2001
Posts: 6,264
|
My point was a a scope only has about 60 MOA of adjustment on average. It can only be 30 moa off. New ones should be centered.
30 MOA is about 8" at 25 yards. So, in theory, any scope, with straight barrel and mount must be within 10" or so of the bullseye. This is excluding long range scopes. 20 MOA mounts, etc... |
February 28, 2015, 10:50 AM | #14 |
Senior Member
Join Date: June 16, 2008
Location: Wyoming
Posts: 11,061
|
Gee, I never knew zeroing a rifle was so complicated.
But, what about those who aren't good marksman, or their rifle/ammo isn't that accurate. You can still zero your rifle even if you shoot wash tub size groups. Draw a line on the target, from 12 to 6 o'clock. Draw another line from 9 to 3, giving you 4 equal squares. Us between 10 and 20 rounds. The more shots the more accurate the zero. Shoot at the target then count the number of hits in each quarter. Adjust until you have the same amount of shots in each quarter. Then you have an accurate zero. Many people, good shooters, thing they have a zero. I've seen this among target shooters. When I coached I would take the plotting sheets from the shooters data books and draw lines as above, showing them their zero isn't what they think it is. You can get close with one, three or five rounds, but shoot 20 rounds or so and see if you have an equal number of shots in each quarter. I would be willing to bet that few do.
__________________
Kraig Stuart CPT USAR Ret USAMU Sniper School Distinguished Rifle Badge 1071 Last edited by kraigwy; February 28, 2015 at 10:59 AM. |
February 28, 2015, 04:47 PM | #15 |
Senior Member
Join Date: March 11, 2010
Location: South East Pa.
Posts: 3,364
|
Nathan, With a new rifle (With removable bolt) and a new scope already centered (Yeah, right) and perfect mounts (Maybe) you might as well just laser bore sight it before firing. Unfortunately, many people want a used scope mounted with some kind of used junk rings that probably do not match the mounts that they also brought along. The method the OP mentioned sounds like a waste of time to me, but then that is why the majority of people go to the range anyway. Have at it.
|
February 28, 2015, 05:21 PM | #16 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: February 15, 2009
Posts: 8,927
|
Quote:
A zero is where the sights are set for a given range so bullets strike the point of aim. When that happens, the sight axis is not pointing at the same place the bore points. Nor is the bore pointing someplace above the aiming point equal to bullet drop plus sight height; close, but it varies according to how the rifle's held and fired. On centerfire handguns, the bore actually points below the point of aim when the round fires, then it swings up to shoot the bullet towards a point above the point of aim. |
|
February 28, 2015, 05:29 PM | #17 |
Senior Member
Join Date: March 11, 2010
Location: South East Pa.
Posts: 3,364
|
I have to agree with that. I have a side mounted Carcano and it gets weird at different ranges.
|
March 1, 2015, 07:34 AM | #18 |
Senior Member
Join Date: December 14, 2004
Location: Maine
Posts: 3,694
|
My method is similar to Larry Potterfield's, but for bolt-actions, usually skip the 50-yard point, using a larger target paper at 100 yards. After I get a shot on-paper, I clamp the rifle in "Sight-Vise" on the bench, aiming the scope reticle on the center, then moving the adjustments to coincide with the point I wish the bullets to strike at that distance, all the while checking to see if the reticle appears to move correctly with each adjustment.
That method helps to discover whether the scope adjustments are working properly. (I've found several that had scope rings over-tightened, affecting the proper zeroing.) A few shots to confirm the zero and check group size finish the job. |
March 1, 2015, 10:40 AM | #19 |
Senior Member
Join Date: June 16, 2008
Location: Wyoming
Posts: 11,061
|
I mentioned the multi shot (20 plus rounds) zero above, but I'm going to add a better method to get a TRUE zero using the multi round theory.
Set out a target at 100 yards (or what ever range you wish to zero) land leave it out there. The first thing in the morning take your rifle (which you think is zeroed and fire 5 shots. Then at noon, take 5 more shots. Again in the evening. Leave the target alone. Do it again when its cloudy, and again when its bright. After a couple days you should have a min. of 30 shots. Now quarter your target again and count the shots per quarter. Adjust and do it again until you can get the equal number of shots per quarter. You now have a proper zero for your rifle. This works on hunting rifles. On target rifles you should have a data book that tells you what corrections you need for low or bright lights, and varying temps. Few things are as critical as a well kept data book for each rifle you shoot.
__________________
Kraig Stuart CPT USAR Ret USAMU Sniper School Distinguished Rifle Badge 1071 |
March 1, 2015, 11:21 AM | #20 |
Senior Member
Join Date: June 25, 2008
Location: Republic of Texas
Posts: 502
|
Another way to skin that criter
Well that does work very good,,, what I like to do with a bolt gun that I can look down the barrel,,, I like to sight in by setting the rifle up in sand bags, remove the bolt looking through the barrel I center the bulls eye in the barrel then look through the scope and use the adjustment knobs to center the cross hairs on the group. Then fire a shot or two and adjust from there that usually gets me sighted in with just a few shots.
bb |
March 1, 2015, 11:32 AM | #21 |
Member
Join Date: February 13, 2015
Posts: 86
|
|
March 1, 2015, 11:41 AM | #22 |
Member
Join Date: February 13, 2015
Posts: 86
|
|
March 2, 2015, 03:56 PM | #23 |
Junior Member
Join Date: February 20, 2015
Location: NC
Posts: 5
|
Thanks for all of the feedback everyone!
As we can all see there are plenty of methods out there to properly zero or sight in a rifle. Do you have another method that hasn't been mentioned yet? Go ahead and share your zero method here! Thanks for sharing
|
March 2, 2015, 04:27 PM | #24 |
Senior Member
Join Date: February 15, 2009
Posts: 8,927
|
Stand up and aim a hand held bore sighted rifle at some range then shoot one shot and call it. Adjust the sight to move bullet impact to call. Shoot one more shot, call it to verify; if you're not at least 90% sure that is close enough then make a tiny adjustment if needed. Easy to do with accurate rifle and ammo.
|
March 2, 2015, 04:54 PM | #25 | |
Member
Join Date: February 13, 2015
Posts: 86
|
Quote:
|
|
Tags |
how to sight in a rifle , how to sight in a scope , how to zero a rifle , sight in , zero your rifle |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
|
|