Simple Zeroing Procedure Gets You Centered in 4 shots
Here’s a simple procedure that lets you get a solid zero for a hunting rifle in just four shots. Of course you probably want to fire a few more rounds to confirm your zero before you head off to your hunting grounds, but this will let you get on-target with a minimum amount of time and ammo expended. (This assumes your scope is securely mounted, and the bases are not drastically out of alignment.)
1. First, remove the bolt and boresight the rifle. Adjust the position of the rifle so that, looking through the bore, you can see the center of the target with your eyes. Secure the rifle in the rests to maintain its position as boresighted. Then, without moving the rifle, center the reticle. That should get you on paper. With the rifle solidly secured in front and rear rests or sandbags, aim at the center of a target placed at your zeroing distance (50 or 100 yards). Confirm there are no obstructions in the barrel! Then load and fire one shot. Then, return the gun to the exact position it was when you pulled the trigger, with the cross-hair centered on the target as before.
2. Locate, in the scope, where your first bullet landed on the target. Now, while you grip the rifle firmly so it doesn’t move, have a friend adjust the turrets on your scope. While you look through the scope, have your friend turn the windage and elevation turrets until the cross-hairs, as viewed through the scope, bisect the first bullet hole on the target. In other words, you use the turrets to move the center of the reticle to the actual position of shot number one. Dial the crosshairs to the hole — don’t move the rifle.
3. After you’ve adjusted the turrets, now re-aim the rifle so the cross-hairs are, once again, positioned on the target center. Keep the rifle firmly supported by your rest or sandbag. Take the second shot. You should find that the bullet now strikes in the center of the target.
4. Take a third shot with the cross-hairs aligned in the center of the target to confirm your zero. Make minor modifications to the windage and elevation as necessary.
5. Now shoot the rifle from a field rest (shooting sticks, bipod, or rucksack) as you would use when actually hunting. Confirm that your zero is unchanged. You may need to make slight adjustments. Some rifles, particularly those with flexy fore-arms, exhibit a different POI (point of impact) when fired from a bipod or ruck vs. a sandbag rest.
If you recently cleaned your rifle, you may want to fire two or three fouling shots before you start this procedure. But keep in mind that you want to duplicate the typical cold bore conditions that you’ll experience during the hunt. If you set your zero after three fouling shots, then make sure the bore is in a similar condition when you actually go out hunting.
Similar Posts:
- Four-Shot Sight-In for Hunting Rifles
- Dead Simple 4-Shot Sight-In for Hunting Rifles
- How to Zero A Hunting Rifle in Four Shots
- Zero Your New Hunting Rifle in Just Four Shots
- Sight-In Your Hunting Rifle with Just Four Shots
Share the post "Simple Zeroing Procedure Gets You Centered in 4 shots"
This simple procedure applies to benchrest shooting as well, where guns are usually set in rests that hold position well hands-free. Important to note this technique works at any yardage. You are warming up in competition at 1000 yards, your spotter misses seeing where your first shot goes but you see it hit dirt way right and low. Re-establish your original point of aim, dial the crosshairs to the POI, reposition the rifle to the target and hit send. Don’t forget to read target turret numbers after the fact if you are trying to mentally keep track of changes from zero.
These are the very directions I have taught all three of my boys to use when sighting in their scope’s. It’s fool-proof and even younger children can catch on immediately. My 13 year old sighted his .17HMR today using this very method. He was zeroed at 25 yards in three shots. Once he moved the target further distances, he found using the graduations on his turrets and adjusting for MOA brought him dead-on. Glad to see articles like these written to help others. KUDOS!
Isn’t this how everyone sights in a scope?
mwood: You would think so, but I’ve watched some put up a 8″ square paper target at 100 yds, and start blasting away trying to “sight-in a new scope” needless to say, after 20 or so rounds, they are not even on the paper. When I suggest they use a Large piece of paper ( 36″ square for example) and boresight at 50 yds., they look at me like I’m crazy. Some know-it-all, and for them I just go on about my business.