How to Zero A Hunting Rifle in Four Shots
Photo courtesy Vortex Optics.
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.)
QUICK-TIP: The Key to this procedure is Dialing to Shot One Point of Impact (POI). Re-aim at center of target after SHOT ONE. Then with the rifle motionless, use the turrets to put the middle of the cross-hair on the first shot location.
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 SHOT ONE. 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, use the turrets to move the center of the reticle to the actual position of shot number one. IMPORTANT: Dial the crosshairs to the hole — don’t move the rifle.
Watch NSSF Zeroing Video showing method of moving reticle to Shot 1 Point of Impact.
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. Finally, shoot the rifle from a field rest (shooting sticks, bipod, or rucksack) as you would use when actually hunting. Confirm, with SHOT FOUR, 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
- How to Sight-In Your Hunting Rifle in Four Shots
- Zero Your New Hunting Rifle in Just Four Shots
- Simple Zeroing Procedure Gets You Centered in 4 shots
- Sight-In Your Hunting Rifle with Just Four Shots
Tags: Boresighting, Confirm Zero, hunting, Hunting Rifle, Rifle Zero
Excellent write-up. That is exactly the process I use, and it works.
A suggestion. When bore sighting your rifle, it is imperative you keep your eye “centered” in the bore. As you look down the bore, make sure you have equal amounts of “rifling” appearing all around the bore. The best way I ever found to do this was to use a distant streetlight. The light allows you to center the bore due to the reflection.
If doing this daylight hours, if you back a few feet away from the rifle, you will be more accurate in centering the bore.
Easier way is to zero 1 inch high at 25 yards,check it at 100 should be dam close,make any adjustments if necessary,make one more shot to verify and you have 1 bullet left over.Sigjted in my last half dozen rifles this way,spend your bore sight money on more ammo or better optic.
Editor: You are still going to need to confirm your 100-yard zero. That will take at least two shots. The method here gives you a reliable 100-yard zero in four. The 25-yard zero may get people in trouble because of the difference in scope height over the bore from rifle to rifle.